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Notes from the Field


Lekking at Dawn: A Sage-Grouse Adventure in the Owyhee
There’s something sacred about leaving a warm sleeping bag before dawn to sit quietly in the high desert and witness one of nature’s oldest courtship rituals. For years I’ve wanted to get out there and see this spectacle for myself, and hopefully do some good for the Owyhee I love in the process.

MJ Winter - Community Organizer
2 days ago5 min read


“Too Much Land”? The Real Cost of Senator Mike Lee’s Public Lands Position
Utah Senator Mike Lee recently removed controversial language from the federal budget that would have allowed for the sale of vast public lands. While some saw this as a victory, his reasoning revealed a concerning perspective: "I continue to believe that the federal government owns too much land, land it is mismanaging and, in many cases, ruining for the next generation." This statement reflects a worldview that fundamentally misunderstands the purpose and potential of publi

Tim Davis
Jul 28 min read


Why Congress Must Fund the BLM
If you’ve spent any time on public land in eastern Oregon, especially in the Owyhee, you’ve likely felt the slow unraveling of care and capacity. It’s not because the people at the Bureau of Land Management don’t care. It’s because they’re being asked to manage more with less.

Tim Davis
Jun 2316 min read


OUR MEMORABLE HIKE THROUGH PAINTED CANYON
Hidden in Oregon’s remote and rugged Owyhee Canyonlands, the Painted Canyon area offers a jaw-dropping hiking experience for those...

MJ Winter - Community Organizer
Jun 124 min read


The Untamed Owyhee: A Rafting Tale
A journey down the Owyhee River, that was truly unforgettable.
Andrea Bonadiman
May 208 min read


The Owyhee Recreation Club: Balancing Adventure and Stewardship
The Owyhee Recreation Club: Balancing Adventure and Stewardship- Recreation in the Owyhee is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it’s a major draw to this vast and rugged landscape, bringing people closer to nature and public lands. On the other, increased recreation can threaten the very ecosystem that makes the Owyhee so special. For those unfamiliar with the area, recreation is not just present—it’s one of the most significant pressures on the landscape’s ecological health.

Tim Davis
Apr 174 min read


Road to Perjue
It is odd that a gravel road should evoke such an emotional response in me, but there I was, nearly in tears as I approached a place in...
Michael Wanzenreid
Mar 34 min read


The Owyhee: My Childhood Home
I grew up in the metropolis of Adrian, Oregon—if you can call it that. I spent my entire childhood in the same house, gazing out my...

Tim Davis
Feb 115 min read


“Filling Up on the Dark Night Skies of the Owyhee Desert"
Recently a group of Friends of the Owyhee ventured to Birch Creek Historic Ranch for a sun-drenched, quiet celebration of Public Lands...

MJ Winter - Community Organizer
Oct 14, 20243 min read


Encounters in the Wild: Leslie, the Old Wild Horse of the Owyhee
Author: Denis Pijetlovic (Germany) | Trail-Name: Rooster On my thru-hike (May-July 2024) along the Oregon Desert Trail (ODT) in the...
denispijetlovic
Sep 4, 20242 min read


PERSONAL STEWARDSHIP IN OUR PUBLIC LANDS
Stewardship on our public lands.

MJ Winter - Community Organizer
Aug 14, 20243 min read


Mental Health & the Outdoors
In an age where we are all constantly going from task to task oftentimes with our eyes suctioned upon a screen for hours on end, it can...
Andrea Bonadiman
May 22, 20244 min read


Guardians of the Owyhee: A Call to Protect Our Western Frontier
Out on the Western front, when you grow up in the vastness of open spaces, rolling hills, and abundance of access to public lands; it is...
Andrea Bonadiman
Apr 1, 20242 min read


Owyhee Challenge!
Supporting community, supporting health, and supporting responsible recreation! [Most of the] Friends of the Owyhee "team" for the Owyhee...

Sammy Castonguay
Mar 28, 20235 min read


Partners Building Community: EUVALCREE and Friends of the Owyhee
“Can you put together some outdoor activities for us? Things that are fun but also educational about the outdoors, about nature? About...

Sammy Castonguay
Oct 20, 20226 min read


A Morning at Succor Creek
I’m not sure which month is the hottest here in eastern Oregon, July or August. In any case, the stifling heat of the summer months makes...

Katalin Plummer
Jul 29, 20224 min read


Trail Dust: A Desert of a Different Stripe: The Trans-Zion Trek
All photos below are by Steve Silva. All this year, I've enjoyed a great and regular routine of wandering around our local desert,...

Steve Silva
Jul 22, 20227 min read


Trail Dust: Trail Angels & Purposeful Kindness
Wow! What started out as a dry and nervous spring has turned into one wild and wooly early season to be remembered. I had given up on any...

Steve Silva
Jun 20, 20226 min read


Lucky #12: Group Size Limits in Wilderness Standards
Maybe it's just me, but when a colleague that has been working in the industry longer than I have tells me a piece of information, I...

Katalin Plummer
Apr 8, 20227 min read


Leave the Arrowhead: Respecting Public Lands & Their Resources
A couple of weeks ago, we had our donor recognition celebration at our favorite Ontario hangout, Berts Growler Garage. While we had some...

Katalin Plummer
Mar 11, 20226 min read


Trail Dust: Owyhee Hiking Club (Or Looking at Cool Rocks Club)
As another month rolls in, I couldn’t help but think that January just wasn't going to end. Between the cold temperatures, the sun...

Steve Silva
Feb 4, 20225 min read


Trail Dust: Oregon Desert Trail
The new year is upon us, and for me, that's an exciting mark on my calendar. While many think that winter is still in charge, I challenge...

Steve Silva
Jan 7, 20225 min read


Trail Dust: Use Your Winter Wisely
Winter. What does the word mean to you? Do you see mountains of white or feel the bone-numbing cold of the Arctic? We have four distinct...

Steve Silva
Dec 17, 20216 min read


Mission Fulfilling Day
We were on the road before sunrise. “Just left Ontario,” Tim texted. “Grabbing the coffee,” I replied. Sunrise cast pink-orange light on...

Sammy Castonguay
Nov 8, 20216 min read


In Search of Owyhee's Oldest Rocks
Jack Peak—standing at just over 10,000 feet and seen here at the head of a glacial valley—is made of approximately 400 million-year-old...

Sammy Castonguay
Sep 28, 20218 min read


A Leslie Gulch Adventure
This guest post comes from Chris Chalmers, a web developer and proud dad. All photos are his. This April, I took my family to Leslie...

Chris Chalmers
Aug 27, 20213 min read


The US Air Force & the Owyhee
The United States Air Force (“Air Force”) has proposed to lower the flight ceiling as well as the subsonic and supersonic barriers over...

Tim Davis
Jul 27, 20214 min read


A Day in the Owyhee
I’m learning that, in this industry, sometimes the work is well-timed and easily planned out. Other times, it’s a mad rush to the...

Katalin Plummer
Jun 3, 20213 min read


How To Leave No Trace
Summer is just around the corner, and we’re all spending much more time outdoors, whether it’s with FOTO or not (although, you know, it...

Katalin Plummer
May 14, 20214 min read


Owyhee or Owyhees: Which One Is It?
When I first started at Friends of the Owyhee, one of the first conversations I had with Tim was about this very subject. He clarified...

Katalin Plummer
Apr 30, 20213 min read


International Dark Sky Week & Light Pollution
A couple of years ago, I got a smartwatch for Christmas from my dad. When I was looking at the display options, I had a fleeting thought...

Katalin Plummer
Apr 16, 20215 min read


Lower Owyhee Canyon: History, Recreation, & Conservation
Even if you haven’t been to the Owyhee yourself and have just heard about it, you’ve likely heard of the Lower Owyhee Canyon. Its name...

Katalin Plummer
Apr 1, 20215 min read


Sagebrush: the Ever-present Plant of the Owyhee
If you’ve been outdoors in eastern Oregon, western Idaho, or northern Nevada, you are guaranteed to have seen sagebrush. Sagebrush is the...

Katalin Plummer
Mar 19, 20215 min read


Owyhee Land Acknowledgement: Bannock-Shoshone and Northern Paiute Ancestral Land
Patulaykaspa or "stands beside place" is the Sahaptin language word for Malheur Butte, which is just west of Ontario, Oregon (home base...

Sammy Castonguay
Feb 16, 20212 min read


Clean-Ups are Cool!
Does unsightly garbage along the road, in parking lots, or—the worst!—stuck in a sagebrush a hundred miles from town make you cringe? Us...

Sammy Castonguay
Feb 9, 20213 min read


"Plogging" Our Way Through the Community!
Friends of the Owyhee joined forces with the Kiwanis Club of Ontario to pick up litter around town. I have been a member of the Kiwanis...

Sammy Castonguay
Dec 16, 20203 min read


Owyhee Science Field Camp October 2020
"I've never seen a rainbow so clear!" exclaimed Aiden, Ontario 6th grader that took part in our recent Owyhee Science Field Camp. Quinn,...

Sammy Castonguay
Oct 30, 20205 min read


Doing Owyhee Work
My first month of work with FOTO has been incredibly inspiring. Let me tell you why.

Kelsea Jones
Aug 28, 20202 min read


We Adopted Succor Creek State Natural Area!
...and just in time, too. As Tim discussed in this local news article, public lands in the Owyhee saw a great deal of use at the...

Sammy Castonguay
Aug 14, 20203 min read


Did the Beaver Give the Owyhee its Name?
Not exactly, but long story short: yes! Sounds a bit mythological, right? Beavers in the Owyhee? The Owyhee beaver is indeed present and...

Sammy Castonguay
Jul 25, 20203 min read


10 Naturalist Field Guides for the Owyhee
Plants! Trees! Birds! Rocks! Amphibians! Reptiles! Mammals! Stars! Clouds! Mushrooms! Insects! During our guided day hikes, we are often...

Sammy Castonguay
Jul 9, 20207 min read


Owyhee Fungi
Puhpowee: Potawatomi word describing the phenomenon of a mushroom emerging from the ground overnight. (Source: Braiding Sweetgrass by...

Sammy Castonguay
Jun 12, 20205 min read


Canyon Time: Timefulness Along Dry Creek
Canyon Time. That’s what I call it. That feeling that you get while camping, on a trail, or just chilling under the cliffs—the feeling...

Sammy Castonguay
May 22, 20204 min read


Geologic Work at Jordan Craters
This content originates from the BLM Oregon and Washington Facebook site and has been reproduced with permission. As far as Oregon...

Sammy Castonguay
May 13, 20203 min read


Lost Time at Hole-in-the-Ground
After a long dirt road—as per usual in the Owyhee—we arrived at an impressive rim that overlooked a sight of such grandeur, my mind...

Sammy Castonguay
Apr 7, 20207 min read
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