We Challenged, You Hiked

fact

Swallowtail

Swallowtail

The Oregon Swallowtail butterfly is the official state insect of Oregon and a true native of the Pacific Northwest. The Swallowtail can be seen in the lower sagebrush canyons of the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Snake River drainage area.  Source: State Symbols USA

Latin name: Papilio oregonius

fact

Young Desert Horned Lizard

Young Desert Horned Lizard

In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.

Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos

voices

Cregg Large, member since 2009

Cregg Large, member since 2009

“I came to Oregon 12 years ago from Texas. Texas, for all its size, has very little public land. Coming to Oregon has made me realize the special gift we as Americans have in our public lands. Volunteering with an organization like ONDA is my way of reciprocating for this gift. Through restoration efforts, I feel we are helping leave a better place than we found it. Through advocating for protection for public lands, we safeguard migration routes for animals and keep the land where it belongs: with the public.”

We Challenged, You Hiked

ONDA’s Badlands Challenge prompted discovery, exploration, and a lot of math In celebration of the tenth anniversary of Oregon Badlands Wilderness designation, ONDA hosted a six-month-long exploration challenge. After ONDA […]

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An Owyhee Mis-Adventure
Inspires Life-Long Mission

When a young David Rumsey’s car broke down in the far reaches of the Owyhee Canyonlands in the late 1970s, he didn’t have any of the devices we’ve come to […]

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Happy Birthday!
Oregon Desert Trail Turns Five

In the spring of 2014, ONDA released a basic map-set for an ambitious route we’d started to call the “Oregon Desert Trail.” It wasn’t long before a few hikers set […]

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Best Bets for Fall

As the days cool down and our thoughts turn to cozy campfires and the first few flakes of snow, Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick has rounded up a few […]

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10 Summer Adventures in Eastern Oregon

Escape the heat, or at least take your mind off the dog days of summer, with these 10 adventures found around Oregon’s high desert and along the Oregon Desert Trail […]

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Getting Started in the Pueblos

About the Pueblo Mountains Part of the Great Basin, the Pueblo Mountains are a remote north-south oriented mountain range in southeastern Oregon and northwestern Nevada, just south of Steens Mountain […]

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How to Stay Hydrated

Finding water in the desert can be difficult, but it’s not impossible. If you were hiking 2 million to 10,000 years ago, finding water in Eastern Oregon would be easy […]

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Ten Springtime Adventures

Have the longer days and warmer temps led you to experience bouts of day-dreaming and window-gazing? Put that wanderlust to work! Plan on your trip to the desert, and get […]

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Ten Winter Adventures
in the High Desert

Five for No Snow, Five for Snow. Winter in Oregon’s high desert can look and be quite different from one year to the next. A few years ago, copious snowfall […]

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2017 Oregon Desert Trail Milestones

ONDA members played a big part in the successes this year on the Oregon Desert Trail! Take a look below at some of the accomplishments this year:  

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