Behind the Lens
Do you appreciate the beauty of Oregon’s high desert and wish your photos matched up with what you experience? Meet a few of the photographers who make ONDA’s Wild Desert Calendar so damn beautiful each year and learn tips and tricks for shooting in the desert from them. You’ll learn how you can contribute...
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Winter Wildlife Watching
By Scott Bowler What’s there to do in the desert in the winter? Watch wildlife! In many ways, especially at lower elevations, winter’s cold weather can provide some great hiking and exploring opportunities and it’s definitely a great time to be on the lookout for the rich array of wildlife species that inhabit Oregon’s...
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Signs of Winter
by Scott Bowler Winter may seem harsh, and it is indeed a difficult time to live outdoors, but remember that snow on the ground is actually good insulation. It blocks the wind, thus protecting animals from the most serious cold, and keeping temperatures warm enough underneath to allow activity much of the winter. Many...
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Healthy Escapism
“A Year in Oregon’s High Desert” offers escapism you can feel good about Feeling stressed? A dose of natural beauty could help. Studies have shown that spending time in a natural setting, or even viewing scenes of nature, can lower stress level, heart rate and blood pressure and make people feel more trusting and...
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Signs of Summer
Across Oregon’s high desert, plants and animals spend the summer months “searching” — for shade, for water, for food, for safety from predators. Below, you’ll find a snapshot of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena you might see taking place across Oregon’s high desert in June, July and August. We invite you to share your...
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A New Chapter for the Desert Trail in Oregon
By Renee Patrick, Program Coordinator for the Oregon Desert Trail When ONDA looked east in 2011 with the thought of establishing a desert hiking route that would connect into the important sagebrush steppe ecosystems they had been working to protect, defend, and restore since 1987, they looked to the Desert Trail. The Oregon Desert...
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Walking the High Desert
A new book about the Oregon Desert Trail debuts this month: Walking the High Desert: Encounters with Rural America along the Oregon Desert Trail, written by Ellen Waterston, published by University of Washington Press. In this book, Waterston, an ONDA member and former high desert rancher, writes of a wild, essentially roadless, starkly beautiful...
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Please use Caution on that Oregon Desert Trail Adventure
Please use caution with any Oregon Desert Trail plans due to COVID 19. Last updated on February 1, 2021. Oregon cases of COVID-19 are still high in 2021, and even though vaccines are making their way to our communities, we continue to advise everyone to follow the state’s guidelines, which include wearing a mask...
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Member Profile: Whitney “Allgood” LaRuffa
If you have been following the development of the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) over the past few years, you are probably aware that one of its primary goals is to engage the recreation community in conservation issues across the high desert. An excellent example of how the ODT has helped harness the passion and...
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Multi-Sport Adventures on the Oregon Desert Trail
This is part of our High Desert Academy digital event series. The Oregon Desert Trail is not just made for hiking. Did you know there are sections that you can bike, paddle, horseback ride, and even ski in the winter? Join us as we dive into different options for “quiet recreation” on the public...
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