Boots, Bikes, and Boats in Eastern Oregon | Eugene
Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick will share ideas for your next hiking, biking or boating adventure for an immersive journey into multiple unique high desert landscapes. When planning your next outdoor trip, consider looking east for a new desert adventure and a sense of solitude. Learn about opportunities in and around the Steens...
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Autumn – The Best Time to Visit Oregon’s Desert?
Spring, summer and winter are all strong contenders, but there’s mounting evidence that autumn could be the very best season to visit Oregon’s high desert. Consider … Temperature – Daytime highs are in the 70s, not the dripping-brow 90s and nighttime lows are in the lovely-for- sleeping 30s, not the teens. Color – Yes,...
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Boots, Bikes and Boats in Eastern Oregon
As central Oregon’s trails become more and more popular, consider looking east for that next adventure and a sense of solitude. Learn about opportunities in and around the Steens Mountain Wilderness, Fremont-Winema National Forest and John Day River region. Oregon Desert Trail Coordinator Renee Patrick will share ideas for your next hiking, biking or...
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Only You Can Prevent Sagebrush Fires
You might think of forests when you think “wildfire,” but, as OPB reported in May, nearly 75 percent of all acres burned in the west over the past two decades were on rangelands — not forest. As someone who lives in or visits sagebrush country, you have an important responsibility to help prevent human-caused...
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John Cunningham, ONDA member and volunteer
Restoration is hard slow work. It takes hold, or it doesn’t, in fits and starts. The immensity of the need can be discouraging, but we must carry on. I am so thankful ONDA carries on.
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Michelle Frisella, member since 2017
So proud of ONDA and its members and volunteers. Such hard work gets done. To use an overused word, this is patriotism!
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Where To: Hart Mountain
Hart Mountain National Antelope Refuge lies at the center of the Greater Hart-Sheldon Region in southeastern Oregon. Few established trails cross this vast region. Instead, desert enthusiasts have endless opportunities to build their own adventure and experience the solitude of Oregon’s high desert. Here are six tips that will help you make the most...
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DeGarmo Canyon
From the base of Hart Mountain you can access this beautiful canyon complete with wildflowers, wildlife and waterfalls. Various hiking options from an easy walk to difficult climb can be accessed from this point. The hike begins by entering a narrow slot canyon with a stream crossing about 50 yards upstream of the first...
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Hart Mountain Revealed Recap
During our 2019 High Desert Speaker Series, ONDA’s Hart-Sheldon Coordinator Jeremy Austin presented in both Bend and Portland. Here’s the “CliffsNotes” version of his for Hart Mountain Revealed talk. Where is Hart Mountain? Roughly 230 miles southeast of Bend, Oregon, Hart Mountain sits at the northern extent of the largest desert in the United...
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Dark Desert Skies
For those of us who have spent time in Oregon’s high desert, there is no need to explain how truly dark skies showcase the wonders of the stars viewable by the naked eye. Night skies relatively free from light pollution — that is, human-created artificial lighting and atmospheric disturbances such as smog — will...
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