Coming Up: 2025 Conservation Priorities

watch

Stewardship Fence Building Timelapse

Stewardship Fence Building Timelapse

fact

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

Bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Blue Mountains to the north, Oregon’s high desert covers approximately 24,000 square miles. Annual rainfall in the high desert varies from 5 to 14 inches. The average elevation is 4,000 feet; at 9,733 feet, the summit of Steens Mountain is the highest point in Oregon’s high desert. The terrain of the high desert was mostly formed by a series of lava flows that occurred between 30 and 10 million years ago.

Sources: The Oregon Encyclopedia; Wikipedia  

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.”

Accomplishments

In 1987, a group of community members based in and around Bend, Oregon realized that the high desert lands and waters they loved had no one dedicated to their protection. […]

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Publications

ONDA provides interested community members with inspiration to get out and enjoy the desert, and the information and tools necessary to understand what is happening to their public lands.

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Coming Up: 2025 Conservation Priorities

By on January 10, 2025 | Posted in: Coming Up

Priorities and pathways to success in the year ahead. Oregon’s high desert features millions of acres of expansive sagebrush plains, emerald ribbons of streamside habitat, iconic mountain ranges, craggy canyons […]

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flock of Snow Geese above Malheur National Wildlife Refuge

Birding in Malheur

By on January 7, 2025 | Posted in: How-To, Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: January 7, 2025  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin. A guide to observing migrating birds at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge […]

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Spend a Weekend Biking in the Steens

By on December 27, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: December 27, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin. Discover the stark contrasts and deep beauty of Oregon’s first high desert […]

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Look Back: 2024 Year in Review

By on December 17, 2024 | Posted in: Look Back

As this year comes to a close, we’re looking back on everything our community has accomplished in 2024 with a sense of pride. Oregon’s high desert is a remarkable landscape […]

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Protecting Oregon’s Wildlife

By on November 27, 2024 | Posted in: Coming Up

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: November 27, 2024  | Category: Coming Up This article originally appeared in the Fall + Winter 2024 Desert Ramblings Your key role in caring for […]

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Wonders of the Owyhee Canyonlands

By on November 14, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: November 14, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on November 14, 2024. A landscape rich with fascinating geology, a deep […]

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Running in the Badlands

By on October 10, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: October 10, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on October 10, 2024. Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness” features 50+ miles of […]

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Camper at Priest Hole Recreation Site

Where-to:
Swim in the Desert this Summer

By on July 30, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: July 30, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on July 30, 2024. Four fantastic swimming holes on the John Day […]

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Bringing Back Storied Sheep

By on June 25, 2024 | Posted in: Species Spotlight

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: June 25, 2024  | Category: Species Spotlight This article originally appeared in The Source Weekly on June 19, 2024. Oregon’s high desert is home to […]

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The Land Between

By on May 29, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: May 29, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on May 23, 2024. Oregon’s vast, remote Greater Hart-Sheldon is home to […]

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