Category: In the News
From the front page to the outback, a look at issues that affect Oregon’s high desert.
The New Secretary of the Interior
All in for Haaland By now you’ve probably heard that the U.S. Senate confirmed former Congresswoman Deb Haaland as Secretary of the Interior. The bipartisan vote on March 15, 2021 emplaced our nation’s 54th executive at the Interior Department, only the third woman appointed to the post, and the first ever Native American to...
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Recognizing Native American Heritage Month
Desert conservationists, did you know … That Oregon’s high desert lands and waters are the traditional lands and waters of the Northern Paiute, Wasco, Warm Springs, Klamath, Modoc, Yahooskin, and Shoshone peoples? That several of ONDA’s major restoration projects take place on lands currently managed by the Burns Paiute Tribe and the Confederated Tribes...
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20 Facts about Steens
The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act was enacted twenty years ago, on October 30, 2000. As the Steens Act “turns 20” in 2020, here is a top twenty list of facts about this wonderful, inimitable mountain in southeastern Oregon.
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Sage-grouse are down, but not out
Author: Jeremy Austin | Published: October 13, 2020 | Category: In the News The numbers are in. Oregon’s sage-grouse population essentially remained flat in 2020. Following years of steep declines, the bird is dwelling at the second-lowest population level ever measured in our state. For nearly 60 years the scientific community has documented the...
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A New Chapter for the Desert Trail in Oregon
By Renee Patrick, Program Coordinator for the Oregon Desert Trail When ONDA looked east in 2011 with the thought of establishing a desert hiking route that would connect into the important sagebrush steppe ecosystems they had been working to protect, defend, and restore since 1987, they looked to the Desert Trail. The Oregon Desert...
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Conservation Update: Halfway Through 2020
Taking stock of these unprecedented times and all that our communities and the country have experienced in recent months, it is difficult to believe the year 2020 is only half over. For ONDA, these events have highlighted the need for further reflection and evolution as individuals and as an organization. And it has required...
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Standing against racism and injustice
Dear ONDA members: The recent, senseless murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd and the threat of violence against Christian Cooper have shaken all of us. The protests of the past week reflect the accumulated pain that has come from generations of racism and injustice in many communities across the country. ONDA...
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Please use Caution on that Oregon Desert Trail Adventure
Please use caution with any Oregon Desert Trail plans due to COVID 19. Last updated on February 1, 2021. Oregon cases of COVID-19 are still high in 2021, and even though vaccines are making their way to our communities, we continue to advise everyone to follow the state’s guidelines, which include wearing a mask...
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How Much Wilderness Do We Need?
In a recent editorial, The Bulletin asked a good question: “how much land does Oregon have that is appropriate for wilderness?” The answer is a lot. A heckuva lot. In Oregon’s high desert alone, federal surveys and volunteer-driven inventories have identified eight million acres of public lands and hundreds of miles of rivers and...
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Getting Desert Desperate
Five Ideas Admittedly Not as Good as Being in the Desert Standing in the middle of a vast sagebrush plain, kicking over lichen-crusted rocks, with nothing more to do than let the sun kiss you and the real wind whip through your hair. That is a magnificent feeling. The joy to be found walking...
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