Wild & Scenic Film Festival returns to Bend
Will Nepali punk rocker Sareena Rai bag a first ascent? How does renowned climber and filmmaker Renan Ozturk define success? Where is the highest concentration of National Wild & Scenic Rivers in the U.S.? Find out on October 5 at the Tower Theatre in Bend as ONDA hosts the Wild & Scenic Film Festival....
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Get into the Fremont
We hear a common refrain from people when they get back from a trip in the Fremont: “I wish I’d gone hiking in the Fremont years ago! If only I’d known about it!” If you’re not familiar with the wonders of the Fremont, please allow us to introduce you! Here are our best tips...
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Finding New Places to Love Through Stewardship and Protecting Them Through Sage Society
Aaron Tani, an ONDA member since 2016, regularly volunteers on stewardship trips and contributes monthly as part of the Sage Society. A Central Oregonian since 1986, Aaron has grown to love Oregon’s high desert for its vastness and the solitude found while exploring this landscape. Friends introduced Aaron to ONDA, and his first...
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2018 Volunteer of the Year
Meet Terry Butler. A search for information about Sutton Mountain led Terry Butler to ONDA. In 2014, he joined an ONDA stewardship trip in Logan Valley. By 2015, Terry’s volunteering repertoire had expanded to attending town halls, making phone calls, leading guided hikes, and helping out at events. He’s a central hub in our strong...
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Meet Michelle Smith and Sam Beebe
These ONDA members gave the classic American West road trip a public lands twist Inspired by a desire to see public lands across the West, Michelle Smith and Sam Beebe took a nearly 5-month and 16,000-mile road trip last year to better understand public lands and the current issues and communities around them. They...
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Going Public: Becoming a Public Land Leader
Brittany Leffel hosted a Public Land Leader gathering in December and wrote about her experience “going public”. Behind every beloved trail is a crew of stewards working to preserve the trail. Likewise, behind every wilderness area and national forest are people speaking up for our public lands. I’ve always taken pride in my...
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Species Spotlight: Mountain Mahogany
By LeeAnn Kriegh Trees live their lives on a different timescale than ours, so it helps to slow ourselves down to fully appreciate them. Certainly, a shrubby little tree like curlleaf mountain-mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius) isn’t going to catch our eye if we’re racing past along the trail. But take time for a closer look,...
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We asked, you answered: Keep delivering conservation wins
The results of our most recent member survey In early November, we surveyed our members to check in on the work that matters most to you. Nearly 300 of you responded. Thank you! Whether it was in multiple choice questions or the open-ended answers, the prevailing theme was: “keep it up!” Here’s what we...
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Sage Society: Sustaining Desert Conservation
Retired science teacher Scott Bowler is a proud member of ONDA’s Sage Society, the community of advocates and donors who live their values by sustaining critical conservation efforts year-round with monthly contributions. We recently spoke with Scott about his decades-long commitment to sustaining Oregon conservation efforts through volunteering, advocacy, and the Sage Society. ONDA: Tell...
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Kirk Richardson: Alice Elshoff Award winner
For more than a decade, Kirk Richardson has been a strong voice for protecting Oregon’s high desert. He’s served on the Oregon Natural Desert Association Board of Directors, helped dream up the Live Monumental effort to protect areas like the Owyhee through his position at KEEN Footwear, and now is the recipient of the...
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