LandWatch Protects a Critical 614-acre Wildlife Corridor

Central Oregon LandWatch succeeded in getting the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals to reject Deschutes County’s approval of an expansion of the Caldera Destination Resort near Sunriver. The County now has to reconsider. 

Destination Resorts are allowed under Oregon’s land use system when they provide economic value to the area by drawing tourists with visitor-oriented accommodations. The proposed Caldera Springs expansion was found to have a substantially inadequate number of overnight lodging units.

This is also a good decision because the Sunriver area is a key corridor for deer. The proposed expansion would more than double the number of residential lots at the resort, substantially reducing and compressing the wildlife corridor to a strip between Highway 97 to the east and the destination resort to the west. 

LandWatch works to vigilantly enforce Oregon’s land use laws and protect wildlife habitat.