Owyhee Canyonlands

Why should it be a National Park?

The Owyhee Canyonlands is the largest uninterrupted and substantial natural wonder in the United States that is not currently a National Park. Depending on how you measure it, the Owyhee Desert is between 1.2 and 6 million-acres of majestic scenery around the border of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. The landforms defining the region make it nearly impossible to utilize for any purpose or activity, other than outdoor recreation. This makes it the largest region of the contiguous U.S. without cities, roads, industry, or even basic access.

At present, the few people who call the area home are mostly ranchers and farmers who revel in their isolation as well as their hard-working and slow-paced lifestyles. Therefore, it is easy to see why a new National Park in their backyard does not appeal to them. However, the influx of new policies allowing lands such as these to be utilized for the extraction of natural resources opens up the land to destruction. It begs the question, would these communities be better served by preserving them as the scenic and geologic wonder? Both scenarios would bring in outsiders and their money, but only one would preserve this vast and impressive environment largely as it is.