Author: Renee Schiavone | Published: April 24, 2025 | Category: Profile
This article originally appeared in the Spring + Summer 2025 Desert Ramblings
What fuels conservation success.
I traversed a mile across a hilly, sagebrush-speckled landscape to find the group and was already sweating before the real work began. When I finally spotted them, it was like I’d descended upon a hive of busy bees, welcoming me into their colony. While some carried piles of tree branches twice their size across precarious side hills, others dug up pounds of mud in the sun or snipped hundreds of juniper saplings with sticky clippers. They eagerly greeted me as they shuffled by amidst their work. This was my first Oregon Natural Desert Association stewardship trip, and along with 14 volunteers, I was here for a weekend of restoration work in Oregon’s high desert.
That night around the campfire, I heard people of all ages and walks of life tell stories of their greatest high desert memories and misadventures. I saw a group of strangers come together seamlessly over a shared love for this place, laughing like they’d known each other for ages. When a car rolled up alongside our fireside chat to see about a campsite, the driver asked if we were a family.
“In a way,” one of us said.
From the Beginning
Thinking back to that first stewardship trip I attended, each person possessed a similar conservation ethic, yet was so diverse in what they brought to the table. From our skills to our backgrounds, each of us offered something different, yet valuable, to the project. When combined, we created a steadfast team with a shared goal.
And that’s how it all began for ONDA. Some four decades ago a scrappy group of people assembled, each committed to the belief that Oregon’s high desert needed stronger caretaking than federal agencies were providing. They all kicked in $5 to get started on their work to protect, defend and restore Oregon’s high desert.
The people I met on my stewardship trip are just a few of the 6,000+ members, 20,000 supporters and countless partners who make up ONDA’s community. Yet this group was the perfect representation: they were hard working, unrelenting, filled with passion and cared deeply about Oregon’s high desert.
It’s always been the people, from the beginning and through to today, who define ONDA.
Who They Are
Today, when I look at ONDA’s community, I see dedicated individuals who selflessly come together and go to great lengths to achieve conservation success. We’re proud of the active, engaged community we’ve built. Every action and gift, no matter the size or scale, moves our conservation goals forward.
People fuel our work, and there are so many ways to get involved—none more important than another.
There are people who donate their crafts, like writers, photographers and videographers who contribute their art to inspire others to support desert conservation. There are people who donate their time, like those who choose to volunteer at ONDA events, in our offices or in the desert. And, there are people who advocate from near or far, signing timely petitions or reaching out to elected officials.
People seen and unseen bring their values forward to support the conservation of Oregon’s desert. We’re profiling just a few of these people whose engagement, much like yours, has resulted in so many successes for the lands, waters and wildlife we love.
