As a staff, we are steadfast in our commitment to protect, defend, and restore Oregon’s high desert alongside our members and supporters. Together with the passion and commitment of a community of advocates thousands strong, the skills and experience of our staff make Oregon Natural Desert Association a respected leader in the public lands conversation at the state and federal levels.
Our Staff
Sean Bagshaw Website
Our Staff
voices
Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member
Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member
“I connect with Oregon’s high desert through my feet, my eyes, my sense of smell, and all the things I hear. Getting out there is a whole body experience.” Supporting ONDA, Helen says, not only connects her with wild landscapes, but is also a good investment. “I felt like if I gave them $20, they might squeeze $23 out of it.”
voices
Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner
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.”
watch
The Last Darkness
The Last Darkness
Our Seasonal Staff and Interns
Each year, bright students and professionals from Oregon and beyond join ONDA in our office and in the field to gain career-building skills.
Our 2018 Crew
- Anne White, Habitat Monitoring Technician
- Emilie Bedard, Habitat Monitoring Technician
- Dawn Nolan, Winter Intern, Outreach and Development
- Kelly Sprague, Winter Intern, Outreach and Development
- Caelin Weiss, Summer Intern, Outreach and Development
- Michael Tauriaim, Summer Intern, Wildlands
- Nick Maithonis, Summer Intern, Wildlands
- Zane Fields, Summer Intern, GIS
- Brittany Leffel, Winter Intern, Outreach and Development
Our field technicians and field interns help us with our Sage-Grouse Habitat Monitoring Project, which monitors the implementation of the BLM’s Approved Resource Management Plan Amendment (ARMPA) and ecological health trends on federal lands in eastern Oregon to assess the degree to which public lands are meeting sage-grouse habitat objectives.
Our outreach and events interns help ONDA to reach community members interested in getting involved in ONDA’s work by managing ONDA event logistics, engaging retail partners for the Wild Desert Calendar, and representing ONDA at community events.
Our wildlands interns spend 10 weeks over the summer in the field with ONDA staff and volunteers. In addition to helping lead restoration projects, our 2017 interns worked with the Prineville Bureau of Land Management to monitor Wilderness Study Areas throughout Central Oregon.