Author: Sarah Lindsay | Published: August 29, 2024 | Category: Where-To
This article originally appeared in The Bulletin on August 28, 2024.
Behind the scenes of ONDA group stewardship trips.
It’s a peaceful, blue-sky spring day in eastern Oregon. A dozen volunteers with Oregon Natural Desert Association, armed with shovels, pruning shears and smiles, hike through windswept grasses to a small stream tucked into the rolling hills of Pine Creek Conservation Area.
The goal of this trip is to implement a habitat restoration project that will slow the flow of water, helping the soil soak in moisture and thus improving drought resilience. Stream systems with more reliable soil moisture are able to support a broader diversity of plants, providing more food for wildlife and improving fish habitat by shading and cooling streams.
To accomplish this goal, the plan is to build a series of small in-stream structures using natural materials that will act like natural sponges in the channel. At first, progress is slow as we get the hang of our tools.
But by our first snack break, the group has transformed into a well-oiled machine. Volunteers efficiently clip juniper branches, gather rocks, dig up soil and layer the materials snugly into the stream bed. We watch with satisfaction as water starts to pool behind the structures, slowing the steam flow and saturating more of the surrounding soil.
ONDA leads guided, small-group, volunteer stewardship trips like these across a variety of locations in Oregon’s High Desert. These trips all tackle various habitat restoration projects — from creek restoration to tree planting, fence building and more — in some of eastern Oregon’s most remote and beautiful landscapes.
As a lifelong nature lover, I find deep satisfaction in projects that support the ecological health of landscapes. It’s empowering to physically make a positive difference in an environment, and that alone would be enough to make the work feel worthwhile.
But on ONDA’s group stewardship trips, I find that a particular alchemy unfolds when this physical work is interwoven with human connection. In addition to feeling purposeful, the work becomes more meaningful and more fun. We work hard to plant willows and remove barbed wire fence, but we also share snacks and stories.
“The ONDA volunteers are a great group; enthusiastic, hard-working and fun,” Kevin Pullen, the manager at Pine Creek Conservation Area, shared with me during our time out there. “I always look forward to working with them. These projects would not be completed without their help.”
This past spring, ONDA Restoration Manager Jefferson Jacobs led a fence-building trip located on Beatys Butte. The purpose of the trip was to protect a natural spring area we are working to restore by building a fence to exclude cattle. It was my first time building fence from scratch, and I quickly learned how physically demanding the work is, especially in a steep, rocky landscape. Despite the physical challenges and a wild mix of weather that included a few bursts of hail, the weekend was energizing.
I felt buoyed by the determination of the volunteers, and amazed by what we could accomplish as a group. At the end of a day of hard work, we relaxed around a fire, chatting and laughing under a miraculously clear night sky. Suddenly the biggest, brightest shooting star I’ve ever seen blazed across the inky blue sky. It felt like time slowed as we all turned to watch, struck dumb with astonishment. It felt so special to witness that moment of natural splendor with this group of people who had been strangers only two days before.
To be fully earnest and cheesy, working alongside a group of people who care enough to dedicate time and energy to land stewardship makes my heart swell. ONDA’s stewardship trips are free and open to anyone.
No experience is needed, and ONDA provides all of the tools, equipment and training necessary for the project. We encourage people of all abilities and backgrounds to get out with ONDA to take part in our hands-on stewardship work and connect with Oregon’s High Desert. I can’t wait for next time.
—Sarah Lindsay is a Stewardship Coordinator with Oregon Natural Desert Association, a nonprofit that protects and restores Oregon’s High Desert public lands and waters. She leads groups of volunteers to accomplish ecological restoration projects in partnership with public land management agencies.
