It’s been described as “otherworldly” by many, and the rolling red hills and precariously stacked rock and land formations that define this area of Oregon do look like something captured by NASA.

If the John Day could talk, it’d have a lot to say. History is written on its walls and under its dirt. Evidence of the past has been revealed and questions answered through the discovery of bone from human and animal, art and fossil in this Earth-side Mars lookalike. But while so much has changed about who and what has called this basin home over centuries, the mighty, free-flowing river running through one of Oregon’s largest watersheds continues to play a critical role for agriculture, wildlife and recreation in the eastern part of the state.

The John Day has been an area of focus for The Freshwater Trust since the early 2000s. We’re focused on financially compensating rural landowners for not irrigating during critical times of year for native fish species. In 2018, we are expected to do four new deals in this river basin, protecting nearly 17,000 gallons of water per minute.

Check out the following Storymap to walk through what makes this basin – and our work to save it – unique.

Go here to walk through the Storymap in a browser.

 

May 2, 2018

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#instream flow    #irrigation    #John Day River Basin    #water leasing    

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