Steens Mountain Wilderness

voices

Carl Axelsen, member since 1999

Carl Axelsen, member since 1999

You folks at ONDA really have your stuff together. Such a well-planned opportunity to comment, since figuring out how to connect with the gummint is off-putting. You make it work for me.

voices

Craig Terry, ONDA member and stewardship volunteer

Craig Terry, ONDA member and stewardship volunteer

“The people I have had the privilege to share time with each season keep me volunteering again and again. Who else but those ONDA staff leaders would make fresh coffee at dawn each morning or pack a watermelon all day to serve as a reward under a juniper in a steep canyon?” Craig, who grew up in northwestern Nevada, says ONDA connects him with places he loves and a mission he believes in. “My grandfather and his father put up wire fences for their ranching needs. Taking out barbed wire sort of completes a circle for me.”

listen

Wind and Birds in Quaking Aspen

Wind and Birds in Quaking Aspen

More on Steens

Preventing Industrial Development on Steens Mountain

ONDA and our partners have worked for years to ensure Steens Mountain remains free from industrial development. Our long-standing commitment to the mountain was vital to an effort to stop […]

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Defending Steens Mountain from Off-road Vehicle Damage

People are drawn to Steens Mountain to experience its natural wonders. Existing roads and trails provide access to many parts of the mountain, while still preserving the wilderness character and […]

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SteensMountainPikeCreekJamesParsons

Steens Mountain Wilderness

By on October 27, 2017 | Posted in:

Oregon’s first desert wilderness On October 30, 2000, President Clinton signed the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act, creating Oregon’s first desert wilderness. This accomplishment was the result of […]

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Big Indian Gorge

By on October 27, 2017 | Posted in:

The Big Indian Gorge Trail is 8 miles to the headwall of the gorge and passes through meadows as well as cottonwood and aspen groves. It’s easy to follow for […]

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Pike Creek

By on October 27, 2017 | Posted in:

An old mining track leads 1.4 miles up the canyon through a rugged rock narrows with wildflowers and views of the desert playa below. Two creek crossings can be difficult […]

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Wildhorse Lake, Steens Mountain

Visitor’s Guide
to Steens Mountain Region

By on October 25, 2017 | Posted in:

What you’ll find in Oregon’s first desert wilderness Steens Mountain is a remarkable fault block mountain towering over an alkali playa to its south and deep gorges to its north. […]

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The last fence in Steens Mountain Wilderness is pulled beneath a pink sky.

Preventing Industrial Development on Steens Mountain

By on October 20, 2017 | Posted in:

ONDA and our partners have worked for years to ensure Steens Mountain remains free from industrial development. Our long-standing commitment to the mountain was vital to an effort to stop […]

Read More
LittleBlitzenGorge

Little Blitzen Gorge

By on October 19, 2017 | Posted in:

The Little Blitzen Gorge Trail follows the Little Blitzen River up a long, glacially carved canyon. Expect wildflowers, springs, aspen, and waterfalls. From the trailhead parking lot, walk 100 yards […]

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Sage Sustainers: Promoting Desert Conservation

By on October 12, 2017 | Posted in: A Conversation With

A Conversation with Scott Bowler Retired science teacher Scott Bowler is a proud member of ONDA’s Sage Sustainers, the community of advocates and donors who live their values by sustaining […]

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Steens Mountain Region

By on October 9, 2017 | Posted in:

A secret revealed Though lesser-known, the alpine qualities of Steens Mountain rival Oregon’s Cascade peaks, with the summit sitting at 9,738 feet. Often mistaken for a chain of mountains, Steens […]

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Giving Wild Animals Freedom to Roam

By on August 28, 2017 | Posted in: Look Back

Volunteers remove obsolete fence from more than 90,000 acres in the Steens Mountain Wilderness The 97,229 acre cow-free portion of the Steens Mountain Wilderness Area in southeastern Oregon is now […]

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Kirk Richardson: Alice Elshoff Award winner

By on May 29, 2017 | Posted in: A Conversation With, Profile

For more than a decade, Kirk Richardson has been a strong voice for protecting Oregon’s high desert. He’s served on the Oregon Natural Desert Association Board of Directors, helped dream […]

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