A decision that threatens wildlife habitat

Some of the most important wildlife habitat in the Deschutes County is again under threat. 

Deschutes County recently approved a 19-lot subdivision on the Deschutes River Canyon rim near Terrebonne. This site is a former mine and unpermitted hazardous waste dump site. The County denied a nearly identical application in 2015 because it did not comply with the Flood Plain zone and that zone's protections for fish, wildlife, and riparian habitat. This time around, the County decided the opposite, and approved dense development along riparian habitat.

After the 2015 application was denied, the County attempted to change its code to make it easier for developers to build along riparian habitat, but when LandWatch and others fought that proposal, the County backed down. This time around, the County came up with a different interpretation of its own code in order to allow this dense development along riparian habitat.

Aside from protecting public and private property from hazards, the Flood Plain zone protects important riparian areas along rivers and streams, and preserves significant scenic and natural resources. A 2009 Interagency Wildlife Working Group convened by Deschutes County reported that approximately 80 percent of all wildlife species depend on riparian areas. (See report attached to LandWatch's comments here)

Part of how the Flood Plain zone designation protects riparian areas is with an 80-acre minimum lot size, which prevents fragmentation and development that would harm riparian areas. The 80-acre minimum lot size protects wetlands, riparian areas, fish, birds, furbearers, and amphibians, including the federally threatened Oregon Spotted Frog. The Flood Plain zone is the most significant protection these wildlife and their habitat have in Deschutes County’s code.

The County’s approval of this dense housing development on the Deschutes River Canyon erodes these protections of the Flood Plain zone, so LandWatch is appealing the County's decision to the Land Use Board of Appeals. We are concerned that the County's decision will set precedent, opening the door for more degradation of our riparian areas and wetlands across the county.

LandWatch has fought for years to uphold protections for the fish and wildlife that rely on our high desert region's scarce surface waters. Whether via harmful code changes proposed by the County or via approval of harmful subdivision applications like this one, LandWatch will keep doing the hard work of fighting for wildlife in Deschutes County.