The Metolius Basin was once threatened by clearcuts and destination resorts, but thanks in large part to our Executive Director Paul Dewey's unwavering defense of the area, it is now protected as an Area of Critical State Concern (ACSC). 
 

City Club of Central Oregon has nominated four finalists for its newly minted “Conversation of the Year” award. Central Oregon LandWatch, a land use advocacy non-profit, played a key role in two of four of the nominations – for the UGB agreement that led to the Westside Transect and for the restoration of Whychus Creek.

A recent bombastic opinion column by Victor Chudowsky muddies the water on Tumalo Creek and needs correction.

Tumalo Creek provides a peaceful refuge, outdoor recreation opportunities and crystal-clear cold water to the Middle Deschutes River. Although it is known as one of Central Oregon’s iconic gems, the Bend City Council voted to build a $60+ million water project to take more water from the creek.
 

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.

A new study, released May 10, 2017, finds that when it comes to allocating water from the Upper Deschutes River for irrigation purposes, less is more.  

The "kid from Kansas" continues his tireless quest to preserve the local environment

We're hosting a Student Mixer for OSU Cascades students, COCC students, and other young professionals to learn more about our work to protect farm and forest land, wildlife habitat, recreation areas and keep quality urban areas from inappropriate development.

Now through April, when you shop at Whole Foods you can donate your bag credit to LandWatch! 

LandWatch argued against the County’s proposal at the Land Use Board of Appeals because it is a one-size-fits-all solution that may make any problem worse. 

Enjoy a sunset dinner, drinks, and a raffle to benefit Central Oregon's forests and high desert, rivers and springs, wildlife habitat, and well-designed communities.

Are we running out of groundwater? The Oregonian/Oregon Live found that permits to pump groundwater are given out despite the fact that the state doesn't know how much water is actually available.

Walk down into the scenic lower Whychus Creek Canyon to Alder Springs and then on to the confluence of the creek with the thundering Deschutes River below a towering wedge of rimrock on this premier Central Oregon hike. 

Hosted by the Bend Youth Brigade Paddle Team, this event is for people - especially young people - who love to kayak, SUP, raft, or float on the river and want to do their part to help its recovery. 
 

Making a judge decide what is right and wrong for the river is not fair to her; the different government agencies need to do their mandated jobs.

Once home to some of North America’s finest trout fishing, the Upper Deschutes is now treated with little more consideration than an irrigation ditch.

Flows in the Upper Deschutes become a relative trickle in the winter. They get as low as 20 cubic feet per second. People may disagree about what exactly would be a “healthy” flow. Nobody looks at 20 cfs and cheers. Ten times that would be a start