Exploring Eastern Oregon by Boat
ONDA Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick shares a “water alternate” option to the hiking route on the Chewaucan River. She likes to say, “rivers are trails too” and hopes others are inspired to view our desert landscapes from a different angle. The remote landscapes of eastern Oregon are often best explored on...
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Celebrating 30 years of high desert conservation
For three decades, ONDA has been a strong, consistent voice for Oregon’s high desert. It all began in 1987 with extraordinary people concerned about an extraordinary place, and today has blossomed into the only organization that works exclusively on behalf of eastern Oregon’s high desert public lands and waterways. It’s been more than three...
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Oregon breweries call for protection of Owyhee Canyonlands
Over two dozen Oregon craft beer brewers from around the state have joined together to call for the permanent protection of the Owyhee Canyonlands. Ross Putnam, cofounder of Base Camp Brewing Company, shares why his brewery got involved and why it’s important to protect the Owyhee, now. In the fall of 2015, we packed...
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Getting inspired, getting involved
Bend resident Sarah Graham has long cherished the outdoors. But this past year inspired her to become active to help protect public lands, aiming to ensure they continue to belong to all Americans. Here, she shares her story. The story of how my husband and I came to be Bendites is a common tale....
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A Fall Hiking Perspective on the Oregon Desert Trail
The Oregon Desert Trail’s first fall thru-hiker, Bob “Huck Finn” Jessee, completed the route in 2015. Read about his adventure and tips for getting out in the shoulder season. The Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) may have been Bob “Huck Finn” Jessee’s second thru-hike, but following his successful 2013 completion of the 3,000-mile Continental...
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Elliott Dubreuil’s Desert Legacy
From the moment he arrived in Oregon, Elliott Dubreuil felt drawn to its dry side. The Louisiana native moved to Bend in 1993. He picked the small town to avoid the rain and still fulfill a job requirement to live in the Pacific Northwest. And the more the outdoor gear sales rep drove Eastern...
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An Oregon Desert Trail Adventure on the Owyhee River
Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick shares her exploratory packraft alternate on the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) in the Owyhee Canyonlands. Getting to the West Little Owyhee River where Oregon Desert Trail Section 21 begins is a logistical challenge. I had arranged for a variety of rides to get from Bend to the...
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Service at Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge
Carol Savonen is a member of Great Old Broads for Wilderness, a group formed initially by older women to champion America’s public lands. Here, she shares the experience the Broads had on a recent trip to the Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge. This past June, 25 Oregon members of the Great Old Broads for...
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Vegetation Monitoring in Southeastern Oregon
ONDA summer intern Anne White has spent many hours over the past few months in southeastern Oregon monitoring sagebrush habitat. She and her fellow intern collected data to help determine the health of the habitat for Greater sage-grouse. When I tell people I am doing Greater sage-grouse monitoring for my internship with ONDA, their...
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Christof Teuscher Runs for Discovery on the Oregon Desert Trail
“What I enjoy most about the Oregon desert are the wide open spaces, it’s so fascinating. Since I grew up in Switzerland, I find it very exotic. I’ve always been places with houses and fences, and the desert is a different world; I thrive in that. It can make you feel very small...
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