Category: How-To
Learn a new skill that will help you enjoy and protect the high desert.
Start 2021 Anew
If living through 2020 taught us anything, we have reinforced lessons on developing healthy routines, practicing gratitude, and finding personal healing by spending time in nature. Fortunately, ONDA members might be a step or two ahead of the curve on those practices, so here are some additional intentions to carry forward into a new...
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Winter Wildlife Watching
By Scott Bowler What’s there to do in the desert in the winter? Watch wildlife! In many ways, especially at lower elevations, winter’s cold weather can provide some great hiking and exploring opportunities and it’s definitely a great time to be on the lookout for the rich array of wildlife species that inhabit Oregon’s...
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The Perfect Gift for Everyone on Your List
A Completely Subjective, All-ONDA Gift Guide Looking for a beautiful, non-perishable, one size fits all, no need to wrap, easy-to-mail gift that you can give to many, many people on your gift list? We’ve got you covered. ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar makes a great gift … For anyone you can’t spend too much on,...
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Add Your Voice
The Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act (S.2828) provides Malheur County with vital economic development opportunities that support local economies and communities while safeguarding the Owyhee Canyonlands and surrounding public lands for recreation and wildlife habitat for current and future generations. Right now, desert conservations can urge Oregon’s elected officials to ensure a healthier future for Oregon’s...
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Six Unique Ways to Give
An inky night sky studded with endless stars. Quirky sage-grouse dancing at dawn. A soothing soak in a peaceful hot spring. Discovering delicate desert blooms. Spotting soaring migratory birds. Sage-green vistas that stretch out for miles and miles. Scenes like these – which you can see in the photos below – are just a...
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How to Identify Native Plants
By Scott Bowler Hey, what’s that cool flower? After leading wildflower discovery and identification trips for 40-plus years, I can tell you that people’s most common reaction upon encountering a new flower is: “Oh, cool! What’s that?” They want a name. In this blog post, I’ll guide you through the key steps to figuring...
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Appreciating Stormy Skies
Maria Mudd Ruth, author of “A Sideways Look at Clouds,” is fascinated by clouds. In this post, she identifies the clouds seen in the stormy skies over Oregon’s high desert. She’ll be presenting “The Remarkable Clouds of Oregon’s Desert” to kick off ONDA’s High Desert Speaker Series for 2020.
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Five New Year’s Resolutions that Help Oregon’s Desert and You
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, there’s no denying that New Year’s resolutions are a thing. In “8 Reasons We Really Do Need to Make Resolutions,” Dr. Theo Tsaousides concludes that goals keep people connected. As he writes, “Common goals are the foundational block upon which we build communities. From families to sports teams, from small start-ups to...
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How To Upcycle Last Year’s Wild Desert Calendar
ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar is chock full of desert beauty, and, each year around this time, we hear from members who simply can’t bear to just throw last year’s calendar away. Here’s an easy craft project that will allow you to upcycle all those gorgeous landscapes, by turning those pages into envelopes.
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Opt Outside, Act for Desert Rivers
Escape the Black Friday crowds and #OptOutside to a wild river near you! Sen. Ron Wyden is asking Oregonians to help him develop legislation to protect Oregon’s most special rivers, and he wants to hear from YOU. The day after Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to take your family and friends on a hike...
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