Planting Hope

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South Fork Crooked River and Birds

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Sarah Graham, Sage Sustainers Member

“I contribute to ONDA monthly because it adds up to a larger annual gift than what I’d be able to comfortably afford if I were to do a simple one-time donation annually. I’m able to give more to ONDA this way and have greater impact which is important to me, and my dog Polly.”

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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

5,000 native plants in the ground

A new record for the most trees ever planted on an ONDA volunteer trip!

This achievement is the result of more than a decade of innovating more efficient and effective planting techniques. The resulting improvements to watershed health have the potential to be transformative for the South Fork Crooked River, which has been degraded by a century of livestock grazing and other agricultural uses.

A better home for beaver, and other wildlife

The thousands of trees planted by volunteers will sustain future generations of beaver on the South Fork Crooked River. Numerous studies have linked beaver activity on a stream to a host of ecological benefits, including cooler water temps, greater resiliency to wildfire and even an improved capacity of the landscape to capture and store carbon.

A bit of snowfall, and a stack of postcards

ONDA’s volunteers are as eager to advocate for land and water protection as they are to plant trees.

Gathered around the campfire to warm up as a light snow fell, this crew handwrote postcards to Senators Wyden and Merkley, encouraging them to push forward with protecting the South Fork Crooked as a Wild and Scenic River via the River Democracy Act.

A delicious potluck, complete with cake

After two years in our “bubbles,” this chance to break bread with others was truly joyous. And, it simply wouldn’t be an anniversary celebration without a sheet cake.

Sharing ONDA’s work with my daughter

This was my personal highlight, and it made this trip especially meaningful for me.

I showed her willows that I had planted on past ONDA trips, and we marveled at how some of the oldest trees are starting to send up shoots, spreading and expanding year by year.

On the long car ride home, just when I thought she had finally nodded off, I heard her little voice asking, “Mama, when can we go back to check on the plants?"

Next spring, I told her, and every year after that.

I truly can not wait to see how this landscape transforms thanks to your support and all the hard work of ONDA’s incredible volunteers.

To learn more about ONDA’s long-term investment in restoring this river, head to our Featured Project: South Fork Crooked River page. And, you can enjoy a few more photos from this trip in this Flickr album.

A special thank you to the donors that made this project possible: The Trout and Salmon Foundation, US Fish and Wildlife Service, East Cascade Audubon Society, Oregon Conservation and Recreation Fund, and thousands of ONDA members!

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