“My favorite spot on earth …”
When Sen. Ron Wyden invited Oregonians to nominate rivers and creeks for protection under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act last fall, hundreds of people spoke up to nominate Lower Whychus Creek in Central Oregon. The name Whychus means “place where we cross the water” in Sahaptin, the language of the Columbia River tribes....
Read More
Drawn to Nests
One day in spring of 2014, I started drawing bird nests. I didn’t stop for almost a year. These drawings began as a way for me to explore my curiosity about birds’ nests without causing any harm to the birds themselves. My work on this series made me more aware of the impacts we...
Read More
Fifteen Exceptional Volunteers
Earlier this year, we highlighted Ten Superlative ONDA Volunteers. While it’s National Volunteer Week, we’d like to introduce you to fifteen more unique and highly dedicated members of ONDA’s desert conservation community. Hopefully these stories will make for good conversation starters, should you meet one of these desert champions at an ONDA event, on...
Read More
What Can I Do?
Last Updated: April 14, 2020 It’s mid-April 2020 and we are seeing a positive response to Governor Brown’s stay at home order that is helping to keep Covid-19 cases at levels hospitals can handle. The stay at home order allows us to get outside to exercise and enjoy nature, and doing so is important...
Read More
Member Profile: Whitney “Allgood” LaRuffa
If you have been following the development of the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) over the past few years, you are probably aware that one of its primary goals is to engage the recreation community in conservation issues across the high desert. An excellent example of how the ODT has helped harness the passion and...
Read More
High Desert Academy
Welcome to our digital event community While we’re all following directives to stay close to home, ONDA is bringing the desert straight to you! Wherever you might be, you can follow along with our new High Desert Academy. This series will include stunning tours of high desert highlights, informative workshops that will teach you...
Read More
A Thru-Hiker’s Message – Stay Home
An Oregon Desert Trail Thru-hiker Recounts a Decision To Get Off the Trail post by Riley Manning It’s a scary time right now. As the flowers bloom and the days grow long, hikers who had spent months and years preparing for their thru-hikes: quitting jobs, ending leases, selling off furniture, are now canceling their...
Read More
Signs of Spring
By Scott Bowler and Lace Thornberg After months of rejuvenating itself in subtle ways, Oregon’s high desert begins pulsing with undeniable signs of spring’s arrival in March, April and May. Spring’s ‘arrival’ varies widely. By mid-April, a few rounds of wildflowers will have already come and gone along the banks of Whychus Creek, outside...
Read More
Oregon’s High Desert Amid an Outbreak
The sun on our faces, the scent of sagebrush carried by a breeze, a distant call of raptors flying overhead, and the crunch of bare earth below our feet. We feel the pull of Oregon’s wilder side each and every day. And we know that the high desert is calling to many now. If...
Read More
Ten Superlative Volunteers
Oregon’s high desert is a unique place, full of magic and wonder. The same could be said of those people who give their time and attention so generously to its care. Today, we’d like to introduce you to ten conservation heroes you could meet at an ONDA event or on a stewardship trip and...
Read More