Community calls on elected leaders to help Save Skyline Forest
Pictured left to right: Bend City Councilor Melanie Kebler, Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Anthony Broadman, Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, and Ben Gordon, Executive Director of LandWatch.
Signed, sealed, & Delivered!
On a brisk and beautiful morning, we delivered the Save Skyline Forest Community Letter to our elected officials.
Over 1,100 Central Oregonians and 63 local businesses, organizations, and community groups signed on in support. This community letter calls upon our elected officials to help find conservation solutions for Skyline Forest that protect the area from large-scale, luxury development, improve wildfire safety, and sustain public access.
While looking out across this beloved 33,000-acre forest, Deschutes County Commissioner Phil Chang, Bend Mayor Pro-Tem Anthony Broadman, and Bend City Councilor/Mayor-Elect Melanie Kebler received the letter and a compilation of the overwhelming public support for conserving Skyline Forest.
Hear what your elected leaders have to say
“As county commissioner, I am interested in protecting the F1 zoning that exists here, in finding innovative funding mechanisms to preserve this piece of land, and exploring any other options that are on the table to make this happen.”
“This is an asset…that historically has been critically important to our entire city, our entire region and I want to see it protected…I’m excited to work together as a community to make sure that Skyline Forest is saved.”
“When I think about the future of Bend, a lot of it is about managing and having smart growth within our boundaries, but also we need to be at the forefront of protecting our open spaces right outside of our city.”
A community gravel ride through Skyline Forest led by Dirty Freehub earlier this year. Photo: Linda English
A Year of tangible, inspiring Progress
Over the course of 2022, thousands of Central Oregonians stepped up for Skyline Forest.
From community bike tours to Save Skyline signature brews, folks showed up to support putting conservation at the center of Skyline Forest’s future.
Save Skyline IPA Release Party at Worthy Brewing Co.
If you signed the community letter, wrote to a local news outlet, shared on social media, attended a meeting, came to an event, contributed photos, or introduced friends and family to the cause, we’re one step closer to protecting Skyline Forest once and for all because of you!
In the coming year, we look forward to working directly with you and our community of Skyline lovers, our local conservation partners, and our elected leaders to move forward with conservation solutions that protect Skyline Forest from large-scale, luxury development, improve community wildfire safety, and prioritize sustained public access to this special landscape. It’s time, and we’re ready.
Photo: James Parsons
Recent Price Drop is a big move in the right direction
One of the most significant achievements of this effort this year was when the highly speculative listing price for Skyline Forest was substantially decreased for the first time – from $127M to $95M.
This was a significant step in the right direction for the local community’s ability to acquire and conserve Skyline Forest and realize our shared vision for its future.
It also shows us that our local grassroots efforts to Save Skyline Forest and deter large-scale, luxury development are working. Why? This price drop is similar to when a house’s sale price has been set too high and is then reduced because there is a lack of interest or offers.
Thanks to our community efforts, prospective developers quickly realize this is an unwise and unsafe place for large-scale, luxury development - and that pursuing this type of development in Skyline will be a really tough path because it is wildly out of step with what our community wants to see for this forest’s future.
Together, we’re going to continue to grow and elevate the groundswell of community support for protecting this place - and keep effectively deterring any and all large-scale, luxury development interests. These efforts are critical to making a conservation-focused offer the best and most compelling one to the seller.
Photos: Nate Wyeth, James Parsons, Joe Dudeck
A Shared Vision for Skyline’s Future
Throughout this campaign, we’ve often asked Central Oregonians: what is your vision for the future of Skyline Forest? Here are a few that you shared:
“Hopefully, this area can be open to public access indefinitely. I enjoy hiking and biking in Skyline Forest. I’ve taken visitors and relatives there, all of whom enjoyed the experience and remarked on the beauty of the landscape.”
Photo: Jennifer Uppendahl
“A place where people, nature, and wildlife commune together in a pristine environment, forever protected.”
Photo: James Parsons
“I would love to see it stay exactly as it is; untouched by development.”
Photo: James Parsons
“I want people to help Save Skyline Forest and protect wildlife habitat, water sources, and nature. From: Ariana, age 7.”
Photo: Nate Wyeth
“A beautiful and renewed natural landscape. A place to recreate, for wildlife to thrive, and manage wildfire risk to the surrounding areas. Losing this land would be catastrophic for those living in Bend and wildlife living in the forest.”
DOUBLE THE IMPACT OF YOUR END-OF-YEAR GIVING
As a community-supported organization, your gift sustains our ongoing work at LandWatch. Your donation keeps us working to protect farm and forest land, conserve instream river flows, defend wildlife habitat, and advocate for equitable and sustainable communities for generations to come.
Thanks to an anonymous supporter, every donation will be doubled until the end of the year, up to $50,000. Your gift today will go twice as far!