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 rocks that connect the past to the present.
"ONDA loves bringing the sights, sounds and science of the high desert to people in Oregon, across the West and beyond," said Claire Cekander, ONDA's donor relations manager. "Come to these talks and you'll gain a deeper sense of connection to a vast, fragile and starkly beautiful place."
The High Desert Speaker Series kicked off Jan. 23 with a Zoom presentation entitled "Dive into the Hive: Explore the World of High Desert Bees." Presenter Lincoln Best, faculty research assistant at Oregon State University Cooperative Extension, teaches the Oregon Native Bee School's Intermediate and Advanced courses for the Master Melittologist (entomologist specializing in the study of bees) program and the Oregon Bee Atlas project.
On Feb. 8, ONDA board members Elisa Cheng and Natasha Bellis will share their sojourn down the Owyhee River, a landscape rich in human culture and history which supports an array of wildlife and plant species. The Owyhee Canyonlands Region is a key focal point for ONDA and other groups, and offers intriguing conservation opportunities that Karly Foster, ONDA's campaign manager, will address with ONDA's advocacy initiatives during "A Journey Through the Owyhee Canyonlands."
The March 19 presentation, "Cultivating Partnerships: Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Science in Land Stewardship," will be live at the Tower Theatre in Bend. Dr. Cristina Eisenberg, associate dean for Inclusive Excellence, and Maybelle Clark Macdonald, director of Tribal Initiatives in Natural Resources at Oregon State University, will focus on several long-term ecological restoration projects that connect Indigenous Knowledge with western science to influence ecocultural restoration practices on impacted landscapes.
Joining Dr. Eisenberg will be Gena Goodman-Campbell, ONDA's stewardship director, who will focus on conservation projects using traditional ecological knowledge as a framework with local tribes in eastern Oregon.
The April 11 event will take place in Portland at the Hollywood Theater and costs $10. Alison Jean Cole will present "Tracing Geological History Through Rocks and Minerals in Oregon's Desert."
"I'll be speaking about how rocks, minerals, and fossils in the Oregon deserts reveal extraordinary stories about the history of this land, from its origins as a new continent to evidence of its earliest peoples," said Cole, author, rockhound, and lapidary artist. When asked how do rocks and minerals bring the story of geology alive, Cole responds, "By sitting on the surface!"
"Erosion is both heavy-handed and fickle. Some rocks are difficult to move and others are quite vulnerable. Thus, we have such a variation in geology at the surface," said Cole. "In a one-mile stretch of a canyon outside Mitchell, there are outcrops of 270-million-year-old limestone up against 120-million-year-old river rocks, and those are shoved up against 30-million-year-old deposits of volcanic ash. The rocks look dramatically different from one another, yet here they are, tucked tightly together. It forces the mind to wonder, 'what happened here?'"
Cole's first book, "Beautiful Rocks & How to Find Them" (Princeton Architectural Press), is due for release in March.
"ONDA hopes that attendees will come away with a new sense of appreciation for the high desert ecosystem and public lands conservation as well as a desire to take action and advocate for protecting the wildlife, waterways and landscapes of southeastern Oregon," said Cekander. "Whether you're just beginning to explore what lies east of Bend or you're a seasoned visitor to the high desert, there's sure to be an event that teaches you something new and interesting about the natural wonders of Oregon's sagebrush steppe ecosystem and the importance of landscape conservation."
