The BCD Visionary Board invites you to a celebration of community in the Bend Central District on October 22nd!

The biggest decision-point in our lifetimes for the future of the Deschutes River Basin was triggered last week when irrigation districts submitted a Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Suffice to say, the plan put forth by the irrigation districts does not sufficiently address the scale of the River’s problem.

A sanctuary for wildlife, the Metolius Basin's 447 square mile drainage includes wilderness and 15,000 acres designated as Wildlife Primitive Area. This includes the rugged country around the Horn of the Metolius, the canyons on the east side of Green Ridge, and Fly Creek Canyon.

A fierce champion for the protection of Oregon's land and resources, Governor Tom McCall left the state a legacy of environmental lawmaking.

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.

Buckle up or put your helmets on... August is a packed month for our initiative to promote mixed-use development in the Bend Central District (BCD)! We hope to see you at one or more of the following events.

TODAY, August 8, the County Planning Commission will consider changes to TWO separate zones, one that threatens Deer Winter Range habitat, and one that threatens riparian and wetlands habitat. It is important to comment on BOTH proposed amendments. Look for background and talking points below.

From the early 1900s, the Basin has been under constant threat from logging and development. It has taken the perseverance and determination of its original guardians and community supporters to fight for its preservation.

Thank you to the Bella Vista and Burning Foundations for these generous grants, and thank you to all of our supporters. We wouldn't be able to do this without you.

The Transportation System Plan (TSP) Steering Committee will review the first draft of Bend's new TSP at their meeting on Thursday. The TSP will be the guiding document for transportation in Bend over the next 20 years. Any new transportation projects built in the City over the next 20 years, including transit, bike lanes, sidewalks, and road projects will be included in this plan. Learn more here.

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.

Hardly a day goes by without an article in the paper or our online news feeds about drought, declining snowpack, climate change and threats to water supply. Despite this continuous stream of information and the obvious fact that water is one of our most precious resources, we continue to waste enormous quantities of it.

We already know that urban sprawl eats up wildlife habitat, creates unhealthy communities, causes pollution, and costs us money. Those are some of the main reasons we created the BCD Initiative promote an inclusive, dense, mixed-use neighborhood in the Bend Central District that is well-served by safe and environmentally friendly mobility options.

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.

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. 

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!

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. 

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!