How-To: Plan a Trip to the Owyhee Canyonlands

fact

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

What defines Oregon’s high desert?

Bounded by the Cascade Mountains to the west and the Blue Mountains to the north, Oregon’s high desert covers approximately 24,000 square miles. Annual rainfall in the high desert varies from 5 to 14 inches. The average elevation is 4,000 feet; at 9,733 feet, the summit of Steens Mountain is the highest point in Oregon’s high desert. The terrain of the high desert was mostly formed by a series of lava flows that occurred between 30 and 10 million years ago.

Sources: The Oregon Encyclopedia; Wikipedia  

voices

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

“Protecting public land is part of my spiritual being. It’s central to my identity to be in wilderness and to see it protected.” Durlin is proud to protect public lands for future generations, saying, “The highlight of my childhood was our family’s weekend outdoor trips. I look forward to my grandchildren having similar experiences outside in their lifetimes, and it wouldn’t be possible without ONDA.”

voices

Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member

Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member

“I connect with Oregon’s high desert through my feet, my eyes, my sense of smell, and all the things I hear. Getting out there is a whole body experience.” Supporting ONDA, Helen says, not only connects her with wild landscapes, but is also a good investment. “I felt like if I gave them $20, they might squeeze $23 out of it.”

Explore the High Desert

Visitor's Guides

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A Dozen Desert Wonders

Author: Scott Bowler  |  Published: February 21, 2023 |  Category: Where-to This article originally appeared in The Source on January 11, 2023. Oregon’s high desert – that vast expanse of sagebrush […]

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How-To: Plan a Trip to the Owyhee Canyonlands

By on January 29, 2024 | Posted in: How-To

Author: Claire Cekander  |  Published: January 29, 2024  | Category: How-To This article originally appeared in The Bend Bulletin on January 26, 2024. The West’s largest expanse of unprotected wildlands […]

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Indigenous Advocates Call for Permanent Protection for the Owyhee

By on November 15, 2023 | Posted in: Look Back, Uncategorized

Author: Karly Foster |  Published: November 15, 2023 |  Category: Look Back Representatives of four tribal communities traveled to Washington, D.C., with ONDA to advocate for permanent protection for Oregon’s […]

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Act Now to Protect Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands

By on September 28, 2023 | Posted in:

Oregon Natural Desert Association and a broad coalition of partners are calling on President Biden and Senators Wyden and Merkley to establish an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument. Act now to […]

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Bill to Conserve Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands Introduced in Congress

By on June 9, 2023 | Posted in: In the News

Author: Ryan Houston  |  Published: June 9, 2023  | Category: In the News Four years in the making, Oregon Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley’s bill could finally deliver protection […]

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McDermitt Creek Lithium Mine Site Visit

By on February 14, 2023 | Posted in:

Join ONDA to document the incredible habitat, wildlife, and cultural resource values in the McDermitt Caldera threatened by the potential McDermitt Creek lithium mine. A potential massive, new mine near […]

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Owyhee Uplands-Spring-Storm Over Three Finger Rock

Saving the Owyhee from Jet Fighters, Sonic Booms and Flammable Flares

By on November 1, 2022 | Posted in: Coming Up, Deep Dive

Author: Mark Salvo  |  Published: November 1, 2022  |  Category: Coming Up File this under “looming threat”: ONDA has learned that the U.S. Air Force may release its final plan […]

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male sale grouse tail feathers displayed

Seven Steps to Save Sage-Grouse

By on April 5, 2022 | Posted in: Deep Dive

Author: Mark Salvo  |  Published: April 5, 2022  |  Category: Deep Dive After three and half decades of monitoring sage-grouse habitat, sorting through the science, engaging in innumerable federal, state […]

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Denny Jones Ranch

Denny Jones Ranch Restoration

By on February 15, 2022 | Posted in:

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Denny Jones Ranch Restoration

By on February 15, 2022 | Posted in:

Denny Jones Ranch is a conservation property, east of Juntura, owned by the Burns Paiute Tribe. ONDA has been working with the Burns Paiute Tribe to achieve their restoration goals […]

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trout creek Mountains from

Trout Creek Group Monitoring Trip

By on February 15, 2022 | Posted in:

Join ONDA to help us improve an important migration corridor in the Trout Creek Mountains. This trip will start a fence-line monitoring project to document barbed wire fences in the […]

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