(Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area | Photo by Brent Fenty)
“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Teddy Roosevelt
Oregon Desert Land Trust (ODLT) is offering a chance to permanently conserve an acre of land within the Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area through a unique partnership with conserve.org. This conservation effort launches in time for the holiday season on December 19, 2019. For $46 an acre, anyone can contribute to the permanent conservation of this area that is home to wildlife such as bighorn sheep and migratory birds.
Supporters can view the 360-degree photos of each acre at conserve.org, select an acre and then make a donation to protect an acre in their own name or someone else’s name. Donors and gift recipients receive additional information about the natural values of the property and the latitude and longitude of the acre to visit if desired. This new initiative is a convenient way to do permanent good and protect important wildlands and wildlife habitat.
Each donation is matched four-fold. At $46 per acre, the donor is paying one-quarter of the acre’s cost, triggering matching funds from ODLT and Global Wildlife Conservation, for a total purchase cost of $182 per acre. ODLT is covering all legal, management and administration costs and conserve.org is paying for credit card fees. All funds from donations made through conserve.org go directly to purchasing the land.
About Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area
The Diablo Mountain Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is one of the largest WSAs in the United States, spanning 118,794 acres, and is located about an hour southeast of Bend. It is contiguous with the 20,092-acre Summer Lake Wildlife Area. The topography of this area varies from salt flats in the west to steep escarpments in the east and is home to mule deer and one of the largest flocks of snow geese in the United States. It is also home to significant cultural history including the Paisley Cave, one of the oldest studied prehistoric sites in North America.
The area surrounding the properties was designated as a Wilderness Study Area (WSA) by Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and formally recommended to Congress as “Wilderness” in 1989. The BLM’s recommendation notes “strong public support expressed for preservation of the area’s high value for solitude, preservation of habitat for species such as bighorn sheep and snowy plover, and primitive and unconfined recreation in the form of hiking, photography, nature study and camping.”
The Area for Conservation
The lands being purchased by the Oregon Desert Land Trust run adjacent to a particularly scenic portion of the 750-mile long Oregon Desert Trail. Nearby natural artesian springs, which create a series of wet meadows and ponds important for local wildlife, could be integrated into the trail’s route to an important source of water for thru-hikers in a relatively long and dry stretch of the trail.
Oregon Desert Land Trust and its partners have worked over the past several years with local landowners to consolidate public ownership via the acquisition of key private inholdings in this region. After much work and negotiation, ODLT has moved forward with the acquisition of two private inholdings totaling 880 acres within the Diablo Mountain WSA. The 360 acres featured on conserve.org are part of this larger conservation acquisition effort. Securing these inholdings furthers restoration and conservation efforts in the region and facilitates access to the parcels and surrounding public lands.
