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Oregon Badlands a "Troubled Treasure"
The Badlands is featured in a recent national report released by the Campaign for America's Wilderness naming the top ten "troubled treasures" worth saving.
Apr 22, 2008Bend,
OR – For almost 30 years, people in the fast-growing Bend area have been
trying to get the Badlands desert just east of the city designated as federal
wilderness. Today, the Badlands figure in a new national report from the Campaign for America's Wilderness,
named as one of the country's top ten "Troubled Treasures" worth
saving. Gena Goodman-Campbell of the Oregon
Natural Desert Association says its charms may not be readily
apparent from State Highway 20, but the area has everything from Native
American pictographs to unique geology.
"There are some really amazing rock formations that are pretty unique to
the area, called inflated lava formations. They create these great 'pressure
ridges,' that you can walk up in and explore. There's also juniper trees that
are over a thousand years old; some of the oldest trees in Oregon are in this
area."
Goodman-Campbell says the Badlands have had their share of problems, from
litter and vandalism to overgrazing. The Bureau of Land Management closed the
area to motorized vehicles three years ago, but she says that's only a start.
"It has had more troubled times, and right now it is doing fairly well and
recovering very well with this motorized closure, but we do have to be
proactive. So that's what we're looking to do, is protect it from development
for future generations."
Goodman-Campbell points out that two-thirds of Oregon is desert, and yet, the
state has only one desert area, the Steens Mountains, designated as wilderness.
She hopes being part of the national report will call new attention to the
solitude and stark beauty of the desert and the importance of protecting it.
According to the report, the U.S. loses 6,000 acres of open space every day.
To view the full report online, visit www.leaveitwild.org.
Chris Thomas, Public News Service - OR
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