Tribal Stewards

Sage Brown   Website

ONDA launched our Tribal Stewards program in 2019 to provide paid opportunities for Indigenous youth and young adults to work on restoration projects and gain experience in conservation and stewardship career paths. The goal of this program is to support emerging conservation leaders in tribal communities while completing projects to improve ecosystem health in Oregon’s high desert.

Through an immersive field‐based program, participants restore streams, uplands and trails on federal and tribal lands and conduct scientific research and monitoring. In addition to gaining practical training, the tribal stewards receive mentorship from natural resources professionals and explore potential career pathways.

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Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Central Oregon’s “Backyard Wilderness”

Our quest to protect the Oregon Badlands

Located just 15 miles east of Bend, Oregon Badlands is a 30,000-acre wilderness area filled with fascinating lava flows and ancient juniper trees Arriving in the Badlands, so named for its rugged and harsh terrain, can feel like stepping

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Connecting Trails

Connecting Trails

The Oregon Desert Trail ties into two National Recreation Trails: the Fremont National Recreation Trail and Desert Trail.

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Young Desert Horned Lizard

Young Desert Horned Lizard

In the summer these lizards begin foraging for food as soon as their body temperature rises as the heat of the day increases. They feed on slow-moving, ground-dwelling insects. In the fall they hibernate by burying themselves in the sand.

Latin name: Phrysonoma platyrhinos

Lace Thornberg

Sage Brown

Sage Brown   Website

Tribal Stewards Projects

ONDA partners with Lomakatsi Restoration Project, tribes, land managers, and other non-profit organizations to plan and coordinate Tribal Stewards projects throughout Oregon’s high desert.

Since 2019, the Tribal Stewards crews have worked across eastern Oregon on a range on restoration projects, including:

  • Retrofitting fence to be wildlife friendly and maintaining trails at the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument
  • Improving upland habitat through juniper abatement and seed collection on Burns Paiute Tribe’s Jonesboro property
  • Restoring native fish habitat along headwater creeks of the John Day River by building and maintaining beaver dam analogues and planting native vegetation in the Malheur National Forest
  • Completing fish surveys and native plant projects at Burn Paiute Tribe’s Logan Valley property
  • Building fences to protect headwater springs and creeks of the Malheur River in the Malheur National Forest

Tribal Stewards Program
Provides Career Mentorship

In early July, a crew of young adults – CeCe Andy (Warm Springs and Yakama), Monique Moody (Wasco and Northern Paiute) and Dakota Pablo (Pima and Navajo) led by Tiyana […]

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Look Back: Reflections from Tribal Steward Wesley Scott

Author: Renee Schiavone  |  Published: September 13, 2023  | Category: Look Back From getting the opportunity to reconnect with indigenous communities to finding work that truly interests him In 2021, […]

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