Oregon's Deserts

Two-thirds of Oregon is desert. Lesser-known than the region’s temperate forests, Oregon’s high desert supports a remarkable diversity of plant and animal species, many of which are unique, rare, and endangered. Its terrestrial habitat is home to sage grouse, pronghorn, and kit fox. Its wetlands support legendary migratory bird populations. Important populations of salmon, steelhead and redband trout ply Oregon’s desert rivers. And stands of juniper, aspen, mountain mahogany, and ponderosa pine add to the diversity of Oregon’s desert landscape. Though isolated and sparsely populated, these fragile lands and rivers are threatened by destructive human activities such as livestock grazing, ORVs, and mining.

ONDA: A History of Success

ONDA is the only group working exclusively to protect Oregon’s high desert. Founded in 1987, ONDA is a 1,500-member grassroots organization committed to protecting, defending, and restoring the health of Oregon’s native deserts. Over the past 15 years, ONDA has earned many successes including the protection of Steens Mountain as the nation’s first “cow-free” Wilderness in 2000, the removal of livestock grazing from both the Hart Mountain National Wildlife Refuge in 1992, and the Wild and Scenic Owyhee River in 1998.

Program Priorities 

• Wilderness Research and Rescue: In Oregon, only 2.6 of the 13.4 million acres managed by BLM have interim protection as Wilderness Study Areas (WSAs); a scant 4.2 percent of the state. Through the Wilderness Research and Rescue Project, ONDA staff and volunteers will inventory more than 6 million acres of roadless BLM land in eastern Oregon that we believe merit consideration as Wilderness, but have no interim protection.
• Badlands/Spring Basin Wilderness Campaign: We are actively working to introduce and pass legislation to designate the Badlands and Spring Basin as wilderness. The Badlands is a 35,000-acre stretch of sage and ancient juniper 15 miles east of Bend. If protected, the Badlands would become Bend’s backyard wilderness. Spring Basin is an 8,000-acre wilderness adjacent to the John Day River, and surrounded by the Pine Creek Conservation Area, a 35,000-acre holding owned and managed by the Warm Springs tribe as de facto wilderness. By working with local landowners and Wheeler County officials, we have secured Rep. Greg Walden’s support for wilderness designation for Spring Basin.
• Sagesteppe Defense Program: ONDA’s Sagesteppe Defense Program uses legal action to defend Oregon’s high desert ecosystems. and the rivers that flow through them. Litigation plays a key role in compelling federal agencies particularly the BLM – to manage their lands to ensure the survival of dependent species. Our litigation strategy focuses on: protecting anadromous and non-anadromous fish species; ensuring proper management of wild and scenic river corridors; securing public lands grazing reform; listing endangered fish and wildlife species; and enforcing water quality standards.
• Oregon Desert Outreach and Restoration Project: The Oregon Desert Outreach and Restoration Project provides opportunities for citizens to participate in efforts to restore desert habitat throughout eastern Oregon. Millions of acres of habitat in Oregon’s High Desert have been damaged by livestock grazing, off-road vehicle use, and mining. While some lands have been protected as federally designated wilderness, wildlife refuges, or wild and scenic rivers, many of these areas still suffer from past mismanagement and inadequate funding to restore fish and wildlife habitat.