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Chapter Home >> Conservation >> High Desert Home >> About the HDC
Committee History Since 1989 the High Desert Committee has worked with BLM staff and local landowners in an effort to build bridges and find creative solutions to the challenges of conservation for our remaining public wildlands. Committee members participate in environmental coalitions and federally designated work groups, conduct informal environmental inventories of public land, review and write recommendations for land management plans, and lead trips to educate the public about Oregon's high desert. In 1999-2000 the HDC initiated a formal education campaign advocating for protection of Steens Mountain. Although Steens received a level of protection with the Protection Act, there remain ongoing decisions and controversies over how that protection is implemented. In 2002 we began another education campaign focusing on the Owyhee Canyonlands and the need to provide permanent protection for this ecosystem as well. This campaign evolved into a "TriState" effort in conjunction with the Idaho and Nevada Chapters. We have organized educational outings to visit all the wilderness study areas in eastern Oregon and have a display and slide show which we would be happy to present to interested groups. 
Visit the National Sierra Club Wildlands Campaign on the Owyhee Canyonlands to learn more about this wonderful area. There is information about the natural history, conservation challenges, what you can do to help, and a nice slide show of images. The High Desert East of Oregon's Cascade Mountains lies a broad swath of semi-arid land known as the High Desert. Much of this is public land which belongs to all Americans who have a right and responsibility to ensure its proper care and preservation. This landscape contains many unique geologic features including volcanism with its associated geothermal sites such as hot springs, mud pots, and small geysers. Ancient sea beds found at the crests of present-day mountains, deep canyons cut by the intermittent flow of desert rivers, and miles of rolling sagebrush steppe create an incredible desert landscape. Desert flora and fauna have adapted to the often harsh climate of this open country and depend on the natural state of the environment to live and flourish. In ancient rock art, historical artifacts, and fossils hundreds of millions of years old, the land echoes with the voices of cultures and wildlife species which have passed through this region. Steen Mountain-Alvord Basin Steens Mountain-Alvord Basin, in southeast Oregon's high desert, is a unique ecosystem boasting a basin and range partnership which creates an environment rich in wildlife and flora. This landscape is awe inspiring with high mountain peaks and glaciated gorges, flowing rivers, aspen groves, and magnificent desert. The largest fault-block mountain in North America, stretching over 30 miles, Steens Mountain rises to an elevation of almost 10,000 feet and towers a full vertical mile above the Alvord Basin. The mountain creates a rain shadow that results in the formation of a desert playa, the Alvord Desert. This high desert country is home for golden eagles, kit fox, redband trout, horned lizards, bighorn sheep, sage grouse, black tailed jackrabbit, horned lark and many other wildlife species. Steens-Alvord is an ecological and geological wonder of nature: a fragile balance of healthy ecosystems requiring permanent protection. Until the fall or 2000, Steens Mountain-Alvord Basin was largely unprotected despite its outstanding wildlife habitat, unparalleled opportunities for solitude and backcountry recreation, and breathtaking vistas. Threats to this unique landscape were many. Mining and geothermal development, inappropriate livestock grazing, private land development, and off-road vehicle use imperiled Steens-Alvord. Wilderness Study Areas which had been identified and protected for future inclusion in the National Wilderness System were in jeopardy of release from this interim protection. Already, dozens of native plant and animal species are considered by federal land managers to be at risk, threatened, or endangered. With the passage of the Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Area Act of 2000, some of the above issues have been resolved at least for parts of the area. There are still WSAs which remain with interim protection and there is still a lot of private land on the mountain and ongoing issues over vehicle access for instance. An advisory board, the Steens Mountain Advisory Council (SMAC) has been developed to help guide the BLM in its management of the area. The SMAC is made up of citizens with a variety of backgrounds and interests. |
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This page last updated Monday, January 28, 2008
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