Field Guide looks at Badlands

Published 5:00 pm Tuesday, August 7, 2007

The area known as the Bend Badlands was once a well kept secret by the locals, but now the word is getting out about the existence of this 18,000-acre tract of desert just 15 miles from Bend.

The Oregon Public Television program “Oregon Field Guide” will air a show on the area at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 12.

The Bend Badlands aren’t even noticeable to most people driving the highway between Bend and Burns. But just steps off the road, the landscape is filled with slot canyons, lava domes, caves and ancient rock art. It’s an ideal place to hike and explore, but illegal roads are bringing in people who are destroying the natural and man-made treasures located here.

Some concerned ranchers and conservationists hope that more awareness about this special area will help save it, and the show discusses the issues with some of these advocates.