Climate change. Drought. Wildfire.
Author: Jeremy Austin | Published: July 13, 2021 | Category: In the News Each morning, as Google populates my inbox with news stories from across the Sagebrush Sea, one word increasingly dominates the headlines: wildfire. “Firefighters working to contain 2 wildfires after significant overnight growth” “Wildfires: Bigger, hotter than ever. How will the land...
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Sage-grouse are down, but not out
Author: Jeremy Austin | Published: October 13, 2020 | Category: In the News The numbers are in. Oregon’s sage-grouse population essentially remained flat in 2020. Following years of steep declines, the bird is dwelling at the second-lowest population level ever measured in our state. For nearly 60 years the scientific community has documented the...
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Species Spotlight – Pronghorn
A long list of charismatic animals inhabits Oregon’s high desert. Species such as the Greater Sage-grouse, bighorn sheep, cougars, burrowing owls and even the occasional black bear or wandering moose (okay, just one moose), can all be found exploring the characteristic rimrock, sagebrush, and open spaces of the state’s eastern half. In fact, many...
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Only You Can Prevent Sagebrush Fires
You might think of forests when you think “wildfire,” but, as OPB reported in May, nearly 75 percent of all acres burned in the west over the past two decades were on rangelands — not forest. As someone who lives in or visits sagebrush country, you have an important responsibility to help prevent human-caused...
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Where To: Hart Mountain
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge lies at the center of the Greater Hart-Sheldon Region in southeastern Oregon. Few established trails cross this vast region. Instead, desert enthusiasts have endless opportunities to build their own adventure and experience the solitude of Oregon’s high desert. Here are six tips that will help you make the most...
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A Wilderness Inventory
The fate of more than three million acres in the Greater Hart-Sheldon will be determined in 2020, as the Lakeview District of the Bureau of Land Management considers how they will manage resources in this landscape. Public comments will be accepted for a short period of time once their draft management plan is release....
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A New Plan for 5 Million Acres
5 Reasons to Care, 3 Topics to Understand, 1 click to comment How would you manage 5 million acres? Right now, you have a once-in-a-generation chance to answer that very question. The Bureau of Land Management is seeking input from the public on the Southeast Oregon Resource Management Plan Amendment (SEORMP), a process that...
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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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