ODT/Fremont Forest Recreation Monitoring
Corinne Handelman
voices
Scott Bowler, ONDA member from Portland
Scott Bowler, ONDA member from Portland
“The desert speaks for itself, but very softly. I support ONDA to promote and enable discovery of the amazing beauty and recreational opportunities of the high desert by much broader groups of people; and most especially to protect forever the full and diverse landscape of the Owyhee Canyonlands, a place without parallel or equal in our country.”
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Stewardship Pronghorn Fence
Stewardship Pronghorn Fence
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Oregon Desert Trail Map
Oregon Desert Trail Map
Organizer: Stewardship Team
Project Timeline: 6/01/2023 through 10/31/2023
Region: Fremont-Winema National Forest
Difficulty Rating: Level 4: Strenuous
Volunteers Needed: No limit
About the place
This project takes place on the traditional lands of the Numu, or Northern Paiute people, the Burns Paiute Tribe, and the the Klamath Tribes, including the Klamaths, the Modocs and the Yahooskin. This region was and remains an important fishing, hunting, and gathering area for Indigenous people. After being forced to leave their lands following the Bannock War, members of the Burns Paiute tribe returned and reestablished their community in the Harney Valley.
The Fremont National Forest offers a setting of classic Western beauty derived from the land’s volcanic legacy. The ecosystem ranges from towering snow-capped peaks to wide-open sage basins.
About the project
ONDA’s 750-mile Oregon Desert Trail ties into over 60 miles of the existing Fremont National Recreation Trail which traverses most of the length of the forest from north to south. Over the years volunteer trips have been held to address some of the deferred maintenance on these trail systems, and more work remains.
This project is an “adopt a trail” type of design, and will offer the opportunity for you to choose a section of trail (somewhere around a mile) to hike, note any maintenance issues, and perform some light stewardship in the way of brushing the trail corridor with loppers and/or hand saws, and maintaining the trail tread.
The trail focus this year will be on a six-mile stretch of trail from South Crooked Creek Trailhead to Swale Trailhead.
This is a trail maintenance project
- First, go for a hike! Walk your section of trail and enjoy the beautiful day.
- Maintain your section of trail. Using a variety of trail tools (ONDA can provide access to these tools) work on your section of chosen trail as directed in the information you will receive once you have signed up for the project.
Timing
This project has about a six-month window (once the snow melts and until the snow falls again – approx June – October), and during this time you will be asked to find a day (or days…) to conduct the work….it’s all up to you!
Difficulty
This trip will require hiking, and depending on the section of trail you choose, your hike could be 3-miles one-way. This project would be ideal for backpackers who want to spend some time hiking in the Fremont-Winema National Forest
Registration
An ONDA registration application and medical form are required for this project.
Project Details
All the information you will need to know about this independent project will be emailed to you after your registration is complete. Each project page has extensive information about access, technology, tools, maps and more. Please be prepared to spend 1-2 hours reviewing this information prior to heading out on your project, the good news is that time spent reviewing and preparing for your trip all counts towards your volunteer hours.