There is broad agreement across Oregon that the unique Owyhee Canyonlands area needs protection from development, mining and other threats. However, thus far there is no final agreement on the timing and form of the protections. A similar predicament threatened the protection of the Steens Mountains 24 years ago – and provides a blueprint for how to resolve the impasse.

Oregon has a fairly secret national treasure in the southeastern part of our state: the Owyhee Canyonlands, also known as Oregon’s Grand Canyon. Remoteness has protected the canyonlands, but only until now. Key portions of the Owyhee have been designated by a coalition of ranchers, recreationalists, tribal members, local officials and others as needing full protection, either through the Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act introduced by Sen. Ron Wyden or by becoming a national monument.

The Owyhee Canyonlands is a place that radiates with magic. Here, ancient lava rock erodes into honeycombs and lush sagebrush blooms from gnarled branches. Rattlesnakes, badgers, grouse and antelope thrive in the unforgiving landscape, often hidden away from human eyes. Hiking, boating or driving through this landscape is a humbling experience. Towering cathedrals of red rock rise triumphantly from the earth, either dwarfing the humans who stand beneath them or fascinating us with their many forms: spires like fingers emerging from the ground, sheer cliff walls, great blobs of eroded mountains.