By Alice Weston
Conservation Organizer, Central & Eastern Oregon
Sierra Club Oregon
As we digest the first month of the new administration, it is difficult not to feel anger and frustration. Extreme presidential orders aim to dismantle human and civil rights laws as well as decades of progress in environmental protection and climate efforts. On the eastern side of the Cascades, we are also starting the year with deep disappointment and sadness over what could have been for Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands.
For those who may not be familiar with the Owyhee Canyonlands and the ongoing efforts to protect this area, the Owyhee region is an ecoregion located in southeastern Oregon, mostly in Malheur County. It encompasses 2.5 million acres of stunning wildlands with deep canyons, vast sagebrush plains, and wild rivers. There are at least 26 endemic plant species that grow only in the Owyhees and nowhere else in the world. The canyons hold countless irreplaceable cultural artifacts and sites that tell the story of at least 13,000 years of human history in these original homelands of the Northern Paiute, Shoshone, and Bannock tribes.
The campaign to safeguard the Owyhee Canyonlands has been ongoing for decades. In recent years, these efforts have intensified, with advocates pushing for national monument designation and permanent protections for the land, water, wildlife, and people of this region. For years environmental advocates worked on legislation with Senator Ron Wyden’s office to protect the Owyhees. But in the final months of the Biden administration, it was clear the bill was not going to make it through both the Senate and House, so we pushed for a national monument designation. Unfortunately, Senator Wyden did not agree with the vast majority of Oregonians who felt that this was the best path forward. President Biden would not move forward with a monument designation without approval from the senior Senator from Oregon. Wyden’s bill ultimately died in Congress and no protections were secured for the Owyhees before Republicans took control of the White House and Senate.
There is a glimmer of hope reflected in the community that formed the movement to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands. An incredible coalition formed including local and regional community groups, environmental organizations, and hunter and angler associations. It also received support from three Tribal Nations: the Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe, the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of the Duck Valley Indian Reservation, and the Klamath Tribes. The movement garnered endorsements from Governor Tina Kotek, Treasurer Tobias Read, Oregon’s Secretary of State, and numerous state lawmakers, along with the involvement of local ranchers. This diverse and dynamic coalition even gathered 70,000 individual signatures of support during the campaign. The widespread support for protecting the Owyhees is clear.
Our coalition is a mighty group of advocates ready to remind our political leaders that Oregonians want strong protections for the Owyhees for generations to come. We are not going anywhere and will continue to grow and gather support. If you are new to the conversation and want to help, you are welcome to join us and lend your support, your voice, or time as we continue to fight for permanent protections.
Ways you can stay informed and lend your voice to the movement to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands:
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Alice can be reached at alice.weston@sierraclub.org.