Pueblo & Trout Creek Mountains

The Pueblo and Trout Creek Mountains provide significant habitat diversity. Their watersheds include aspen woodlands, grasslands, creeks, wet meadows, and sagebrush-steppe. Many mountain creeks drain to Oregon’s driest spot—the Alvord Basin—providing critical water to a desert landscape that supports plants and animals unique to this portion of  the Great Basin. This dramatic conservation area spans nearly 800 square miles and provides climate-resilient habitat connectivity between more than one million acres of wildlife habitat.

ODLT established one of the largest conservation projects in Oregon by purchasing the 16,645-acre Trout Creek Ranch in the Pueblo and Trout Creek Mountains. This property includes livestock grazing permits on nearly 500,000 acres of public land and helps connect several established conservation areas, including national wildlife refuges and a wilderness area. 

These lands are part of the rich heritage of the Northern Paiutes, support a local ranching community, and are increasingly valued by the public for recreation—including access to the Oregon Desert Trail. While our project goal is to conserve and restore critical habitat, we will only achieve this goal by supporting the unique cultural and economic values of this area.