Look Back: 2025 Speaker Series

Author: Claire Cekander  |  Published: April 3, 2025  | Category: Look Back

Reflections on this year’s High Desert Speaker Series.

Each year, Oregon Natural Desert Association presents the High Desert Speaker Series, a lineup of events highlighting and celebrating the wildlife, lands and waterways of Oregon’s high desert.

Through these events, we expand our community of conservation advocates and demonstrate the power of coming together to protect and sustain eastern Oregon’s natural treasures. This year, we were grateful to welcome thousands of people who joined us virtually to learn and be inspired.

To recognize the end of the 2025 Speaker Series, we offer a look back at the four events we hosted this winter.

 

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Young Desert Horned Lizard

Young Desert Horned Lizard

In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.

Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos

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Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year

Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year

“If I have to pick a favorite place in Oregon’s high desert, it would be Sutton Mountain, but I’m excited about all of the Wilderness Study Areas,” says Terry, adding, “Each is a gem to explore, and I hope they all get protection someday… I love the scale of the physical beauty of the desert.”

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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  

A Year in the Life: Oregon’s High Desert Owls

Paul Bannick, wildlife photographer and author, took us on a captivating journey through a year in the lives of high desert owls. Through stunning photos, he introduced us to burrowing owls, northern pygmy owls, long-eared owls and other species that call the desert home. From spring to winter, Paul revealed the challenges these birds face and the adaptations that help them thrive.

Desert Tip: When asked about photographing owls, Paul suggested first learning how they live. Understanding their preferred habitat, food sources and nesting structures will improve your chances of finding and capturing these remarkable birds on camera.

Tiny Titans: Insects of the High Desert

Dr. Tara Cornelisse, invertebrate zoologist, connected us to the high desert by highlighting key butterfly, moth and beetle species found in eastern Oregon. She discussed how climate change and habitat loss affects high desert insects, and explained why conserving the high desert is vital for the future of insect populations and the entire ecosystem.

Interesting Insight: Western aphideaters are critical to the high desert ecosystem because they perform two different roles during their life. As larvae, they eat aphids, and as adults, they pollinate wildflowers.

Watch the Recording

Fossils and the Future: Lessons from Oregon’s Ecological Past

Dr. Samantha Hopkins, University of Oregon Professor and Earth Sciences Department Head, took us back in time to explore the ecology of the high desert spanning from 45 million years ago to the present. She underscored how the region’s fossil record reveals ecosystem changes during past climate events and how that affected species biodiversity. We left this event with a deeper understanding of how ancient life shapes the present and what it can tell us about our future.

Memorable Quote: “Once you figure out what [habitat] matters to a particular organism, maintaining that allows us to retain diversity in ecosystems. It doesn’t necessary take a huge amount of habitat to maintain diversity, but if you lose that habitat entirely, or if you alter it, then you may not have something that will support biodiversity.” – Dr. Samantha Hopkins

Watch the Recording

Beneath the Surface: Desert Mussels

Alexa Martinez, Wildlife Biologist at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, took us on a tour of freshwater mussels in eastern Oregon. She shared insights from recent mussel surveys at the refuge and explained how mussel populations reflect the differing conditions of desert streams. Alexa also emphasized the vital role these often-overlooked creatures play in maintaining healthy waterways and sustaining other species of desert wildlife.

Interesting Insight: Malheur National Wildlife Refuge has all three native, freshwater mussel species found in the Pacific Northwest. Western pearl shell, western ridge mussel and floaters live throughout the refuge and thrive on the snowmelt coming from the Steens Mountain watershed.

Watch the Recording

We extend our thanks to the presenters who shared their deep knowledge on these desert topics. And, thank you to all participants for your interest and enduring conservation advocacy.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor Killian Pacific and our additional sponsor First Interstate Bank, as well as our event sponsors WYLD and Visit Bend for supporting high desert conservation.

If you have any thoughts about the High Desert Speaker Series, we’d love to hear your feedback. Fill out our anonymous feedback form or send us a note to share your perspective.

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