THE TIME IS NOW
DEAR PRESIDENT BIDEN AND SENATORS WYDEN AND MERKLEY,
Oregonians from all corners of the state are calling for protection of the Owyhee Canyonlands.
Senators, you are champions of the Owyhee, having repeatedly introduced legislation that would guarantee permanent protection.
The Owyhee cannot wait any longer.
Only 5% of the Owyhee Canyonlands is permanently protected, and the threats of industrial development and climate change are clawing at its edges.
If Congress won’t act, then we’re urging you to work together to establish an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument before the end of 2024.
Only permanent protection can secure the future of the Owyhee for generations to come. That is why many conservationists, hunters, recreationists, tribal members, and others are joining together in support of an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument.
Let’s seize this opportunity to protect an iconic natural treasure — before it’s too late.
Show your support for Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument
A NATIONAL TREASURE
WORTHY OF PERMANENT PROTECTION
Owyhee Canyonlands is a place like no other, with millions of acres of deep, rugged canyons, rolling sagebrush grasslands, and rushing rivers.
Photo: Devin Dahlgren
The Owyhee is home to some of the darkest night skies in the country.
Photo: John Aylward
Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands is the largest conservation opportunity in the American West.
Photo: Devin Dahlgren
Oregon has already lost 200,000 football fields’ worth of open land to development and other human factors.
Photo: Tyson Fisher
Oregon ranks near last among other Western states in terms of public land protected in the last decade.
Photo: Tyson Fisher
Nearly 80% of Oregonians want the Owyhee Canyonlands protected. What are we waiting for?
Photo: John Aylward
EXPERIENCE THE OWYHEE
OWYHEE IN THE NEWS
Protecting the Wild, Vast Owyhee Canyonlands
Kate and Aaron are joined by Tim Davis, founder and executive director of Friends of the Owyhee, and Karly Foster, campaign manager at the Oregon Natural Desert Association, to talk about how we can better protect the Owyhee Canyonlands. The Owyhee Canyonlands span from southeast Oregon into southwest Idaho, and it is one of the most remote, intact landscapes in the Western U.S. Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon is running a bill that would help balance extractive uses and conservation in the landscape, and the coalition working to protect the Owyhee just launched a campaign asking President Joe Biden to designate the region as a monument, as well.
Readers Respond: Protect Owyhee Canyonlands in Oregon
Oregon has a fairly secret national treasure in the southeastern part of our state: the Owyhee Canyonlands, also known as Oregon’s Grand Canyon. Remoteness has protected the canyonlands, but only until now. Key portions of the Owyhee have been designated by a coalition of ranchers, recreationalists, tribal members, local officials and others as needing full protection, either through the Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden or by becoming a national monument.
Opinion: Owyhee Canyonlands May Be Many Miles Away, but They Deserve Our Attention
Although miles away from the Portland metro area, the ecological, recreational and cultural importance of the Owyhee is a concern for all Oregonians. Development pressures from mining, proposed infrastructure projects, and climate change represent urgent threats to the long-term health of the region. The Owyhee is too valuable to lease away to those who see it as a chance for profit. The time is now to ensure this treasure receives the protection it urgently needs.
Monument Protection Sought for Owyhee Canyonlands
National monument protection is needed in the Owyhee Canyonlands of southeastern Oregon, conservation groups say. The Protect the Owyhee Canyonlands campaign, announced Sept. 6, calls for President Joe Biden’s administration to make the designation by the end of 2024, because “with threats to the land only growing, the Owyhee cannot wait any longer,” according to a news release.
Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument Campaign Launches
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 6, 2023 CONTACT Owyhee@WeAreRALLY.com Campaign calls on President Joe Biden to work with Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley to permanently protect Oregon’s Owyhee Canyonlands Ontario, OR — A new campaign, Protect the Owyhee Canyonlands, launched today calling for the Owyhee’s permanent protection before the end of 2024. Founding campaign […]
Explore the Magical Owyhee Canyonlands in Eastern Oregon
The Owyhee Canyonlands is a place that radiates with magic. Here, ancient lava rock erodes into honeycombs and lush sagebrush blooms from gnarled branches. Rattlesnakes, badgers, grouse and antelope thrive in the unforgiving landscape, often hidden away from human eyes. Hiking, boating or driving through this landscape is a humbling experience. Towering cathedrals of red rock rise triumphantly from the earth, either dwarfing the humans who stand beneath them or fascinating us with their many forms: spires like fingers emerging from the ground, sheer cliff walls, great blobs of eroded mountains.
SUPPORTED BY
Tell President Biden and Oregon’s Senators you support an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument
Together, we can secure the future of the Owyhee Canyonlands — before it’s too late.