Oregon Natural Desert Association

06/01/2026

Tomorrow! Join us for an evening of community and desert advocacy at ONDA’s Portland Sagebrush Social, taking place on June 2 from 5-7 p.m. at Peninsula Park. Come celebrate conservation with ONDA staff, board and supporters at Picnic Shelter A.

Join us to learn about our latest conservation efforts, take part in advocacy actions, test your knowledge with an optional round of desert trivia, and get help planning your next high desert adventure from expert volunteers.

Attendees will enjoy complimentary light appetizers and beverages and will have a chance to win great prizes from local businesses. The event is free and open to all—no registration required. Drop by anytime throughout the event.

05/29/2026

LAST CALL! The final deadline to submit photos for our next Wild Desert Calendar is this Monday, June 1 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Our Wild Desert Calendar showcases the beauty of Oregon’s high desert public lands and supports our conservation initiatives. For a chance to have your photography featured in our beloved publication, carve out some time this spring to submit your best shots of our priority landscapes, lesser-seen wildlife, fragile flora, and desert-loving people. Whether you’re a frequent submitter, long-time admirer, or a new desert enthusiast, show us what you’ve got!

To share your photos, get more info, or read our tips that give you the best chance of being selected, head to ONDA.org/wild-desert-calendar/wild-desert-calendar-submissions/.

Photo: Sean Bagshaw

Calling all photographers! Submit your best shots of Oregon’s high desert for a chance to be featured in ONDA's Wild Desert Calendar.

05/28/2026

URGENT ACTION: The health of Oregon’s high desert public lands depends on science-based management practices that carefully balance the landscape’s many uses and values. Now, the Trump administration wants to dramatically shift that balance—prioritizing increased extractive use of public lands at the expense of desert lands, waters, and wildlife.

The proposed changes eliminate oversight, disregard scientific guidance, and exclude public input on the most pervasive extractive use of desert public lands—cattle grazing. Without science-based safeguards, grazing on public lands threatens wildlife, degrades watersheds, erodes soils, spreads invasive species, and even contributes to climate change.

Learn more about cattle grazing in Oregon's high desert: https://onda.org/a-brief-history-of-public-lands-livestock-grazing/
Take action TODAY: https://onda.org/take-action/defend-public-lands-from-trumps-damaging-grazing-rules/

Photo: ONDA Volunteer

05/26/2026

Next week in Portland!

We're is hosting our annual Sagebrush Social on June 2, from 5-7 p.m. at Peninsula Park! Come celebrate conservation with ONDA staff, board and supporters at Picnic Shelter A.

All attendees will receive one free week of classes at YoYoYogi and be eligible to win prizes from Portland Playhouse, Belmont Books PDX, ¿Por Qué No? Taqueria and Patagonia.

This event is free and open to all ONDA supporters and desert enthusiasts, so drop by anytime and bring a friend! More information: https://onda.org/event/sagebrush-social-portland-2026/

Photo: Hank Elholm

05/19/2026

This winter, nearly 400 of our members took the time to contribute feedback about their experience in ONDA’s community. We’ve learned so much from your stories, insights, and vision for Oregon’s high desert. Thank you!

From the restorative power of desert solitude to your commitment to effective advocacy, your feedback is a beautiful reminder of why this community of conservation enthusiasts is so special. You told us what draws you to the "big sky" country of Oregon’s high desert and why you trust ONDA to be its primary defender.

Today, we’re excited to share the full highlights of our 2026 Member Survey with you: https://onda.org/your-responses-are-in-2026/

Photo: Haley Tobiason

05/18/2026

ACTION ALERT: The Trump administration is once again proposing to cut funding for the Bureau of Land Management, the agency responsible for stewarding 12 million acres of Oregon's high desert public lands.

Last year, when President Trump tried the same move, Congress rejected his proposal, successfully defending public lands from a reckless attack. With your advocacy, we can once again block these devastating cuts.

Congress has the power to reject this proposal and defend public lands. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley serves a leading role in shaping budgets for the BLM. Support the senator’s defense of public lands and ask him to once again reject the Trump administration’s proposed budget cuts.

Take action today: https://onda.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/defend-publiclands

Photo: Gary Calicott

05/15/2026

Curious about visiting Hart Mountain’s hot springs or interested in learning when to see summer wildflowers? Bring all your desert trip questions to Oregon Natural Desert Association’s Sagebrush Socials. Come gather at Peninsula Park in Portland on June 2 and at Miller’s Landing Park in Bend on June 10, where expert volunteers will help you plan your next high desert adventure.

Drop in to enjoy a lively evening of community connection, conservation insights shared by ONDA staff, a round of optional desert trivia, chances to win prizes, and complimentary drinks and food from local businesses. More information at ONDA.org/events.

Photo: Hank Elholm

05/11/2026

Meet Naomi Serio!

This spring, we welcomed Naomi to ONDA’s staff as our new community organizer. She brings a thoughtful, people-centered approach to conservation, grounded in a genuine belief that lasting change comes from community. Whether she’s connecting with folks at events, facilitating conversations, or turning shared values into action, Naomi is energized by bringing people together in support of Oregon high desert conservation.

Get to know Naomi in our brief interview—including more about what brought her to this work, what inspires her, and how she’s thinking about building community and momentum for conservation across the region.

Read on: https://onda.org/an-interview-with-naomi-serio/

05/08/2026

The McDermitt Caldera is a thriving ecological haven in southeastern Oregon. These public lands are one of the most important expanses of intact sagebrush in the West, providing critical habitat for pronghorn, greater sage-grouse, and Lahontan cutthroat trout and holding significant cultural value.

Now, all of this is at risk. The federal government has approved a mining exploration plan that paves the way for the largest mine in Oregon.

The plan would allow Jindalee Lithium, a transnational corporation, to drill 168 holes, build 21.5 miles of new roads, and pump 18,000 gallons of groundwater daily. This would permanently degrade nearly 7,200 acres of public lands in the caldera, devastating imperiled wildlife and local communities.

Read our latest blog to learn more about the wildlife that depends on this breathtaking landscape, the native communities that cherish these sacred lands, and everything we risk losing if industrial mining comes to eastern Oregon’s public lands: ONDA.org/what-we-risk-losing/

Then, take action by signing our petition to protect the McDermitt Caldera from this threat by next Friday, May 15: ONDA.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/defend-mcdermitt-caldera

Photo: John Aylward

05/06/2026

How do you show your love for your favorite landscapes?

For some, it’s showing their support for conservation by taking an advocacy action or donating funds. For others, it’s showing up in the desert to lend a hand. This past fall, a group of ONDA volunteers chose to show their love for a river dear to them—eastern Oregon’s South Fork Crooked River—by rallying together after a devastating flood.

Learn more about ONDA’s restoration efforts, the group who sprang into action when the flood hit, and the signs of life we’ve seen on the landscape since. Visit https://onda.org/celebrating-the-strength-of-community/ to read on.

Photo: Cindy Hull