Our Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, and Land Acknowledgements
Everyone Belongs on Public Lands
Here at Friends of the Owyhee, we wholeheartedly believe that everyone is allowed to participate responsibly in what the Owyhee has to offer. We’re working to eliminate barriers that hinder access to the Owyhee as well as honor the different ways people engage with this incredible landscape.
The youth of our organization is a unique opportunity: it acts as a blank canvas, waiting for us to paint a picture of the type of organization we want to see. We are determined to create our Owyhee community from a place of justice, equity, and inclusion. In diversity, there is strength, and that strength allows for progress toward a better future. Public lands belong to all of us—regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, physical ability, religious affiliation, immigration status, or veteran status. We have plenty of room to grow when it comes to justice, equity, and inclusion, and we are committed to that growth.
Recognizing & Respecting Tribal Nations
We are based in Ontario, OR, which is traditionally Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla land. Our work takes place on land that what we know as Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada, but that the Shoshone-Bannock people and Numu (Northern Pauite) people know as their ancestral home. We recognize and respect the relationship that these peoples and nations had and continue to have with this beautiful land.
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Land acknowledgments are an important first step in the journey toward reparations for the Tribal Nations of this country that have historically not been treated with the dignity and respect that all lives deserve. We begin each event with a land acknowledgment as part of our efforts to be better stewards and advocates for this landscape. We recommend that you do the same.
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If you don't know whose land you are on, we encourage you to look it up on Native Land Digital. We also encourage you to conduct a verbal land acknowledgment when you interact with the land in any way. If you're not sure how to do a land acknowledgment or why you should do one, we recommend this resource by the Native Governance Center.