What Permanently Protecting the Owyhee Canyonlands Means to Me and the Latino Community in Oregon

By Eddie Melendrez, councilor of the city of Ontario, and community organizer. 

As a child, my family embarked on a journey of constant change, moving from the Pacific Northwest to Texas and then California. With unwavering dedication, my parents worked hard in the fields, picking and cleaning. Despite the lack of recreational activities in nature, their work on the farms and the physically demanding work outdoors nurtured a profound connection to the land and an appreciation of what it provides. This was a lesson I learned as I grew up. 

Amidst all the moving, my fondest memories as a kid are from the time we lived in a small Oregon town called Vale. This town is just 25 minutes from Ontario, which has been my home for the past 20 years and a place where my roots run deep.  

My desire and commitment to serve my community and my passion for outdoor equity and protecting public lands have been influenced by what I experienced when I was growing up and through my volunteering work. 

When I was 18, my boxing coach, Lupe, took me and some kids to Sequoia National Park in California. Despite it being only half an hour from Bakersfield, where I lived at the time, it was my first visit to the park. This experience had a profound impact on me. Seeing the giant Sequoia trees, deer, and even the warning signs about bears in the area was incredibly thrilling. 

I have always had a strong sense of giving back to the community, and in my late 20s, I proactively started working with kids aged 8 to 15 at the Juvenile Department and the homeless youth program in Ontario. I was determined to inspire the next generation to do better. I wanted the youth to experience the same connection to the outdoors that I had with Lupe. As part of this effort, I took the kids to the Owyhee Canyonlands to pick up trash on the trails and walk along the river. For most of them, it was their first time in nature. While these young kids initially resisted the idea of picking up trash, they eventually became passionate advocates against littering and for keeping these green spaces clean. 

One reoccurring message I kept hearing from the youth then was that there was not enough to do in the community. I would listen, and I felt for the kids, but I turned it around and asked them, “So, what are you going to do about it?” Instead of leaving the community, I encouraged them to go to school and become the person in power who can have a seat at the table and create the change they wanted to see.  

Not much later, I was encouraged to run for city council. While I was never involved with politics, I thought about what I had said to the youth I worked with, and I decided it was right for me to take that next step to be part of the change.  

My role as an elected official has been a journey of challenges and rewards. The most fulfilling aspect has been the opportunities it has provided to amplify the voices of my community, particularly people of color, and to advocate for causes I deeply care about.  

I strongly support the Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument proposal. 

My encounter with this land protection campaign happened by chance. I was painting a mural of a very iconic butte at Four Rivers Cultural Center, where a listening session about the Owyhee Canyonlands was about to take place, and I was invited to attend. 

During that event, I heard many folks sharing their personal concerns—how it would impact their businesses, their farms, and so on—but none talked about taking care of the land or protecting it for future generations. The attendants didn't acknowledge the area's Indigenous communities, the land's first caretakers, or talk about the importance of preserving the artifacts and cultural resources that are still there. 

Listening to that conversation really sparked my interest in getting involved and using my voice as a community leader to advocate, not only at home but also in Washington, D.C., for the permanent protection of these incredible public lands of Oregon, which include millions of acres of wilderness and hundreds of miles of rivers and streams.  

Unfortunately, only five percent of the Owyhee Canyonlands is protected, leaving much of this precious landscape vulnerable to various threats, including mining, industrial development, climate change, vandalism, unmanaged recreation and more. These threats underscore the urgent need for increased protection and conservation efforts.   

When I learned about the threats facing the Owyhee Canyonlands, I remembered how, years before, I was at a local event, and some folks were selling Native American artifacts, including some arrowheads, as souvenirs. One of the men said you could still go to the Owyhee, find them on the ground, and take them. At that time, I was younger and didn’t think anything of that comment. Now, I clearly understand how wrong that was.  

The Owyhee Canyonlands, the ancestral lands of the Shoshone, Northern Paiute, and Bannock Tribes, hold a history that spans over 13,000 years. This vast region has countless cultural and sacred sites, and each one deserving of our utmost respect and protection.  

The designation of the Owyhee Canyonlands as a National Monument would not only safeguard our cultural and historical resources but also ensure the preservation of vital watersheds for our communities. Additionally, it would protect the habitats of diverse wildlife, fostering a healthier and more balanced ecosystem for all.  

This protection secures more funding and resources for a region in need and will ensure a balance between safeguarding these lands and ensuring responsible outdoor recreation and tourism.  

Permanently protecting public lands increases outdoor access for all. Outdoor equity is very important to me. Many Latinos in Oregon work out in the fields like my parents did, but they don’t utilize our public lands as others do.  

My personal journey, devoid of outdoor recreation as a child, mirrors that of many youths I worked with. But I envision a future where more people of color, more people who look like us, can experience the benefits of nature. I want to see “us,” enjoying these amazing public lands, such as the Owyhee Canyonlands, which belong to all of us. 

That’s why I am deeply committed to raising my voice and leveraging my current role to bring awareness to environmental issues impacting our community, the importance of outdoor equity, and safeguarding our precious public lands for present and future generations.  

Learn more about the proposal of an Owyhee Canyonlands National Monument and sign our petition to add your name to the growing list of supporters calling for permanent protection.