John Griffith of the Nugget Newspaper reports the Sisters City Council is in support of keeping Aspen Lakes cluster development on the map of destination resort-eligible lands.

Lauren Dake of the Bulletin reports that owners of a parcel of property on the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook want to build a permanent development of 15 fishing accommodations on the land.

The land has already been built on without permits according to a Jefferson County report. Eleven buildings, patio areas, decks, and docks are currently on the lot.

The Bulletin’s Hillary Borrud reported yesterday that Deschutes County has reopened an ongoing debate, over whether farmland in the Millican Valley can be rezoned for surface mining.

The County Commission approved the request to rezone the farmland to allow surface mining in 2008 but Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals has since stated potential impacts were not fully addressed. The approval has been appealed twice to the land use board and has twice been sent back to the county.

In getting with the modern spirit, and increasing the ways in which we interact with the public, LandWatch has now launched a Facebook page and a Twitter page.

This June, the Bend-based land use advocacy group Central Oregon LandWatch added three new members to its Board of Directors, expanding its board from four to seven.

Economist and former Deschutes County Planning Commissioner Brenda Pace was added along with former Deschutes County Planning Director Catherine Morrow and former State Senator and attorney Charlie Ringo.

In its July 2010 issue, Oregon Business editor Robin Doussard discusses the issue of destination resorts and their uncertain future. The article's an interesting read, containing comments from a variety of stakeholders.

Yesterday afternoon, LandWatch learned that the historic campaign to Save the Metolius! was nominated for a prestigious "Wheelie" award by the Oregon Bus Project, an "innovative vehicle for hands-on democracy" dedicated to mobilizing voters and activists from around the state to support progressive causes.

Just a quick note for now, but the Metolius Protection Act has now passed the full Oregon Legislature (31-28) and is on its way to the Governor's desk to be signed into law. A full update will follow soon with details on what this means and how the vote came down.

For those of you that haven't heard, House Bill 2228 to save the Skyline Forest has also passed the full Legislature. We've put tremendous effort into each of these bills and will be back with more details soon.

This is a proud moment for us personally, and for all of Central Oregon. Thanks to everyone who made this happen!

Central Oregon LandWatch is pleased to announce the completion of our in-depth analysis of the costs and benefits of destination resorts in Oregon. This report, entitled, "Fiscal and Economic Impacts of Destination Resorts in Oregon," which was performed by the consulting firm Fodor & Associates out of Eugene, OR represents the best effort to date to assess the impacts of destination resorts in Oregon.

Although the report's primary focus is on fiscal impacts of destination resorts affecting local governments and taxpayers, it also addresses economic impacts related to jobs creation and affordable housing. The most fundamental question that this report seeks to answer is, "How will the approval of a destination resort affect local taxpayers and the general public?"

Today, Representative Brian Clem, Representative Ben Cannon, and a host of additional House members introduced HB 3100, The Metolius Protection Act of 2009. This landmark legislation will provide the strongest protections to date to preserve this Oregon treasure from both current and future threats.

Central Oregon LandWatch is proud to present its first foray into documentary filmmaking with Deep Water: Protecting the Natural Springs and Native Fish of the Deschutes Basin. The film, which was produced locally by Wahoo Films, is a seven-minute account of the threats posed to native fish in the Deschutes Basin as more and more groundwater is pumped for human consumption.

Deep Water: Protecting the Natural Springs and Native Fish of the Deschutes Basin from Central Oregon LandWatch on Vimeo.

Central Oregon LandWatch is pleased to announce the release of a new report entitled, "An Estimate of Conservation Dollars Invested in the Restoration of the Deschutes Basin." This report provides a detailed accounting of the large-scale, long-term conservation investment being made in the restoration of the Deschutes Basin in support of the reintroduction and health of native fish species.

In a potentially precedent-setting case, LandWatch has succeeded in opposing a landowner's attempt to get recognition of a parcel of land as a "lot of record" (which means that a parcel is a legal lot which may be potentially developed) without having to comply with County Code requirements for the legal creation of such parcels. The parcel at issue was part of the Forest Service-Crown Pacific Land Exchange in 1999 covering forest lands located between Bend and Sisters, and sits directly to the North of the 33,000-acre parcel owned by Fidelity.