2025 Pine Creek Spring Restoration (September)

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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.”

success

Spring Basin Wilderness

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 riders, hunters

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fact

Western Rattlesnake

Western Rattlesnake

Also known as the Great Basin Rattlesnake, these pit vipers have buff-tan coloring and small, oval blotches to blend into their arid surroundings. Small heat-sensing indentations on each side of the snake’s snout detects warm-blooded prey for better striking accuracy in the dark. Source: The Oregon Encyclopedia

Latin name: Crotalus oreganus lutosus

Organizer: Gena Goodman-Campbell

Dates: September 26-28, 2025

Region: John Day River Basin

Difficulty Rating: Level 3: Challenging

Maximum Group Size: 15 participants

About the place

This project takes place on the Pine Creek Conservation Area, which is owned and managed by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs. Pine Creek is within the traditional lands of the Tenino people, a band of the Warm Springs Tribe and the Northern Paiute people. The area is also part of the traditional lands of the Cayuse, one of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.

Pine Creek Conservation Area is located near Clarno, Oregon and is a protected property managed for its wildlife habitat. Pine Creek is a tributary of the John Day River and runs for over 10 miles through the Conservation Area. It provides important habitat for steelhead and a diversity of wildlife and bird species. ONDA has organized restoration projects at Pine Creek Conservation Area for over 20 years. This project contributes to this work by restoring a system of springs that feed Pine Creek.

About the stewardship work

This project will support watershed-wide restoration efforts by removing juniper trees from a system of springs that feed Pine Creek, increasing water levels in the small streams fed by the springs as well as Pine Creek itself.  Volunteers will use hand tools such as loppers and handsaws to remove small junipers from springs and surrounding areas. Volunteers will also reuse cut juniper material to add structure to stream channels to reconnect them to their floodplains and slow seasonal flows. This will support existing willows and other riparian plants as well as future restoration plantings.

Trip timeline

  • Friday, September 26, 4-7 p.m.: Meet at the campsite near the project location to set up camp and have dinner. After dinner, we’ll have an orientation about the upcoming work.
  • Saturday, September 27, 8 a.m.: Walk a short distance to the work site. Begin working our way up the stream from our parking area. Volunteers should plan to be out all day and be prepared for a full day of work.
  • Saturday, September 27, 4 p.m.: Return to camp to rest, cook, and explore.
  • Sunday, September 28, 8 a.m.: After breakfast we will pack up camp before walking to the work site to pick up where we left off the previous day.
  • Sunday, September 28, 3 p.m.: Complete our work, walk back to the campsite and head home.

Camp

We will be car camping at a campground just off of Highway 218 on the Pine Creek Conservation Area. The campground is on a gravel road and is accessible for any vehicle. There are pit toilets at the campground, but there is no potable water.

Difficulty

Level 3

The physical demands of this trip are challenging. Work involves hiking over uneven ground, using hand tools such as shovels, loppers, clippers, and handsaws, working in thick and prickly vegetation, and bending and kneeling for prolonged periods.

Participant responsibilities

Participants are responsible for providing their own camping gear, food and water/beverages. We recommend bringing your own work gloves to provide a comfortable fit, but it is not required. Sturdy hiking boots, long pants, long sleeves and eye protection will be required for the work.

Gear provided

ONDA will provide all of the training, tools, and supplies needed to complete the work. Along with expert leadership, ONDA will also bring some group camping gear like tables, chairs, shade tents, and extra potable water. Extra gloves and eye protection will be available if needed.

Registration

An ONDA registration application and medical form are required for this trip.

Apply Now

You will receive a confirmation email within 2 weeks of submitting your registration form. This email will provide information regarding trips where you are a confirmed participant and trips that are full where you have been placed on the waitlist.

Six weeks before the start of the trip, the trip leader will send out an email reconfirming participation. Based on responses, any open spaces will be filled with people from the waitlist.

Three weeks before the trip start date, registered and confirmed participants will receive driving instructions, carpooling options, maps, and additional information in an email sent by the trip leader.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact the trip leader.

 

Your Trip Leader

This trip will be led by Gena Goodman-Campbell, ONDA's Stewardship Director. If you have any questions or need additional information you can contact her via email at gena@onda.org

Meet Gena

Restoring Desert Ecosystems

ONDA works with partners, communities and the public to improve habitat quality, create healthy ecosystems, sustain clean water and support biodiversity in the high desert’s most ecologically important areas. What […]

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