In ‘Oregon’s Outback,’ Federal Plan Has Big Implications for Nature and People
By protecting habitat, Bureau of Land Management would also bolster state’s thriving outdoor recreation economy
Oregon’s Outback, a rugged region in the state’s southeast, features large swaths of intact sagebrush, high-desert lakes, and rocky outcroppings, including the largest exposed fault scarp in North America and the largest certified dark sky sanctuary in the world. The area provides habitat for an array of species—migratory tundra swans and sandhill cranes, along with snowy plover, pronghorn, mule deer, the iconic greater sage-grouse, and more. The Outback is also a major draw for outdoor recreation.
The federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) oversees 3.2 million acres of the Outback in BLM’s Lakeview District, and on June 7, the agency released a draft Resource Management Plan Amendment for how it will manage the Lakeview District—which is nearly the size of Connecticut—for decades to come.
The plan, which is open for public comment through Sept. 5, has six management alternatives with varying degrees of conservation measures. Unfortunately, the BLM’s preferred management alternative is only moderately conservation-focused and would leave a significant portion of the district vulnerable to development and other threats. But the agency has the opportunity to draw from other management alternatives to improve the plan before finalizing it.
Here are five reasons why the BLM should adopt strong conservation measures in its final plan for the Lakeview District:
1. Conserve wildlife habitat.
The planning area includes part of the Greater Hart-Sheldon region, which straddles the Oregon-Nevada border. The area includes a 1.76-million-acre migratory corridor for pronghorn, which is part of the one of the longest pronghorn migration paths in North America. It is also one of the six most important habitat strongholds remaining for greater sage-grouse in the West and provides habitat connectivity for hundreds of species of migratory birds traversing the Pacific Flyway.
2. Mitigate climate change.
Lake and Harney counties, where the Lakeview planning area is located, are among the fastest warming counties in the country. Yet studies show that because this landscape contains large, intact swaths of habitat, it ranks high for climate resilience, which contributes to species’ ability to adapt to a changing climate. Conserving this intact landscape would help sustain that resilience and maintain habitat connectivity for sage-grouse and other wildlife.
3. Protect cultural resources.
The Lakeview planning area lies within the homelands for the Yahooskin and Northern Paiute, whose ancestors lived along the shores of lakes at the base of Hart Mountain, Abert Rim, and Winter Ridge. Tribes, including the Burns Paiute Tribe, Klamath Tribes, and the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs, continue to maintain connections to this landscape today.
4. Boost rural economy.
Oregon’s Outback is a popular destination for hiking, camping, wildlife viewing, and hunting and fishing. The Outback Scenic Byway runs through the area, providing motorists with sweeping views of the sagebrush sea and often snow-capped mountains. In Lake County, outdoor recreation contributed $22 million to the state’s GDP in 2021, generating $32 million in wages that supported 1,400 jobs.
5. Minimize light pollution in the world’s largest dark sky sanctuary.
Recently, the nonprofit DarkSky International named a large portion of the Lakeview planning area as the largest dark sky sanctuary in the world. Local astronomers have long favored this region for observing the night sky, including meteor showers and comets, or to simply stargaze.
Given the Lakeview District’s biodiversity, abundant wildlife habitat, outdoor recreational opportunities, and intact landscapes, the BLM should follow the science and seek to maximize conservation measures in the agency’s final plan. Doing so would be a win for nature, people, and Oregon’s economy, including by helping the state improve its resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Brett Swift is a senior manager and Laurel Williams is a manager with the U.S. Conservation project.
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