When Katya Spiecker walked into the offices of the Oregon Natural Desert Association [1] (ONDA) earlier this year, she probably didn't imagine that in a few short months she would take a leading role in the effort to protect Central Oregon's Badlands as wilderness. The Badlands, located just 15 miles east of Bend, is a 30,000-acre area containing fascinating lava flows and ancient junipers. This area was named for its harsh terrain and fantastic rock formations. Within this landscape, one can find incredible displays of desert wildflowers, dry river canyons, castle-like rock formations, and Native American pictographs. Volunteers in Oregon have been working for over a decade to protect the Badlands as wilderness. And for the past three months, Katya has been a stalwart volunteer with ONDA, as the group works with Oregon's Senator Ron Wyden to protect this unique area. She has phone banked, attended meetings, collected letters at Bend's Art Hop and other events, and helped organize the recent Badlands Brewery Crawl [2] where hundreds of Central Oregonians turned out at local breweries in Bend to show their support for designating the Oregon's Badlands as wilderness.
A native of the Bend area, Katya has lived most of her life in Alfalfa -- very close to the Badlands. "I grew up in the desert near Bureau of Land Management land and I could explore wherever I wanted." This proximity to the Badlands' unique petroglyphs, lava outcroppings and shield volcanoes helped lay the foundation of Katya's love and respect of the deserts of central Oregon and her recognition of the need to protect these places. She is captivated by the desert's unique beauty, including old growth junipers, which date back thousands of years. Katya wants to spread the word about this special place in Central Oregon, and hopes that will help ensure its protection for future generations.
"As I grew up, it was so easy to recognize and appreciate the natural world," says Katya, who as a child took hikes and backpacking trips into the wilderness with her parents. "We were able to observe what was there, explore, and be curious--just like all kids are." Now, as a recent college graduate with a degree in Environmental Science, Katya is frustrated that people are treating the desert as a wasteland. "I've never thought of it like that, and because it's unique, it needs to be protected for future generations."
Before Katya began volunteering with ONDA she worked for most of 2007 in Germany at an organic farm. Last year, armed with her degree, she decided to learn more about her German heritage and traveled there to volunteer with World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), which turned out to be a great experience. "I appreciated volunteering before, but doing it for an entire year made me appreciate it so much more. Volunteering makes the world go round. There are so many groups who don't have the resources to do what they want to do, and volunteering is so important."
Katya was familiar with the Badlands before she left for Germany and knew that ONDA had been working for years to protect this special place. When she moved back to Bend she decided to get more connected with her community, put roots down, and become more involved in the efforts to protect the Badlands.
Stopping by the ONDA office, she was immediately inspired by the energy and enthusiasm of its local staff and staff from Green Corps [3] -- a field school for environmental organizers. Green Corp organizers worked temporarily in Bend to help ONDA build support and raise awareness for the campaign. "Ruth, (one of the Green Corps Organizers) was always giving me opportunities to do more," Katya says. "I haven't really volunteered like this before and if I didn't have someone directing me I wouldn't have learned as much and wouldn't have gotten as involved as I did." From starting out phone banking, Katya began going to meetings and was asked to start talking to local residents about the need to protect the Badlands.
When the Green Corps organizers ended their work on the campaign they asked Katya to continue as a dedicated volunteer to organize events, generate support from businesses, and collect comments in support of Badlands wilderness. "I am really excited about the work we are doing and what we need to do to keep this campaign going, and volunteering at this level has been a very liberating and empowering experience," she says.
Katya continues to connect with ONDA members and talk to local residents about the campaign, and has seen the level of excitement and involvement increase. "We are building a community here that is working to permanently protect this special place for future generations. Thinking that you can contribute to something so concrete and permanent makes you feel great about yourself and the work you are doing." Although the work is challenging, she is heartened that as long as people have a connection to a place it is easier to get them involved. "I will commit as much time as I can because I want this place protected."
Katya wants people to think about the future. "Wilderness is of course about the land, the ecosystem, wildlife, and their habitat. But it is also about kids." She sees wilderness as a great resource for teachers, educators and other non-profits. "We need to get kids out more so they have a sense of place, feel they belong, and feel passionate about it."