High Desert Partnership

09/02/2026

How does wetlands restoration work support wildlife and the local community?

In Part III of our conversation with Josey Wilson, High Desert Partnership’s Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator, she shares why this work is about more than one species, one project, or one place.

Healthy wetlands, rivers, and working lands are all connected—and the work happening across the basin helps support wildlife habitat, water systems, local livelihoods, and the long-term resilience of this community.

08/28/2026

🩺 This summer, eleven students from across Oregon spent a week in Harney County exploring what a future in rural healthcare could look like. ⁠
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The 4th annual Frontier MedQuest camp gave students hands-on opportunities to shadow professionals at Harney District Hospital, practice de-escalation scenarios using virtual reality, learn about dental care from Burns Dental Group, tour the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center OSUAgSci, and much more.⁠
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The week concluded with a community dinner hosted by EOARC and catered by the Food Systems Initiative, along with an inspiring career presentation from David Bohnert.⁠
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Thank you to our partners at Northeast Oregon AHEC—the Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Center—and to every local professional, business, and community member who helped make this experience possible. ⁠
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Programs like Frontier MedQuest introduce young people to meaningful careers while helping build a stronger future for rural healthcare. See you next year!⁠
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08/25/2026

08/25/2026

As the summer comes to a close, we’re highlighting this year’s Civic Experiment Grantees—asking them what they hope will grow from their community projects. ☀️

In the final part of this series, grantees share what they hope these projects make possible across Harney County—more connection, more opportunities for young people, and more reasons for neighbors to gather, participate, and build something together.

The Civic Experiment Grant program, supported through Trust for Civic Life, invests in local efforts that help people connect and shape their community’s future together.

08/20/2026

What does it mean to call Hines, Oregon home?

In this episode of Oregon Humanities’ “This Place” podcast, Anna Gahley, Biz Harney Opportunity Collaborative Coordinator, reflects on the importance of communication, shared goals, and working together across Harney County.

Anna talks about the challenges that shape life here—from fire and flooding to the realities of managing cattle and protecting livelihoods—and why communication between communities, agencies, and local leaders matters.

She also shares what makes her most proud: the way Harney County responds when things get hard.

During natural disasters, people come together. They show up for one another. And in those moments, Anna says, everyone is a neighbor.

Listen to the full episode at the link in our bio.

08/14/2026

What has been surprising about the work you’ve done through the Harney Internship Program? 🤔

In Part III of our conversation with Burns High School students, they reflect on what they didn’t expect—from the kinds of tasks they’ve taken on to the people they’ve worked with and the confidence they’ve built along the way.

Through the Youth Changing the Community Collaborative, the Harney Internship Program gives local students paid, hands-on work experience while helping them learn more about themselves, their community, and the opportunities available here in Harney County.

08/12/2026

🔥 Oregon is facing an exceptionally difficult wildfire season, with more than 2 million acres burned so far and Harney County among the areas most heavily impacted.⁠
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The Coleman Creek, Second Flat, Bald Mountain, and Jackass Butte fires are continuing to affect landscapes, habitat, ranches, livestock, and communities across the region.⁠
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We want to extend our deep gratitude to the firefighters, agency crews, Rangeland Fire Protection Association volunteers, and local partners working under extreme conditions to protect homes, structures, livestock, and the places people care deeply about.⁠
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Many of those responding are also participants in the Harney County Wildfire Collaborative and Harney County Forest Restoration Collaborative. They know this land well, and their commitment to this place shows in the work they are doing every day.⁠
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For those in need of recovery support, Eastern Oregon Ag Research Center is maintaining a list of resources, including names and contact information.⁠
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Find the link in our bio.⁠
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Photo credits, in order: Elkhorn Media Group; smoke from Second Flat Fire, photo by Mary Woodbury: Harney County Sheriff's Office; Egypt Fire burning in Harney county, via .⁠
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08/05/2026

Many of you already know Josey Wilson, but we’re excited to take a moment to formally reintroduce her. ♥️

Josey is the Harney Basin Ecological Coordinator for High Desert Partnership. Her work supports collaboration across the basin where wetlands, working lands, wildlife habitat, and water systems are deeply connected.

In this clip, Josey shares a bit about who she is, the work she’s part of, and one of the things she loves most about living in Harney County: the resilience of this community.

We’re grateful to have Josey as part of the HDP team and excited to keep sharing more of the work she helps move forward.