Oregon Natural Desert Association is the only group dedicated exclusively to securing the highest level of protection for wild lands and waters in Oregon’s high desert.
Oregonians love our land, and there is a lot to love. Millions of acres of public land across Oregon’s high desert enhance our lives every day. And, these lands aren’t just ours. Public lands in Oregon are a natural legacy shared by all Americans.
Without active caretaking, we stand to lose places we cherish, but, when we speak in a unified voice, we can defend our lands and ensure a healthier future for the lands, waterways, wildlife, and Oregon communities.
Securing Protective Designations
Wild lands can be protected from harmful development and other impacts when they are designated as National Parks, National Monuments, or Wilderness Areas. Wild rivers can be designated as Wild and Scenic Rivers. The highest level of protection available for public lands—even stronger than National Park status—is designation as Wilderness.
Oregon Natural Desert Association has successfully led campaigns that established the first, and only, wilderness areas in Oregon’s high desert:
Even with the future of those remarkable landscapes secured, our work is just beginning. Only 1% of Oregon’s desert public lands are protected as Wilderness. And, statewide, only 2% of Oregon’s rivers are protected as Wild and Scenic. Many exceptional public lands and waters in Oregon’s sagebrush steppe—upwards of eight million acres of desert land and over a thousand miles of desert waterways—are in great need of conservation action.
Learn more about ONDA’s ongoing work to secure protective designations:
