South Eastern Desert
Harney and Malheur Counties
This area covers about one fifth of the state of Oregon, but has only a fraction of the population of the state, unless you count the livestock. The human population is crowded up against the Idaho border in the Ontario area and relates to the Boise metropolitan area. That leaves a huge area for ranchers, livestock, and a handful of small towns. Surprisingly lakes and rivers play a large role in this high desert region. Lakes Malheur and Harney are major waterfowl areas and the Owyhee reservoir, stretching for 50 miles along the Owyhee river is loaded with fish.