voices
Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year
Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year
“If I have to pick a favorite place in Oregon’s high desert, it would be Sutton Mountain, but I’m excited about all of the Wilderness Study Areas,” says Terry, adding, “Each is a gem to explore, and I hope they all get protection someday… I love the scale of the physical beauty of the desert.”
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Connecting Trails
Connecting Trails
The Oregon Desert Trail ties into two National Recreation Trails: the Fremont National Recreation Trail and Desert Trail.
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Jeremy Fox on Steens Landscape
Jeremy Fox on Steens Landscape
Welcome to Oregon's High Desert
With natural beauty, abundant solitude, ample recreational opportunities, significant cultural touchstones, and a wide array of plants and wildlife, Oregon’s high desert is truly world-class. Even more remarkable, much of Oregon’s desert is public land, owned by all Americans equally.
Come, explore the desert alongside Oregon Natural Desert Association and see for yourself how unique and wild this place is.
Caring for the Desert We Love
Oregon Natural Desert Association encourages people to get to know the desert and to take steps to conserve these public lands. Our community defends public lands from threats, partners with public and private land managers to preserve natural values, encourages the exploration of wild places, and restores lands and waters to give desert creatures places in which to thrive.
Land Acknowlegdement
ONDA’s conservation work takes place on the traditional lands of the Northern Paiute, Wasco and Warm Springs people and on lands currently managed by the Burns Paiute Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Many Indigenous peoples live in Oregon’s high desert region today, including members of the Burns Paiute Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs (Wasco, Warm Springs and Paiute), the Klamath Tribes (Klamath, Modoc and Yahooskin) and the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe.
The Voice of the Desert
With more than 10,000 members and supporters, ONDA is the only conservation organization dedicated exclusively to preserving Oregon’s high desert.
Our dream? We envision a high desert in Oregon where eight million acres of public lands are conserved to ensure that fish and wildlife thrive and wild places exist for all people to treasure and explore, now and always.
Events and Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for an educational talk, a guided hike, or a casual social gathering? Want to plant trees or maintain trails? Check out ONDA’s event calendar! Our events and stewardship trips offer something for everyone.
We add new events frequently, so sign up for our email updates to make sure you don’t miss out on any of the fun.