Oregon’s high desert is an arid landscape, defined by the scarcity of water. A mere 2% of the high desert is wetland or riparian habitat, and nearly all of the wildlife in the region depend on these oases to survive. While mighty desert rivers like the Owyhee and the John Day are critical pieces of […]
Humans have been harnessing dog power to pull sleds for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years. One of the oldest sleigh runner artifacts in existence, discovered in Finland, dates back to around 9,000 years ago — although whether dogs or humans pulled or pushed the sleigh is still a bone of debate. These ancient sled […]
In late fall, while pronghorn prepare for winter migration and sagebrush lizards enter hibernation, beavers are hard at work. They’re ferrying across waterways, cutting down streamside trees with their teeth and submerging their stock into shallow water. Neither hibernators nor migrators, they’ll subsist off this wet pantry of live wood and green bark until spring […]
Oregon Natural Desert Association’s High Desert Speaker Series this spring covers a variety of topics related to the High Desert. Take a visual tour through the remote Owyhee Canyonlands Region of eastern Oregon. Learn how Indigenous knowledge works with western science to rehabilitate landscapes, and how the High Desert’s geology is expressed through minerals and […]
As remarkable as it sounds, hummingbirds overwinter in Central Oregon. These toughies are Anna’s hummingbirds and are amazingly stout for their 4-4.5-gram size. These green gems have expanded their range into hotter and colder climates over the last 20 years. Yet, they face real trouble in deep freeze, blizzard conditions and icy rain. There are […]
Renowned raptor orthopedic surgeon, Dr. David Scott, former staff veterinarian at the Carolina Raptor Center and author of “Raptor Medicine, Surgery, and Rehabilitation” and other books used in veterinary medicine, recently led a Think Wild staff training in Bend. “Dr. Scott was teaching the team, including myself, how to manage avian orthopedic cases that require […]
“Oh wow – what’s that print?” I have this same reaction numerous times over when encountering animal tracks in the high desert. The “what is it?” aspect is the first and most obvious question to ask upon seeing tracks in dirt, mud or snow. But it’s especially interesting to investigate “why is that here?” and […]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture released an updated version of its Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November, with data provided by Oregon State University’s PRISM (Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model) Climate Group and the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. This map answers the age-old questions for gardeners, landscapers, plant nurseries, and others: What plant zone […]
Revel in the magic of the desert. If you live, work or play amongst the wonderland that is Oregon’s high desert, you understand how truly magical this place is. Amid the blanket of sagebrush stretching to the horizon lies an unseen, diverse world, moving at a pace and scale that transcends human timelines and earthly […]
On a recent field trip to Shevlin Park with Think Wild and Beaver Works Oregon staff, the group learned about the important role of one of nature’s finest dam builders: the American beaver (Castor canadensis). But all has not been rosy for this keystone species. Historical estimates put beaver populations in North America between 60 […]
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