Careers

Devin Dahlgren   Website

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.”

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  

success

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Our quest to protect the Oregon Badlands

Located just 15 miles east of Bend, Oregon Badlands is a 30,000-acre wilderness area filled with fascinating lava flows and ancient juniper trees Arriving in the Badlands, so named for its rugged and harsh terrain, can feel like stepping

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Lloyd Irwin

Our Commitment to
Justice, Equity and Inclusion

Oregon Natural Desert Association is pursuing equity in environmental conservation because everyone deserves clean air, clean water and access to open, wild spaces. America’s public lands and waters can contribute to all of these essential basic needs when all people have equal access to them, when all feel welcome in them, and when they...

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Devin Dahlgren   Website

Our Vision, Mission and Values

Vision We envision a high desert in Oregon where eight million acres of public lands are conserved to ensure that fish and wildlife thrive and wild places exist for all people to treasure and explore, now and always. Mission Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) exists to protect, defend and restore Oregon’s high desert for...

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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. In the three decades since the Oregon Natural Desert Association was founded, this community has protected and restored millions of acres of Oregon’s high...

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Sage Brown   Website

Our Community

Oregon Natural Desert Association is a community of people dedicated to conserving the high desert. It might be the scent of sagebrush, or the desert sun’s warmth. It could be the wild rivers, or the unparalleled solitude. Or perhaps it is the chance to see pronghorn running across the steppe that first draws people...

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Sean Bagshaw   Website

Our Staff

As a staff, we are steadfast in our commitment to protect, defend, and restore Oregon’s high desert alongside our members and supporters. Together with the passion and commitment of a community of advocates thousands strong, the skills and experience of our staff make Oregon Natural Desert Association a respected leader in the public lands...

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Join, Renew, or Give a Gift

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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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