The Horizon
Welcome to LandWatch’s blog. We’re excited to share the latest on livability and land use in Central Oregon.
Having more businesses in our neighborhoods is a natural part of healthy urbanization and would support how much of the community would like to live. So, LandWatch is partnering with Bend YIMBY to find ways to make this happen.
There is a lot of work ahead to continue to unlock the potential of the BCD—but we are well on our way to this part of our city becoming one of Bend’s most incredible Complete Communities. We are so excited about the transformative changes underway and for the future of this area.
Important decisions that will guide Bend's growth for the next 20 years are in the works and on the horizon.
Oregon’s Housing Needs Analysis (OHNA) rules are literally going to shape the livable future of our community. These rules recognize that Oregon’s housing shortage is not just about the number of homes—but also about who has access to them and where they are located.
The City of Sisters is wrapping up its Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion process with a new expansion area that will serve Sisters’ future well.
LandWatch has been engaged in Sisters’ growth since the start of the Comprehensive Planning process in 2020, and over the past year, we’ve helped guide progress as part of the Sisters UGB Steering Committee.
On December 4, photographer, filmmaker, and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yüyan will share breathtaking stories of survival, Indigenous resilience, and ecological kinship. Through images and stories spanning the globe from the Arctic to Australia, Yüyan reminds us that when we protect the more-than-human world, we are also protecting ourselves.
On November 13, author and editor Michelle Nijhuis, led us through an exploration of influential books that can help us shift our thinking away from systems of ecological oppression and toward a more just and verdant future. Here is the Michelle’s list of books.
The City of Bend’s first annual review of its new tree code has just been completed—and so far, pretty good.
In reviewing one year of data, it seems the tree code is helping the city strike a tricky balance between the need to preserve trees and the need to develop housing.
Get to know Ian Gray, the City of Bend’s new and first-ever Urban Forester. With experience shaping city canopies across the West, he brings a clear vision for a thriving, climate-resilient Bend.
An initial analysis by the Center for Western Priorities found that opposition to dropping safeguards for Roadless Areas was nearly unanimous, with 99.2 percent of comments supporting keeping Roadless protections in place.
In Deschutes County, over half of daily trips are under 3 miles. . That means there is great potential for many of those trips to be done by walking, biking, rolling or by bus if our transportation infrastructure supports safe, connected, and appealing travel.
As director of the National Park Service, from 2021 to 2025, Chuck Sams championed initiatives to expand and deepen tribal co-management, bolster climate resilience across the country, and promote equitable access to public lands. On October 30, he’ll join LandWatch for a discussion about the Rights of Nature to kick off our 2025 Livable Future Forum.
Join Vámonos Outside, Protect Our Winters, and Central Oregon LandWatch for a night of short films and a Q&A with filmmakers and athletes Jr Rodriguez and Vanessa Chavarriaga.
Either voluntarily or by enforcement, we call on Deschutes County to honor that covenant by ending its practice of spot zoning.
Originally published as a Guest Column in the Bend Bulletin on 08/27/2025.
Ryder Redfield is a Central Oregon original. Born and between among the mountains, rivers, and wide-open skies, he carries the spirit of this place in everything he does.
LandWatch’s Rural Lands team recently won a case challenging Deschutes County’s decision to rezone 65 acres of irrigated farmland before Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA).
Before LandWatch’s summer legal intern Zoe Morton headed back to Lewis & Clark Law School, we had one more assignment for her: reflect back on her time with us and answer a few curveball questions.
Recently, we saw a fiery online debate about farm stands, agritourism, and DLCD Farm Stand rulemaking process. If you witnessed or participated in the recent dialogue but had a nagging feeling that you weren’t being told the whole story, this blog post is for you.
Six months of nonstop bill tracking, analysis, advocacy, and collaboration kept the entire LandWatch team busier than ever and on our toes every step of the way. It was well worth the effort, though, and now, it’s time to take a look back at everything that transpired.
The Trump administration has announced its plans to rescind the Roadless Area Conservation Rule. Check out our primer to come up to speed on the importance of the Roadless Rule, learn what can be expected next, and find out how you can plug in to defend public lands in Central Oregon and beyond from this new threat.
With strong community support, LandWatch and Advocates for the West team up to defend Central Oregon’s waters, wildlife, and public lands.
The USFS’ final decision on the Green Ridge project may represent incremental progress toward more meaningfully prioritizing wildlife habitat on the Deschutes National Forest.
Celebrate Juneteenth by screening Farming While Black for free on June 19 or attending the Juneteenth Celebration at Open Space Event Studios in the Bend Central District on June 20.
LandWatch members are leaning into local advocacy during uncertain times. Our community continues to show that local action is a steadying force—and a source of hope.
Oregon’s 2025 legislative session is heading into its final weeks, and LandWatch is proud to report that it’s shaping up to be a good year for us in Salem.
The combined effects of a warmer and drier climate, more people living in fire-prone areas and vegetation and debris built up over years of fire suppression are leading to more severe fires that spread faster and put people, wild lands and economies at risk. Prescribed burns are a solution, but the U.S. Forest Service need the staffing, data and research to carry them out.
Wildfire is essential in our landscape, and an expected element of living, working, and playing in Central Oregon. As we plan for the future, we must learn to coexist with fire.
Cascade East Transit is offering free rides, expanded service, and fantastic prizes from June 2—8 during Try Transit Week! We checked in with Derek Hofbauer from CET to learn more about Central Oregon’s many transportation options.
The 2025 fire season is projected to be more intense than the 2024 season fire leaders said, but emergency response agencies have begun preparing early
Urban sprawl doesn’t solve the underlying problem of America’s housing shortage—it is the underlying problem.
Shared Post from the smart growth minds at strongtowns.org
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