BEND, OR    July 16, 2004

The Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) submitted over 1,000 petition signatures and over 200 postcards and personal letters this morning to the Bend offices of Senators Wyden, Smith and Representative Walden asking them to support designating the Badlands as wilderness. Signatures were collected from all areas of Oregon with the majority coming from Deschutes County. 

“Support for Badlands is broad-based and growing,” said Bill Marlett, Executive Director of ONDA. “It seems clear that the public wants to see Badlands permanently protected as wilderness.”

The proposed Badlands Wilderness area, encompassing 37,000 acres of high desert just 20 miles east of Bend, offers unique lava formations, 1,000-year-old juniper trees, fantastic floral blooms, and year-round recreational opportunities.  The campaign has been ongoing for over two decades and is supported by over 100 local businesses and a number of local recreation and conservation groups, including the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (Bend’s mountain biking club), the Bend Chapter of the Oregon Hunter’s Association, and the Juniper Group of the Sierra Club.

This is just the latest in news showing local support for the proposed wilderness area.  A recent poll released by Grove Insight showed that a strong majority of Deschutes County voters favor the creation of a Badlands Wilderness.  After explaining the proposal in a format that describes restrictions placed upon the land as a result of passage of a wilderness designation, 57 percent of voters support the proposal (49 percent strongly favor), while less than three in ten (29 percent) oppose. (View poll results at: www.onda.org/badlands).

This poll shows a marked increase in local support and decline in opposition over the past two years. A similar poll, conducted in 2002, showed that 54 percent of voters approved the creation of a Badlands Wilderness.

Because this wondrous place is becoming prone to illegal garbage dumping, juniper harvesting, and pictograph defacement due to Bend’s population boom, Badlands recently received national recognition in the report, “Wild…for how long? Top twelve treasures in trouble” published by Campaign for America’s Wilderness.  

“With pressure from Bend’s endless growth, we can expect to see further loss of our open space and non-motorized recreation opportunities,” stated Marlett.  “Senators Wyden, Smith and Representative Walden need to make this a priority before it’s too late.”