Engaging Volunteers in
Restoration Work

Sage Brown   Website

To improve habitat resiliency and ecosystem health, ONDA offers volunteer opportunities across Oregon’s high desert. Options include hosted group stewardship trips and independent stewardship projects located in beautiful and iconic central and eastern Oregon locations. We encourage people of all abilities and backgrounds to participate.

Volunteer with ONDA

New trips and projects are announced twice per year, with opportunities available throughout the spring, summer and fall seasons.

Group Stewardship Trips

We lead guided, small group, multi- and single-day stewardship trips in some of Oregon’s most compelling desert landscapes. Led by experienced staff, ONDA’s group trips are a great way to get to know Oregon’s high desert, learn about conservation issues, and contribute to habitat restoration.

Trips are offered at no cost, but we do require a refundable fee to hold your space. No experience is needed to volunteer, and ONDA provides all of the tools and training that volunteers need to complete the restoration work, stay safe and have fun. Participation in group stewardship trips involves varying levels of physical difficulty, and trip work sites are often in remote locations.

Independent Stewardship Projects

ONDA also offers self-guided independent stewardship projects. Designed for volunteers looking to get out on their own and give their desert adventures a higher purpose, these self-directed opportunities support important conservation or restoration objectives. Projects inform landscape protection campaigns, support efforts to enforce conservation laws, and bring restoration needs to light.

Specific assignments, training materials, maps and all of the resources needed to complete the project are provided. Volunteers can complete critical tasks individually, or with their own group, and on their own schedule. Some backcountry experience is suggested for certain projects, while others can be completed by volunteers with little to no experience.

2026 Trips and Projects: Spring and Early Summer

We rate the difficulty of each trip and project on a scale of 1 to 5 to help volunteers select a trip that is the right fit. Each level is described on our trip difficulty ratings page. Find more information on physical requirements on each trip or project page, and be sure to review our Frequently Asked Questions. Please contact Gena Goodman-Campbell (541-330-2638, ext. 306; gena@onda.org), ONDA’s stewardship director, if you need special accommodations or have any questions about participating in a stewardship trip.

To apply for a trip, follow the link to the trip page by clicking on the project title below. After reviewing the trip details, click Apply Now at the bottom of the trip page to reach the application form.

Dates Difficulty Project Title Trip Leader Registration
March 4 2 Clarno Willow Harvest #1 Jefferson Trip Full
March 8 2 Clarno Willow Harvest #2 Jefferson Trip Full
March 11 2 Clarno Willow Harvest #3 Jefferson Trip Full
March 17 2 Deschutes Canyon Fence Removal Gena Waitlist
April 18-20 3 Pine Creek Spring Restoration #1 Gena Waitlist
April 23-26 3 South Fork Crooked River Planting Jefferson Waitlist
May 14-17 5 Twelvemile Creek Fence Construction Jefferson Waitlist
May 28-31 3 Pine Creek Spring Restoration #2 Gena Waitlist
June 13-16 4 Robinson Creek Instream Restoration #1 Jefferson Waitlist
June 25-28 4 Robinson Creek Instream Restoration #2 Jefferson Waitlist

voices

Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member

Helen Harbin, ONDA Board Member

“I connect with Oregon’s high desert through my feet, my eyes, my sense of smell, and all the things I hear. Getting out there is a whole body experience.” Supporting ONDA, Helen says, not only connects her with wild landscapes, but is also a good investment. “I felt like if I gave them $20, they might squeeze $23 out of it.”

voices

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

Durlin Hicock, Alice Elshoff Award winner

“Protecting public land is part of my spiritual being. It’s central to my identity to be in wilderness and to see it protected.” Durlin is proud to protect public lands for future generations, saying, “The highlight of my childhood was our family’s weekend outdoor trips. I look forward to my grandchildren having similar experiences outside in their lifetimes, and it wouldn’t be possible without ONDA.”

voices

Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year

Terry Butler, 2018 Volunteer of the Year

“If I have to pick a favorite place in Oregon’s high desert, it would be Sutton Mountain, but I’m excited about all of the Wilderness Study Areas,” says Terry, adding, “Each is a gem to explore, and I hope they all get protection someday… I love the scale of the physical beauty of the desert.”

Current Projects

Located in the Lower John Day River Basin, the 34,331-acre Pine Creek Conservation Area is owned by the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and managed for the benefit of fish and wildlife, as well as traditional cultural uses. A tributary of the Lower John Day River, Pine Creek, the area’s namesake, is a defining feature of the conservation area. This creek is designated as critical habitat for steelhead, and the surrounding rugged uplands are home to a diversity of birds, animals and native plants.

Learn more about our history of collaboration, and dive into our current projects in this area.

Learn More

Rising from springs amidst central Oregon’s sagebrush sea, the South Fork Crooked River winds through the canyons of the South Fork Wilderness Study Area before joining up with other tributaries to form the main stem of the mighty Crooked River. Historically, these headwaters were home to migratory fish and thousands of beavers that supported a flourishing ecosystem. But heavy agricultural use and the eradication of essential beavers, a keystone species on the landscape, has since reduced habitat quality and left the watershed out of balance.

Learn more about our investment in restoring this area, and dive into our current projects here.

Learn More

Scenes from Past Trips and Projects

Volunteering on an ONDA stewardship trip offers you a whole new perspective on the wonders of Oregon’s high desert.

Up in the predawn light to monitor a sage-grouse lek

Darin Swanson

Lunch breaks with expansive views

Mark Darnell

Seeing the immediate impact of work constructing beaver dam analogues

Learning new skills and working together

Removing obsolete fence to improve wildlife migration corridors and support healthy wildlife populations.

Show Your Love for the High Desert

Order ONDA Volunteer Merch

Looking to showcase your love for Oregon’s high desert by sporting some ONDA gear? Check out the t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats available on our online store.

Online Store

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