The Owyhee Canyonlands are in remote southeastern Oregon and include Leslie Gulch Tuff, which is rhyolite ash that erupted 15.5 million years ago. (Bob Bush/Getty Images)
A proposal to protect the Owyhee Canyonlands in southeast Oregon did not make it through Congress at the end of the year but members of Oregon’s delegation said they’ll try anew in 2025.
The proposed Malheur Community Empowerment for the Owyhee Act would have put more than 1.1 million acres of federal public land in the canyonlands and a 15-mile stretch of the Owyhee River under the protection of the National Wilderness Preservation System and the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The bill also would have transferred 30,000 acres of federal and private land into a trust overseen by the Burns Paiute Tribe.
The canyonlands have significant health, economic and cultural value to the Northern Paiute, Bannock and Shoshone tribes. They are a source of tourism dollars in Malheur County and are home to threatened sage grouse, as well as bighorn sheep, elk and deer. The animals and their habitats face growing risks from wildfire due to invasive grasses and juniper while Owyhee River fish face challenges from poorly preserved riparian areas and cattle grazing.