Exploring the wilderness at Sisters Library

Deschutes Public Library's Know Wilderness series came to Sisters Library with a program about some unique places in Oregon's high desert.

Gena Goodman-Campbell from the Oregon National Desert Association (ONDA) led the discussion. ONDA is a grassroots organization committed to protecting, defending and restoring the health of Oregon's native deserts for present and future generations.

The subject is in honor of the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Wilderness Act by President Lyndon Johnson on September 3, 1964. Commemorating events are being held at museums, libraries, airports and visitor centers around the country and online using social networking.

The act created a legal definition of wilderness in the United States and protected 9.1 million acres of federal land. The U.S. was the first country to declare protected wilderness areas, which only allow "primitive recreation" (fishing, hunting, camping, horseback riding, kayaking, rafting), scientific study, existing livestock grazing and fire suppression to protect humans and homes.

The act speaks poetically:

"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape, is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain."

Howard Zahniser, who was passionate about preserving the wilderness for future generations to enjoy, drafted the legislation. It took him eight years, 18 public hearings, 56 drafts, and personally lobbying virtually every member of Congress before the bill was passed - four months after he died of heart failure.

The National Wilderness Preservation System now protects 109.5 million acres (five percent of the land in the U.S.) and is managed by the National Park Service, with assistance from U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife, and the Bureau of Land Management.

With budget cuts, volunteers do a good deal of the work involved in clearing and maintaining trails, which is why ONDA and the other non-profit groups like it are attempting to increase public awareness about the wonders of the wilderness and the challenges of protecting it, and are looking for volunteers.

Campbell showed a video and slideshow about the fascinating desert landscapes of the eastern half of our state from snow-capped peaks to raging rivers flowing through sheer-walled canyons to the vast sagebrush areas and lava flows of our three largest wilderness areas; two of which are protected, one that is still in need.

First up was the Oregon Badlands, a 30,000-acre area located about 16 miles east of Bend along Highway 20. It has a number of remarkable and exciting landforms and geologic features, including an ancient forest with some spectacular 1,000-year-old juniper trees. Most of the wilderness includes the rugged Badlands volcano, which has features of inflated lava, which flows in all directions from the crater. Wildlife includes mule deer, elk, antelope, bobcats and yellow-bellied marmots, falcons and golden eagles. Senator Ron Wyden introduced the Oregon Badlands Wilderness Act in 2008 and President Barack Obama signed it in 2009, permanently protecting this special landscape.

Next was the Whychus-Deschutes Canyon Wilderness area near Crooked River Ranch, which is 18,973 acres that has been managed as the Steelhead Falls Wilderness Study Area. It is widely recognized as one of the best places in Central Oregon to hike, hunt, fish, camp and enjoy low-impact recreational activities. The Middle Deschutes River and Lower Whychus Creek are world-class trout fisheries with an abundance of bull and steelhead trout. The area provides winter range for mule deer and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals.

There are also significant cultural sites, including Native American rock art, cave dwellings, and fire pits to explore.

The third area is two million acres of Owyhee Canyonlands, the largest intact, unprotected stretch of the American West, in far Eastern Oregon with hundreds of miles of wild rapids and scenic rivers. It is home to the largest herd of California bighorn sheep as well as proghorn antelope, Rocky Mountain elk, mule deer, seven species of bats, sage-grouse and songbirds, redband trout, longnose snakes, and pygmy rabbits - not to mention innumerable archaeological and historical sites hidden in the canyons.

ONDA is working with other conservation groups and local residents to identify opportunities for permanent wilderness protection for this remote and wild area.

Visit their website, http://www.ONDA.org, for further information about their work and volunteer opportunities.

Campbell also mentioned that Friends and Neighbors of the Deschutes Canyon Area (FANs) will be holding a community input meeting at The Belfry, 302 E. Main Ave. on Thursday, September 25, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. FANs' board of directors is seeking feedback about the future of the Middle Deschutes and Lower Crooked River and Lower Whychus Creek area to develop its vision for the future to include permanent protection.

Seating is limited; visit www.fansofdeschutes.org to register or call 541-771-FANS (3267) for more information.