In the Name of Desert Defense

What comes to mind when you think of Oregon’s desert public lands? Maybe it’s the vast expanses of sagebrush steppe that support an abundance of wildlife around Hart Mountain. Perhaps it’s the undammed John Day River that provides cool, clean water for summer steelhead and Chinook salmon. Or, it could be the golden aspen groves that flourish on Steens Mountain.

Public lands in eastern Oregon include some of the most beloved places in the West. Are we just fortunate, or is this because conservation advocates like you are working hard to keep it this way?

Public lands are not protected by chance. The rich natural legacy found in Oregon is thanks to the commitment of desert activists and defenders. For nearly 40 years, Oregon Natural Desert Association’s community of supporters has led the way, protecting the desert’s most iconic landscapes and the wildlife, wildlands, recreational opportunities and cultural values they sustain.

Central to this work is mounting a vigorous defense when misguided proposals that would fragment habitat, imperil species, damage ecosystems, or favor development over the public interest are put forward.

Over the decades, ONDA has successfully prevented industrial energy development, blocked new roads and barred illegal off-road vehicle use from carving up the desert, ensured the best available science drives public lands management, and so much more. But our job is never done, and it is getting more challenging.

Unprecedented Threats

With anti-conservation federal leadership at the helm in Washington, D.C., Oregon’s high desert public lands are facing new and expanded threats. Congress and the Trump administration unashamedly seek to sell off public lands, weaken federal agencies through funding cuts, hollow out conservation laws, ignore science, silence the voice of the public, and promote the interests of extractive industries over those of the public.

While some of their tactics and rhetoric may be new, as an experienced, stalwart advocate for the region, ONDA is well-prepared to meet today’s evolving challenges. Fueled by your support, day in and day out, ONDA is defending Oregon’s desert public lands by nimbly deploying four key strategies.

Strategies to Defend Oregon’s Desert Public Lands

Organizing and Mobilizing Grassroots Advocacy

ONDA believes in the philosophy embedded in the famous Gandhi quote, “When the people lead, the leaders will follow.” Even when it seems like elected leaders are not listening to the public, we know they are. With the collective power of more than 25,000 members and supporters, ONDA’s community can convince our leaders to act to protect conservation values by speaking up in town halls, writing emails and letters, participating in every step of public planning processes, and taking action online.

This grassroots engagement is critically important and generates results. Just last year, your advocacy encouraged the Bureau of Land Management to specially protect more than 3 million acres of public lands in the Owyhee Canyonlands and the Greater Hart-Sheldon. Your activism was also instrumental in passing a new law banning beaver trapping and in ONDA’s ongoing efforts to block the U.S. Air Force’s attempts to turn the Owyhee Canyonlands into a low-elevation jet fighter training area at the expense of wildlife and Tribal communities.

Building Strength Through Partnerships

Political strength grows when a diversity of voices come together in support of a common goal. This is why building partnerships is an intentional component of ONDA’s public lands defense strategy. We ally with individuals, businesses, hunting and fishing groups, national organizations, recreationalists, and Tribal and Indigenous communities who share our conservation vision. Together, ONDA and our partners reach a broader audience, apply more political pressure, and develop more durable solutions than we could otherwise on our own.

ONDA’s work on the Owyhee Canyonlands is a prime example of building strength through partnerships, as the Owyhee Coalition includes more than a dozen organizations representing 22 million Americans. This is complemented by support from Tribal Nations that, in just the past two years, has grown from one local Tribe to now 57 Tribal Nations from across the Northwest resolving to protect the Owyhee. Together, this group is advocating for permanent protections while countering ill-conceived proposals that would roll back protections on millions of acres of Owyhee public lands, undercut conservation laws, and open up the landscape to extractive development.

Holding Leaders Accountable

In politically turbulent times like these, it is essential to staunchly defend our core values for public lands, including public benefit, public engagement, transparency, and the role of science in decision-making. As these values are increasingly under threat, our elected leaders need to be keenly focused on engaging in good-faith bipartisan compromise when feasible, and holding the line against backsliding when necessary.

ONDA is eager to share kudos for those leaders who support public lands, but we’re also willing to push back if our representatives waver in their commitment to the conservation values their constituents share. This was demonstrated when we celebrated Senator Ron Wyden’s leadership in moving protective legislation for the Owyhee through the Senate in 2024. When progress stalled, we pressed the senator to continue championing his proposal to permanently protect the Owyhee.

Leveraging the Power of the Courts

Many of the most egregious attacks on public lands, public involvement, and science involve clear violations of federal laws that require transparency, rigorous analysis, and rational, deliberate decision-making. When agencies shortcut these mandates and ignore ONDA’s repeated attempts to help them correct their errors, we will challenge their decisions in court.

Our long-term success rate is over 85%, and federal court decisions have created the foundation for many of our most significant achievements. As new threats continue to emerge out of the legislative and administrative branches of the federal government, the courts are the last stop in our nation’s system of checks and balances. ONDA will continue to utilize this strategy as a vital backstop to ensure Oregon’s high desert is protected.

 

ONDA’s dedication to desert defense is increasingly important as each day brings alarming new threats to public lands in Oregon and across the West. With persistence, determination and an unwavering commitment to conservation values, our community will be the defenders that public lands need right now.

Join us in continuing our steadfast efforts to conserve public lands, waters and wildlife, now and always.

Learn how you can become a desert defender at ONDA.org/take-action/.