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
Good News for Central Oregon Agriculture and Wildlife Habitat!
Once again, our visionary statewide land use planning program has helped us push back against development pressure to protect our most valuable natural resources for now and future generations.
Irrigation Districts and the Deschutes River
The time has come to put real collaborative and effective water conservation approaches to work. Otherwise, threatened fish and wildlife in the Deschutes basin will be blamed for our water woes when the solution to the problem has been in the hands of the irrigators all along.
Nathan's Corner: Will we ever learn?
Take a drive on the highway out past Sisters a bit. Not long ago it was a striking experience to pass down along the nave of a forest cathedral, beneath colonnaded ranks of towering, girthy, Ponderosa pines.
ACTION ALERT - The Future of Our Agricultural Lands
You still have a chance to tell the Deschutes County Planning Commission that our Agricultural and Forest lands protections should remain strong. This is important for the future of Central Oregon, make your voice heard!
Farm and Forest land protections threatened in Crook and Jefferson Counties
Through an innocent-sounding “update” to County-wide codes in both Crook County and Jefferson County, longstanding protections for farm and forest lands could be weakened. Both counties are considering the adoption of new “model codes” that would significantly replace the counties’ existing EFU and Forest zoning codes.
ANNOUNCING - Our Last Crop
From the iconic landscape to delicious local food, from our thriving rural communities to important wildlife habitat--agricultural land, also called "resource land", is part of our way of life.
The Impact of Climate Change on Wildlife Habitat
Take a look at a few ways to get involved in your community and environment! All of these events are free and open to the public. Take some time to learn about your local environment and what we can all do to create a livable future in Central Oregon. We hope to see you out there!
ACTION ALERT: Support Oregon's proposed ban on tree-killing herbicide
Because of the irresponsible and destructive use of Bayer’s herbicide along Oregon’s roads and highways, the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) recently proposed new rules to ban ACP along public right of ways, in wildlife management areas, and other sensitive habitats.
Jefferson County Agricultural Protections Upheld
LandWatch has fought for the preservation of agricultural land in Central Oregon for years, and this month we are happy to be able to tell you that we succeeded in a recent case to maintain protections for farm and ranch land in Jefferson County!
What we're watching in Salem
In addition to our other efforts in protecting forests and high desert, rivers and springs, fish and wildlife, and well-designed communities, Central Oregon LandWatch engages energetically in legislative advocacy. T
Preserving Open Space in Central Oregon
Preserving land that could be used for agriculture is at the heart of Oregon’s visionary land use laws. By containing most residential development inside cities and preserving agricultural land in the rural county, we can ensure that our urban areas are vibrant and equitable while our rural areas are preserved in trust for future generations.
Important win to protect farm and range land
Our win closes a local loophole that was allowing more development than is typically allowed on farm and ranch land.
How we are helping Jefferson County farming families
Agriculture is an important part of Central Oregon’s cultural heritage and supports a resilient local food system. Farm and ranch land has remained available for family farmers in Central Oregon because of protections put in place by our statewide land use planning system.
Do you value Central Oregon's agricultural lands?
The process to reevaluate agricultural lands threatens to classify them as “non-resource”, and prioritize them for development.
A win for wildlife! Upholding protections for mule deer when they are most vulnerable
Last year when Deschutes County proposed amending the code to weaken winter range protections, LandWatch's members and allies, including the friends of the Tumalo Wildlife Corridor, voiced their strong support for protection of winter range habitat and the species that depend on it.
Upholding rural protections in Deschutes County
After the County received dozens of comments from the public, the Board of County Commissioners decided to follow the Planning Commission’s recommendation and will not weaken code enforcement policies
Don't let Illegal Activity be Rewarded
Deschutes County is considering weakening its code to allow property owners in violation of county code to further develop their property. Now is the time to let the County know that you do not support giving this benefit to code violators!
Only in hindsight does the protection of a place seem obvious
A vast majority of LandWatch's work centers around Oregon's state wide land use planning system, but the importance of preserving public lands on a national level is not lost on us.