Earlier this month at Oregon Natural Desert Association, we kicked off our spring stewardship season with a new type of volunteer project: the Badlands Wilderness and Reynolds Pond Accessibility project. 

With the support of the Deschutes Trails Coalition Stewardship Grant program, ONDA is partnering with the Prineville Bureau of Land Management to design and construct a 1-mile accessible loop trail around Reynolds Pond, as well as complete trail improvements in the Badlands Wilderness. Our goal is to create new opportunities for people of all abilities, ages and backgrounds to enjoy the beauty and peace of Oregon’s high desert just 30 minutes from Bend.

This project is rooted in ONDA’s commitment to equity and inclusive involvement for everyone who cherishes Oregon’s high desert. While different than our typical projects focused on science-based habitat restoration, we believe restoration projects that build a more diverse community of desert advocates also benefit the health of the desert.

Not only is the trail we’re building at Reynolds Pond more accessible, but the project itself has a lower barrier to entry for volunteer participants too, with less challenging terrain and tasks than most ONDA stewardship work.

If you’ve been looking to join an ONDA volunteer stewardship project, this new opportunity might just be right for you. Keep an eye out for more Badlands and Reynolds Pond day trips that will be added to the ONDA Stewardship Trip Calendar throughout the year.

We still have space on a few of our spring stewardship trips, which are free and open to everyone, regardless of your level of experience. ONDA provides all of the tools and training you need to participate. You can learn more and sign up on our stewardship trips page.

Please reach out to us if you have any questions about volunteering to improve the health—and accessibility—of Oregon’s high desert. 

See you in the desert,

Gena Goodman-Campbell
Program Director - Stewardship

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