Ron Wyden Could Ask President Biden to Protect the Owyhee Canyonlands. Why Hasn’t He?

Prominently placed billboards and a flurry of direct-mail pieces are alerting Portlanders to a hot-button Oregon political issue—almost 500 miles away in Malheur County.

The aim of the campaign, however, is to put pressure on sometime-Portland resident, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

“The largest conservation opportunity left in the American West is right here in Oregon,” reads the mailer, with an arrow pointing toward the state’s southeastern corner. “Ask Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley to work with President Biden to create an Owyhee Canyonlands national monument before the end of 2024!”