Central Oregon LandWatch has filed Notices of Intent to Appeal to LUBA, challenging two Deschutes County ordinances amending the county’s comprehensive plan policies on destination resorts and adopting new procedures for amending the county’s destination resort map of land considered to be eligible for destination resorts.

In getting with the modern spirit, and increasing the ways in which we interact with the public, LandWatch has now launched a Facebook page and a Twitter page.

This June, the Bend-based land use advocacy group Central Oregon LandWatch added three new members to its Board of Directors, expanding its board from four to seven.

Economist and former Deschutes County Planning Commissioner Brenda Pace was added along with former Deschutes County Planning Director Catherine Morrow and former State Senator and attorney Charlie Ringo.

Yesterday afternoon, LandWatch learned that the historic campaign to Save the Metolius! was nominated for a prestigious "Wheelie" award by the Oregon Bus Project, an "innovative vehicle for hands-on democracy" dedicated to mobilizing voters and activists from around the state to support progressive causes.

Just a quick note for now, but the Metolius Protection Act has now passed the full Oregon Legislature (31-28) and is on its way to the Governor's desk to be signed into law. A full update will follow soon with details on what this means and how the vote came down.

For those of you that haven't heard, House Bill 2228 to save the Skyline Forest has also passed the full Legislature. We've put tremendous effort into each of these bills and will be back with more details soon.

This is a proud moment for us personally, and for all of Central Oregon. Thanks to everyone who made this happen!

Central Oregon LandWatch is pleased to announce the completion of our in-depth analysis of the costs and benefits of destination resorts in Oregon. This report, entitled, "Fiscal and Economic Impacts of Destination Resorts in Oregon," which was performed by the consulting firm Fodor & Associates out of Eugene, OR represents the best effort to date to assess the impacts of destination resorts in Oregon.

Although the report's primary focus is on fiscal impacts of destination resorts affecting local governments and taxpayers, it also addresses economic impacts related to jobs creation and affordable housing. The most fundamental question that this report seeks to answer is, "How will the approval of a destination resort affect local taxpayers and the general public?"

Central Oregon LandWatch is proud to present its first foray into documentary filmmaking with Deep Water: Protecting the Natural Springs and Native Fish of the Deschutes Basin. The film, which was produced locally by Wahoo Films, is a seven-minute account of the threats posed to native fish in the Deschutes Basin as more and more groundwater is pumped for human consumption.

Deep Water: Protecting the Natural Springs and Native Fish of the Deschutes Basin from Central Oregon LandWatch on Vimeo.

Central Oregon LandWatch is pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled, "An Estimate of Conservation Dollars Invested in the Restoration of the Deschutes Basin." This report provides a detailed accounting of the large-scale, long-term conservation investment being made in the restoration of the Deschutes Basin in support of the reintroduction and health of native fish species.

In a potentially precedent-setting case, LandWatch has succeeded in opposing a landowner's attempt to get recognition of a parcel of land as a "lot of record" (which means that a parcel is a legal lot which may be potentially developed) without having to comply with County Code requirements for the legal creation of such parcels. The parcel at issue was part of the Forest Service-Crown Pacific Land Exchange in 1999 covering forest lands located between Bend and Sisters, and sits directly to the North of the 33,000-acre parcel owned by Fidelity.

It's official, Central Oregon LandWatch has opened its first ever office! Located alongside McKay Park at the Colorado Street crossing, it's a cozy little place and gets us out of the house(s) a bit more often.

For those who need to know, we're at 147 SW Shevlin Hixon Drive #206 in Bend, OR 97702.

For the first time, we also have an office phone (and fax number) that doesn't double as a personal line. If you'd like to reach us in the office by phone, we're at (541) 647-1567 and you can send faxes to us at (541) 647-1568.

LandWatch and Friends of the Metolius (FOM) filed their opening brief to the Oregon Court of Appeals on March 24, arguing that the approval of destination resort zones around the Metolius is improper.

Though the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) in a February 11, 2008 decision acknowledged that destination resorts proposed for the Metolius area could have the impact of small cities and ruled that Jefferson County needed to reassess impacts to wildlife, LUBA failed to recognize the need for protection of other natural resources of the Metolius, including its heart, the Headwaters of the Metolius.

On Monday, March 3, Central Oregon LandWatch along with Friends of the Metolius appealed to the Oregon Court of Appeals the LUBA determinations that:

At its most recent meeting, Central Oregon LandWatch's Board of Directors voted firmly to support Measure 49, making LandWatch the most recent in a long-list of organizations supporting this effort to reform Measure 37 and prevent irreperable harm from coming to Oregon's rural landscape and natural environment.

On Wednesday September 12, 2007, Central Oregon LandWatch launched a brand new website. Why? Because land use in Central Oregon is always a hot topic and we want to help the community get more involved.

We believe that the best planning occurs when people understand the issues at stake and stand up for what they believe in. So we decided to create a site that does more than simply provide a little information about LandWatch and what we're up to, and focuses instead on creating a true community resource for people interested in following land use issues in Central Oregon.

What can our new website do for you? In short, it can help you track land use, planning, and environmental issues affecting Central Oregon communities, help you learn more about those that are of interest to you, and provide information to help you get involved.

Listed below are a few examples of the resources this site provides.