How to Get Started Rockhounding

Alison Jean Cole

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Stewardship Fence Building Timelapse

Stewardship Fence Building Timelapse

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.”

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  

Explore Oregon's High Desert

How-To: Plan a Trip to the Owyhee Canyonlands

Author: Claire Cekander  |  Published: January 29, 2024  | Category: How-To This article originally appeared in The Bend Bulletin on January 26, 2024. The West’s largest expanse of unprotected wildlands […]

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Photographing The Desert

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: May 12, 2023  | Category: How-To This article originally appeared in The Source on May 12, 2023. Experienced local photographers offer pointers for capturing the […]

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How to Get Started Rockhounding

By on August 29, 2024 | Posted in: How-To

Author: Alison Jean Cole  |  Published: August 29, 2024  | Category: How-To This article originally appeared in The Source Weekly on August 14, 2024. In an ocean of sagebrush, a […]

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Desert Birdwatching at Lake Abert

By on May 17, 2024 | Posted in: Where-to

Author: Haley Tobiason  |  Published: May 17, 2024  | Category: Where-To This article originally appeared in the Spring + Summer 2024 Desert Ramblings If you’re a new birder wanting to […]

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Observing Raptors

By on November 27, 2023 | Posted in: Species Spotlight

Author: Craig Miller  |  Published: November 27, 2023  | Category: Species Spotlight This article originally appeared in The Source on November 22, 2023. Where, when and how to see birds […]

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Look Back: A Summer Desert Oasis

By on October 30, 2023 | Posted in: Look Back

Author: Haley Tobiason  |  Published: October 30, 2023  | Category: Look Back  Reflections from a season of surveying at Lake Abert Rounding the corner of Oregon’s Highway 395, nestled underneath the […]

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Species Spotlight: Chokecherry and Blue Elderberry

By on May 18, 2023 | Posted in: Species Spotlight

Author: Elizabeth MacLagan  |  Published: May 18, 2023  | Category: Species Spotlight  Widely planted for habitat restoration, Chokecherry and Blue Elderberry are important species in the high desert ecosystem. These […]

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Artemisia tridentata

Species Spotlight: Big Sagebrush

By on February 13, 2023 | Posted in: Species Spotlight

Author: Rachel Renne  |  Published: February 13, 2023  | Category: Species Spotlight  This article originally appeared in The Source on February 8, 2023. In May 2021, I hiked the entire […]

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2022 Conservationist of the Year

By on February 10, 2023 | Posted in: Profile

Meet Mary McCord, ONDA’s 2022 Conservationist of the Year If you attended an ONDA event this year, chances are that Mary McCord was working behind the scenes to make sure […]

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A Look Back at the
2021 High Desert Speaker Series

By on April 28, 2021 | Posted in: Look Back

Author: Caelin Weiss  |  Published: April 28, 2021  |  Category: Look Back Each spring, ONDA presents the High Desert Speaker Series to share knowledge about intriguing aspects of high desert […]

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Meet Three Healthcare Professionals
Dedicated to the Desert

By on April 14, 2021 | Posted in: Profile

Author: Caelin Weiss |  Published: April 14, 2021  |  Category: Profile As we are all more acutely aware than ever, healthcare professionals and other frontline and essential workers play an […]

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Where-To:
Seeking Spring in Central Oregon

By on March 17, 2021 | Posted in: Where-to

Spring is fast approaching in the high desert. As the daylight hours grow longer, signs of the shifting season can be seen popping up across the region. The desert will […]

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