Groundwater in Central Oregon is declining. But it should be an infinite resource. What’s really going on?

The public continues to voice its worry over water use in the high desert. A destination resort authorized for a water use rate of up to 6 million gallons a day continues to generate widespread concern.

In 2021, we reviewed over 2,000 proposed development applications, checking for compliance with environmental and land use laws. This past spring, LandWatch took on one particular case at the Land Use Board of Appeals that stood to set a dangerous precedent for Central Oregon’s rural lands.

Have you ever noticed that, in Oregon, you can immediately tell when you’ve left the city and are in the country? You can picture the edge of town. It’s that invisible boundary where the forest begins, the sagebrush surfaces, or the landscape transforms into rolling farmland. Having nature nearby is one of the very best things about living here.

In 2021, our monitoring and commenting on Forest Service projects got results. The LandWatch legal team succeeded on a lawsuit to keep excessive and illegal logging and roads out of delicate ecosystems in the Ochoco National Forest.

Drought has been the big story resonating throughout Central Oregon this year. The record-breaking heat and dry conditions were devastating for farming families in Jefferson County, many of whom now face a shaky financial future.

Perspective is everything. What brought each of us to Central Oregon, and how long ago, influences how we feel about our expanding communities. How connected or disconnected we are from the efforts to guide and manage that growth affects how we view the change.

Together, we met challenges head-on and stood up for what we love about this place and the people that live here.

There are times when taking action truly helps bring about the future we want to see. Right now, there are two opportunities to do just that for Bend.

Voter-approved transportation projects are starting to happen in Bend’s neighborhoods! Open Houses are great opportunities to help ensure these projects set the bar high on improving safe ways to walk, bike and roll around our city.

Two recently released forest service project plans have caught our eye. The Green Ridge Project and the Klone Management Project both seek to weaken protections for mule deer habitat by reducing deer hiding coverage below 30%.

Mule deer populations in Deschutes County declined an alarming 56% since 2004. This iconic species needs our help before it's too late.

The most significant barrier to mule deer movement across the landscape is highways. However, Wildlife crossings, in the form of highway underpasses and overpasses, have been shown to be highly effective in reducing the wildlife/vehicle collisions that are a major source of mule deer mortality.

Whether you grew up in Central Oregon or just recently moved to the high desert, the effects of population growth are on everyone’s mind. How we respond to the change will define what it is like to experience this landscape for generations to come.

The appeals continue over a proposed destination resort at Cline Buttes near Redmond. Unfortunately, despite the outpouring of public concern in the remand hearing, a hearings officer approved the resort's current development application in October.

We began monitoring the Green Ridge Project near the Metolius Basin in 2017. Now, the current plan preferred by the Sisters’ Ranger District would impact 19,991 acres with thinning and logging throughout the entire project landscape. Take action for the forest today!

Our role as watchdog is to sound the alarm and draw attention to threats to the quality of life of our region and the very land beneath us.

In the 1960s and early 1970s, Oregonians were increasingly troubled by unbridled growth and the urban development sprawling across the state's farmland and forests. In 1973, Governor Tom McCall made an impassioned plea to the Oregon legislature to enact a statewide land use planning program to protect Oregon's threatened agricultural and forest industries.

If you visited a produce stand in Central Oregon this past summer, you likely came across local vegetables, herbs, and seeds grown every year in Jefferson County.

Right now, Oregon is undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime process that has the power to transform our communities and tackle climate change head-on.