Sage Brown Website
It might be the scent of sagebrush, or the desert sun’s warmth. It could be the wild rivers, or the unparalleled solitude. Or perhaps it is the chance to see pronghorn running across the steppe that first draws people in. One point is certain: the magical combination of these natural attributes and many more touches souls and bonds people together.
ONDA’s board of directors are community leaders who care deeply about the future of central and eastern Oregon’s public lands, waterways, and wildlife. Each volunteer director is committed to listening, learning and collaborating to ensure fish and wildlife thrive and wild places exist for people to treasure and explore, now and always.
Meet our board of directors.
Aaron Tani, Sage Society Member
“It feels good to support ONDA on a monthly basis, because I know they never stop supporting our public lands. ONDA works to help make our lands a better place for the future, and I feel like I’m a part of that every month with my support.”
Craig Terry, ONDA member and stewardship volunteer
“The people I have had the privilege to share time with each season keep me volunteering again and again. Who else but those ONDA staff leaders would make fresh coffee at dawn each morning or pack a watermelon all day to serve as a reward under a juniper in a steep canyon?” Craig, who grew up in northwestern Nevada, says ONDA connects him with places he loves and a mission he believes in. “My grandfather and his father put up wire fences for their ranching needs. Taking out barbed wire sort of completes a circle for me.”
Ursula K. Le Guin on ONDA
“Nothing in conservation work is ever uncomplicated! But I’m proud of ONDA for working on that conversation, being neighborly, trying to include the human landscape in the natural one as truly part of what is to be honored, protected, and saved.”
Ursula K. Le Guin, from the short essay Concerning a Wilderness
We are rural and urban, hikers and sportsmen, visionaries and tradition-bearers. We are world-class athletes and everyday explorers, civic leaders and students. We are diverse voices speaking up for the conservation of our desert. Our differences, and our willingness to come together through a shared love of our favorite places, give us strength.
ONDA members have given a voice to the conservation needs of eastern Oregon’s high desert since 1987.
In the mid-1980s, a diverse group of folks, including teachers, doctors, students, naturalists, and retirees, came together over their shared love of Oregon’s desert. The group was driven to action by their conviction that a federal inventory of wild desert lands had not included many of the places that they knew and loved. Sure enough, when these passionate people banded together to take up their own inventory of Oregon’s wild places, they found nearly 8 million acres of wilderness-quality land in eastern Oregon in need of conservation action. And, these founders realized then the wild desert lands they loved need an advocate. From this small group of desert-lovers, the Oregon Natural Desert Association was born.
ONDA is proud to have the support of businesses who support conservation in Oregon’s high desert. These business members contribute to our mission by providing funding, product donations, and event hosting. And, their support shows their commitment to protecting Oregon’s high desert lands, waterways, wildlife and responsible recreation opportunities.
We work hand-in-hand with Native American tribal leaders, scientists, land management agencies, and private land-owners to achieve ground-breaking, precedent-setting cooperative goals.
