Owyhee Canyonlands brought to Eugene

Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center provided an opportunity for more than 100 folks in Eugene to experience Oregon’s hidden treasure. The event showcased a 3D-illusion art piece, allowing people to visualize the grandeur of standing on the rim. Three experts from diverse backgrounds shared their insights, and an action center enabled attendees to take action joining the coalition’s call for a the creation of the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument. Additionally, event co-sponsors rewarded a few lucky explorers with new outdoor gear and signed copies of our expert explorers’ books.

Experts featured at the event included Sammy Castonguay; William L. Sullivan; and Bonnie Olin. Sammy is a conservation geologist, a founding board member of Friends of the Owyhee and a professor at Lane Community College and the University of Oregon and he took explorers on a journey through time by digging into the geology of the Owyhee. William is an author of more than 20 hiking guides and he took explorers on 3 virtual hikes, highlighting some of the best (and worst) parts of the Owyhee. Bonnie is a fourth generation Oregonian and the author of the Owyhee River Journals and she took people on a trip — through video and pictures — down the lower Owyhee river. 

Here’s some of what these experts had to share:

“The geodiversity of the Owyhee watershed records a remarkable history of the tectono-volcanic events of the western US through the last quarter of a million years, and that is inextricably linked to its inhabitants – plant, animal, and human – as well as its future.” — Sammy Castonguay

“I’ve hiked every trail in Oregon, but some of my favorite hikes are trailless walks in the Owyhee Country — to the colorful badlands of Chalk Basin and the hot springs waterfall at Three Forks.” — William L. Sullivan

“A trip into the Owyhee still allows you to feel like you are the first and only person to have set foot there. It is here that it is still possible to ‘unplug’ completely from the modern world…. But you will not find yourself there, on the way to anywhere else.” — Bonnie Olin

The Owyhee Canyonlands, with its vibrant canyons, vast expanses of sagebrush, and the meandering Owyhee River, represent the largest remaining conservation opportunity in the American West. This distinctive landscape is a treasure we can protect for future generations. Our campaign aims to introduce more people to the Owyhee while garnering support from our senators and the president to advocate for the establishment of the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument.

Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center organized this event along with cosponsors including the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Owyhee, OSPIRG Students, Wildcraft Cider Works and REI, as part of the Protect the Owyhee Canyonlands coalition.