Oregon’s first desert wilderness
On October 30, 2000, President Clinton signed the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act, creating Oregon’s first desert wilderness. This accomplishment was the result of decades of work led by ONDA and our partners, permanently protecting this icon of Oregon’s high desert and its natural, cultural and historical values for all to enjoy, forever.
Located in southeastern Oregon, Steens Mountain features dramatic glacial valleys, groves of quaking aspen, uplands lush with bunchgrasses and wildflowers, and sheer mountain cliffs falling away thousands of feet to alkali playas below.
These diverse habitats teem with wildlife. The charismatic greater sage-grouse and speedy pronghorn inhabit the vast sagebrush expanses. Bighorn sheep balance on rugged, rocky ridges and mule deer hide in the ravines. Redband trout thrive in the dozens of miles of Wild and Scenic Rivers designated on Steens Mountain. Eagles, hawks and falcons soar the endless skies above by day, while coyotes and owls fill the night with their mournful calls.
Conservation Outcomes
Protecting Steens Mountain dramatically strengthened conservation management in the area, creating the nation’s first congressionally designated livestock-free wilderness area and surrounding it with the first ever Cooperative Management and Protection Area that extends protections across 500,000 acres of public lands. To this mix, Congress added 29 miles of new Wild and Scenic Rivers and the nation’s first ever Redband Trout Reserve. Finally, the Steens legislation protected the entire region, totaling 1.1 million acres, from mining and geothermal development.
Ongoing Conservation
Protecting Steens Mountain from industrial development
Six years after designating Steens Mountain, ONDA learned of a proposal to develop industrial-scale wind energy on the mountain. The proposal envisioned hundreds of wind turbines on the northern flanks of the mountain served by high voltage transmission lines crossing miles of public lands through important wildlife habitat and areas with wilderness values. ONDA immediately sought to dissuade the developer, the county, and the Bureau of Land Management from pursuing industrial development on this irreplaceable landscape. The proposal moved forward despite our robustly stated concerns and objections until ONDA was compelled to challenge the development in court.
Over the course of nearly eight years, it became clear that the project wasn’t viable and lacked the necessary permits and agreements to proceed. After a lengthy and difficult legal process, in 2017 ONDA permanently halted the project and protected Steens Mountain from such intrusive and damaging development.
Ensuring thoughtful and responsible recreation and travel management
The beauty of Steens Mountain draws people to spend time experiencing its natural wonders. Existing roads and trails provide access to many parts of Steens Mountain while still preserving the wilderness character of the more remote expanses of the mountain. Developing a legal, reasonable and comprehensive plan to manage recreation, roads and trails has proven to be a challenging task for the Bureau of Land Management. ONDA has been a leading and effective voice for mapping and managing a system of roads and trails that provide access while also protecting the environment, and we continue to oppose any attempt to create or re-open unnecessary roads throughout the Cooperative Management and Protection Area.
Protecting wilderness character
In 2009, the Bureau of Land Management approved a project that allowed the use of motorized equipment to cut down juniper trees in Wilderness Study Areas on Steens Mountain. ONDA intervened to ensure that this project and future management complies with law and policy to preserve the mountain’s wilderness character, even where vegetation management may be required. After a complex legal process, ONDA ultimately prevailed, sustaining the ecological integrity of the mountain and providing a roadmap for any future work on Steens Mountain.
Thanks to ONDA’s enduring commitment to conservation in the region, Steens Mountain has been preserved as a place of magnificent beauty, with grand vistas, rich wildlife habitat and a remarkable cultural heritage. Our ongoing advocacy for management that protects the area’s ecological integrity and our sustained stewardship and restoration efforts ensure this incomparable icon of Oregon’s high desert remains that way.
