The Horizon
All the latest updates on our work defending rural lands, creating livable cities and towns and preserving wild lands and water throughout Central Oregon
Drought exposes a broken water system. Here’s what we can do.
This needs to be our last season of water scarcity. It’s time for reform. First, Oregon needs to modify how “beneficial use” of water is defined, monitored, and regulated to realign water priorities to meet 21st-century needs.
A remarkable way to make an impact
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 Precarious River Rages: The Illusion of the Deschutes during Drought
The Deschutes was once a very stable river. Before Wickiup Dam was completed in 1949, the Deschutes River exhibited very consistent seasonal flows. It’s common for most rivers to experience high flows with the onset of spring rains and melting snow and very low flows by the end of the summer.