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Each year, hundreds of Oregon Natural Desert Association volunteers protect and restore the public lands of Oregon’s high desert.
You might find yourself restoring streams, improving trails, mailing thank you letters, attending meetings, or welcoming people at ONDA events. With many different ways to pitch in and help, your effort, skills and passion are needed and appreciated. We’d love to have you join our vibrant community of desert advocates.
Spring Basin Wilderness
With 10,000 acres of undulating terrain, secluded canyons and spectacular vantages of the John Day Country, Spring Basin is magnificent to explore This public treasure, forever protected as Wilderness, offers a profusion of desert wildflowers in the spring and year-round recreational opportunities for hikers, horseback
Read MoreScott Bowler, ONDA member from Portland
“The desert speaks for itself, but very softly. I support ONDA to promote and enable discovery of the amazing beauty and recreational opportunities of the high desert by much broader groups of people; and most especially to protect forever the full and diverse landscape of the Owyhee Canyonlands, a place without parallel or equal in our country.”
Oregon’s first desert wilderness
On October 30, 2000, Congress passed the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act, finishing the work that had taken ONDA and the other members of the Steens-Alvord Coalition decades
Steens Mountain is a land of startling contrasts: dramatic u-shaped
Read MoreEvery year, ONDA hosts a variety of group volunteer service trips, led by ONDA staff, to complete habitat restoration work in some of Oregon’s most remote and beautiful landscapes. Visit ONDA’s stewardship trips page to find the full calendar and detailed descriptions of our current stewardship trip offerings.
We encourage people of all ability levels and backgrounds to get out with us to take part in our hands-on stewardship work and deepen their relationship with Oregon’s high desert. All trips are free and no experience is required. ONDA provides all of the tools, equipment and training necessary for the project.
Ready to get out in the desert? Once you’ve selected the trips you are interested in, you can sign-up by filling out ONDA’s 2024 stewardship trip registration form.
Another critical way you can volunteer in support of your public lands is to become an advocate and your use voice to urge key decision makers to prioritize desert conservation.
You can get on ONDA’s action alert list by subscribing to ONDA’s e-newsletter.
Typically, ONDA works with many volunteers throughout the year who play an integral part in our outreach and events. We appreciate volunteers to assist with events, like those listed below. To join our list of office and event volunteers in either Bend or Portland, please fill out the volunteer interest form below, or email our team to learn more.
ONDA also works with school groups, community organizations, and businesses that want to volunteer together.