Wild and Unprotected
Protect Oregon's critical desert waterways
In Oregon’s high desert, water is life. Rivers, streams, creeks and lakes are critical to everything Oregonians value about desert public lands, from fish and wildlife to recreation and clean drinking water.
Antelope Creek | Photo: Mike Quigley
Protecting Desert Rivers
On February 3, 2021, Senator Wyden and Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the River Democracy Act of 2021, which would protect hundreds of miles of rivers and creeks in Oregon’s high desert.
This momentous legislation originated from a grassroots process led by Senator Wyden. In autumn 2019, he invited Oregonians to help make our state the national leader in waterways protected under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act by nominating rivers, streams, creeks and lakes to include in statewide legislation.
Oregonians responded overwhelmingly to Senator Wyden’s request for Wild and Scenic nominations, with 2,200 people proposing more than 4,000 miles of rivers, creeks and other eligible waterways throughout Oregon. The ONDA community submitted more than a thousand of those nominations for Oregon’s high desert, including the rivers and creeks highlighted below.
Oregonians speak up for desert rivers
"While these stalwart mountain fissures care not for our honoring them, all of us see nobility in these short powerful expressions of all that water means to life."
Julie Weikel, Princeton, nominating streams in the Pueblo Mountains
Succor Creek | Photo: Sean Bagshaw
Desert Rivers Revealed
Take a journey to the desert to learn about the critical values of proposed Wild and Scenic Rivers in four key areas of Oregon's desert, and hear what moved Oregonians to nominate them for protection.
Steens Mountain: Eastside Creeks
Known by the Northern Paiute as Tse’tse’ede, the Steens is both a historic homeland and an unparalleled treasure in Oregon’s high desert.
From the eastside of the precipitous, rugged ridge of Steens Mountain, wild creeks rush down steep and rocky canyons to the placid Alvord Desert.
This stunning landscape of contrasts is home to many rare and threatened species of fish and wildlife, including Lahontan cutthroat trout, bighorn sheep, sage-grouse, and golden eagles.
Steens Mountain from Alvord Playa Photo: Sean Bagshaw
Lahontan cutthroat trout, a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, are uniquely adapted to live in desert streams like Cottonwood Creek.
Photo: Mark Darnell
Take a virtual tour of East Steens Mountain streams nominated for Wild and Scenic River protection | Video: Mark Darnell
Central Oregon: Whychus Creek and South Fork Crooked River
Protecting wild rivers is especially critical in the rapidly growing region of Central Oregon.
Whychus Creek and the South Fork of the Crooked River provide some of the best backcountry recreation opportunities in Oregon’s high desert, and are key habitat for threatened fish like bull trout, steelhead, salmon and redband trout.
The name Whychus means “the place we cross the water” in Sahaptin, the language of the Warm Springs and other Columbia Plateau Tribes.
For millenia, the Chinookan, Sahaptin, Northern Paiute, and Molala peoples have visited Whychus Creek to fish, hunt and gather roots.
Photo: Annette McRay
Whychus Creek plays a significant role in the lives of Central Oregonians as a source of clean water, recreation, replenishment and healing. With salmon and steelhead returning to the Upper Deschutes Watershed for the first time in over a generation, Lower Whychus Creek provides critical spawning habitat and hope for a healthier future.
Photo: Samuel Wilson
Oregonians speak up for desert rivers
"My favorite spot on earth is the lower Whychus Creek Canyon from Alder Springs to its confluence with the Wild and Scenic Middle Deschutes. I've hiked, camped, fished, and kayaked here since I could do any of these things, just like my parents and grandparents. I've seen many river miles over the past 20 years as a river guide, and Whychus Creek stands out as one of the most astonishing and surprisingly wild stretches out there."
Timothy Freeman, Terrebonne
Whychus-Deschutes Confluence | Photo: Gena Goodman-Campbell
The South Fork Crooked River provides critical habitat for redband trout and other fish and wildlife native to Oregon’s high desert.
Since 2015, ONDA volunteers have planted over 20,000 trees and contributed thousands of hours restoring habitat on the South Fork Crooked River.
Photo: Gena Goodman-Campbell
Thanks to these successful restoration projects, redband trout populations have rebounded and beaver are returning to restored sections of the river. Wild and Scenic designation for the South Fork Crooked River would protect these gains and help continue to improve the ecological health of this critical desert river.
Photo: Aaron Tani
Listen to sounds from the South Fork Crooked River recorded by John Hartog on an ONDA stewardship trip.
John Day: North Fork John Day River
Absent of dams and among the longest free-flowing rivers in the nation, the John Day River provides unparalleled habitat for wild steelhead, Chinook salmon, bull trout, westslope cutthroat trout, and redband trout.
Salmon and steelhead still run all the way up the mainstem John Day River deep into northeastern Oregon to spawn in the North Fork John Day and its tributaries.
Wild and Scenic River protection for these spawning streams will ensure they remain free-flowing and dam-free forever, which is critical to the survival of salmon and steelhead in an era of climate change.
Confluence of the Middle and North Forks of the John Day | Photo: Greg Burke
Oregonians speak up for desert rivers
"From fly fishing and float trips on the Middle Fork, North Fork, and Mainstem of the John Day River, to hiking and backpacking the trails of Eastern Oregon’s wilderness areas and national forests, we and our family members love the solitude, scenery and wildlife encounters to be found here. At this time only a few waterways in northeastern Oregon are covered with a Wild and Scenic designation, while many more rivers and streams on public lands are deserving of this protection."
Jim and Jared Kennedy, Portland
Photo: Greg Burke
Owyhee Canyonlands: Trout Creek and Oregon Canyon Mountains
Deep in the southeast corner of Oregon, the rugged Trout Creek and Oregon Canyon Mountains contain dozens of wild streams that provide critical habitat for rare and sensitive species.
Only a handful of genetically-pure strains of native trout remain in the Pacific Northwest. One of them, the Whitehorse cutthroat trout, lives only in Whitehorse Creek and other small streams in the Trout Creek and Oregon Canyon Mountains.
With abundant water and healthy native plants, this region is home to many birds and animals, and is one of the last strongholds for Greater sage-grouse.
Cinnamon Teals on Willow Creek Photo: Gary Calicott
Oregonians speak up for desert rivers
"I would like to especially nominate streams and rivers east of the Cascades that are near and dear to my family for a variety of reasons including providing fishing, hunting, camping and outdoor recreation on these federal public lands. Many of the rivers and streams are also critical for the protection of several species that are state or federally sensitive or listed under the Endangered Species Act and are even more in peril with climate change. My family has spent decades in central and southeast Oregon exploring these many rivers and streams and now our son, in turn, is sharing these places and experiences with his future wife."
Amy Stuart, Prineville, nominating streams in the Trout Creek and Oregon Canyon Mountains
Big Trout Creek | Photo: Gary Calicott
Take a virtual tour of critical streams in the Oregon Canyon Mountains | Video: Mark Darnell
Take Action
You can protect these remarkable desert waters by thanking Senators Wyden and Merkley for introducing the River Democracy Act and encouraging them to keep fighting for these vital rivers and creeks.
Thank Your Senators for Protecting Wild and Scenic Rivers!
