Tyson Fisher Website
In 2004, a crew of motivated, scrappy and talented Oregon Natural Desert Association supporters dreamed up the idea of creating a photographic collection dedicated solely to the beauty of Oregon’s high desert. Thus, ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar was born!
What defines Oregon’s high desert?
Bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Blue Mountains to the north, Oregon’s high desert covers approximately 24,000 square miles. Annual rainfall in the high desert varies from 5 to 14 inches. The average elevation is 4,000 feet; at 9,733 feet, the summit of Steens Mountain is the highest point in Oregon’s high desert. The terrain of the high desert was mostly formed by a series of lava flows that occurred between 30 and 10 million years ago.
Bobcat
Found only in North America, where it is the most common wildcat, the bobcat takes its common name from its stubby, or “bobbed,” tail. The cats range in length from two to four feet and weigh 14 to 29 pounds. Bobcats mainly hunt rabbits and hares, but they will also eat rodents, birds, bats, and even adult deer.
Latin name: Lynx rufus fasciatus
Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner
“Protecting public land is part of my spiritual being. It’s central to my identity to be in wilderness and to see it protected.” Durlin is proud to protect public lands for future generations, saying, “The highlight of my childhood was our family’s weekend outdoor trips. I look forward to my grandchildren having similar experiences outside in their lifetimes, and it wouldn’t be possible without ONDA.”
Greg Burke and Jim Davis, both of Bend, are dedicated photographers who were part of the team that originated the calendar. The quality of their work has drawn other artists to participate over the years, like Tyson Fisher, a professional artist based in Silverton, Oregon, and Christof Teuscher, who turns his passion to imagery when not working as assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Portland State University.
Each edition of the calendar brings a new, spectacular visual feast. To celebrate new editions, ONDA hosts a Wild Desert Calendar release party each fall, where we debut the new cover image and display a more than a dozen stunning images, from the current year’s calendar and from previous years.
The Wild Desert Calendar is also a benefit of membership, and is mailed to all current ONDA members in mid-November.
Dozens of retail outlets around the state—ranging from Strictly Organic Coffee Company and GearFix in Bend to Powell’s Books in Portland—carry the calendar. It can also be purchased online directly from ONDA.
Davis says he’s proud of the role the calendar has played over the years in introducing others to the wonder of the high desert.
“These places in Oregon are wonderful, you just have to capture them,” says Davis. “The calendar provides a way to show how spectacular these places really are. It’s the only collection of photography dedicated solely to the Oregon desert.”
Learn more about the photographers who regularly contribute images to ONDA.