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IN HARNEY COUNTY, WE TALK A LOT ABOUT COLLABORATION—BECAUSE IT WORKS. 

By working together we've found practical ways to tackle some of our community's hardest challenges—restoring forests and wetlands, mitigating wildfire, creating opportunities for youth, and growing our local economy. And we'll continue working together to take on whatever challenges may lie ahead. Learn About High Desert Partnership. 


High Desert Partnership is bringing people TOGETHER to find COMMON GROUND in addressing rural challenges and opportunities.


Partnership News

A healthy snowpack in the Harney Basin benefits not only ranchers and farmers who rely on it to grow hay, but also migrating birds who depend on the flood irrigated wet meadows in the spring as they travel to their northern breeding grounds. Current snowpack numbers put the Harney Basin at a snow water equivalent of 122 percent of normal as of March 3, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.

How does this water journey from the higher mountain elevations surrounding the Harney Basin (uplands) end up in the wet meadows (lowlands) where birds and ranchers benefit? It starts in the Blue Mountains to the north and Steens Mountain to the south.

As of Jan. 23, the Harney Basin snowpack was at 114 percent of normal, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service interactive snow water equivalent map website. While ranchers and researchers have noted that we haven’t had the early snowstorms in November and December as we did last year, this year’s numbers still give reason for locals to be optimistic about the water year.