Over the last two decades, ONDA has engaged volunteers in projects to plant thousands of trees, restore dozens of miles of streams, decommission old roads, and remove enough barbed wire to stretch from one end of Oregon to the other.
Elisa Cheng, member since 2013
“ONDA stewardship trips inspire me. I get to learn new things and see new places, and in the process perform important work that improves the wildlife habitat.”
Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member
“I connect with Oregon’s high desert through my feet, my eyes, my sense of smell, and all the things I hear. Getting out there is a whole body experience.” Supporting ONDA, Helen says, not only connects her with wild landscapes, but is also a good investment. “I felt like if I gave them $20, they might squeeze $23 out of it.”
Young Desert Horned Lizard
In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.
Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos
Riparian restorationONDA’s riparian restoration efforts target streams with protected fish species such as redband trout and steelhead. We strive to improve fish and wildlife habitat by reestablishing conditions that encourage the return of beaver; lush stream banks and lazy meandering streams with deep, cold pools. We plant trees to help reduce erosion, lower water temperatures, and provide the food and building materials that allow beaver to move in and resume their work of constructing dams, a critical part of the long-term restoration process.
Habitat ConnectivityAcross Oregon’s desert lands, thousands of miles of barbed wire fences fragment the landscape. Many of these fences no longer serve a purpose and interfere with the movement of native wildlife such as greater sage-grouse, elk, deer, and antelope. By removing obsolete barbed wire fences and retrofitting needed fences with wildlife-friendly wire, our volunteers contribute to improving wildlife migration corridors.
Habitat and recreation monitoringONDA offers a variety of independent monitoring projects through which volunteers act as the eyes on the ground to identify and repair recreation impacts, gather information to our restoration projects and bring new stewardship needs to light. The work our volunteers complete across eastern Oregon informs our conservation and legal work and underpins our ongoing commitment to protect, defend, and restore the high desert.
Oregon Natural Desert Association’s independent stewardship projects offers volunteers a self-directed option for promoting a healthy high desert in addition to our structured option of guided stewardship trips. How It […]
Read More