Advocating for a Safe Climate, Complete Communities, and Healthy Environment in Difficult Times

An Unreality

In the first month of the new administration in Washington, D.C., environmental advocates have faced a maelstrom — executive orders and policy reversals that threaten the foundations of environmental protection and community well-being.

These threats come in addition to unanswered questions about how tariffs and sweeping layoffs will affect our economy and how other dramatic or unprecedented actions will impact our democratic norms. Those broader issues will shape the landscape in which we work but are largely beyond the scope of our mission. Many other groups are addressing those critical national issues; we are grateful for that work.

At Central Oregon LandWatch, we are determined to stay focused on the positive changes we can affect. We are here to defend the land and water of Central Oregon and ensure a livable future for all its residents.

What We Know and What We Don’t Know

While much of LandWatch’s work is immune from changes in federal policy, the executive orders and policy actions most relevant and concerning to LandWatch’s work fall into these categories:

Climate Action Reversal: Pursuing weaker emissions standards, defunding clean energy programs, and withdrawal from climate commitments all come when we have no time to lose.
Reduced Funding for Safe, Affordable Housing: Rollbacks on housing protections and investments, such as the recent suspension of federal grants and loans, make it even harder for working families to find stable, affordable places to live.
Federal Funding Freeze Impacting Infrastructure: Several priority initiatives for LandWatch (e.g., Bend to Suttle Lake Wildlife Passage Initiative, Hawthorne Bridge) will depend on federal funding to be completed. With those funds currently in limbo, there is much uncertainty about how and when those projects will be completed.
Public Lands Under Attack: As expected, we’ve seen the groundwork laid for rollbacks on environmental safeguards and protections for public lands. Additionally, the dramatic cuts to federal agency workforces will leave fewer workers to manage our natural heritage and make communities more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and natural disasters like wildfire.
Marginalizing Individuals and Communities: Ramped-up deportation efforts and rhetoric will threaten livelihoods and families in Central Oregon, where immigrants are an integral part of our culture and our economy. Rollbacks of federal protections and services for transgender individuals and executive orders that dismiss the validity of gender identity and restrict care will negatively affect individuals and families in Central Oregon.
DEI Programs Elimination: Striking DEI programs and initiatives threaten to halt progress on inclusive housing, workforce development, and community engagement — key issues in Central Oregon, where our growing and increasingly diverse population depends on equitable access to opportunity and resources.
Energy Development and Extraction at Any Cost: The likelihood of environmental review processes being ignored and the fast-tracking of extractive industries could threaten Central Oregon’s farmlands and national forests.

As we don’t know which executive orders will withstand legal challenges or what additional federal actions will follow, we are preparing for several scenarios to keep moving our key goals and projects forward. We will work with state and local leaders who are stepping in to ensure Central Oregon remains a place where each individual is welcomed, appreciated, valued, and empowered to thrive.

What We Can Do: Four Key Ways We Will Respond

This is not the time for despair — it is the time for action.

We cannot allow short-sighted policies to dictate the future of our lands and communities, and we will not let go of our commitment to protecting all the qualities essential to preserving a livable future in Central Oregon and beyond.

LandWatch will:

Pursue Legal and Policy Action: We will support and engage in lawsuits, state-level protections, and local ordinances that counteract destructive federal rollbacks.
Build Coalitions: We will partner with regional and national organizations to strengthen collective efforts in climate advocacy and environmental safeguards. We will work with local jurisdictions and partners to be responsive to many possible realities.
Organize Advocates: We will ensure that residents have the tools and knowledge to push for change at the local and state levels. We will mobilize local action to protect natural areas and advocate for responsible land use.
Maintain Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We will work to be an ally to impacted communities and a source of support through these challenging times. Read our statement.

Happening Now

Many states, including Oregon, remain committed to decisive climate actions and sound land-use policies.

State Momentum: At our state legislature, LandWatch is not just holding a line; we are making a concerted push for progress. This session, we are focused on:

Rural land protection, directing development where it belongs, and defending urban growth boundaries so that our communities grow by filling in, not sprawling out, and rural areas continue to support farms, forests, open space, and wildlife habitat.
Complete Communities, with housing and transportation options, services, and amenities that welcome and support people of all income levels.
A new water paradigm, with equitable, efficient water management systems and infrastructure.
Decarbonization strategies that mitigate and adapt to a changing climate, reducing vehicle use and increasing human-powered transportation options and transit
Habitat connectivity, and wildlife-friendly transportation infrastructure.

City Momentum: In early January, LandWatch sent the City of Bend detailed comments urging the city, in its 2025-2027 goal-setting process, to prioritize several actions that will help ensure the future livability of Bend and Central Oregon. As we’ve listened to the City Council's goal-setting discussions thus far, our goals are top of mind for the Councilors, indicating good momentum and support behind our suggested actions. We look forward to keeping these on track.

What You Can Do: Sustain Yourself

LandWatchers, we know you are a committed bunch. By attending meetings, donating to the causes close to you, volunteering, spreading the word about alarming injustices, and being kind to others, you are taking action. That’s excellent! As the activist and songwriter Joan Baez is famous for saying, “Action is the antidote to despair.”

We also know that standing up for the environment in the face of such deliberate attacks will be tiring. Don’t let it become exhausting. Please sustain yourself: continue to go outside, read, write, eat well, exercise, get sleep, and meditate. Endless scrolling can manufacture hopelessness. If you stay mentally and physically healthy, you’ll be in a better place to help those around you. When you see a friend or family member swirling in despair, help them. Go outside together, take action together.

LandWatch’s Action Center will always have opportunities to get involved in local efforts, and our Seasonal Guides will invite you to appreciate Central Oregon’s unique natural environment.