The Horizon
The latest updates on our work defending rural lands, creating livable cities and towns and preserving wild lands and water throughout Central Oregon
Action Alert: Stop HB4079 From Eroding Our Quality of Life
Currently, a bill is moving quickly through the Oregon State Legislature that threatens our quality of life under the guise of providing affordable housing.
Recommended Reading: Home From Nowhere
Can the momentum of sprawl be halted? America's zoning laws, intended to control the baneful effects of industry, have mutated, in the view of one architecture critic, into a system that corrodes civic life, outlaws the human scale, defeats tradition and authenticity, and confounds our yearning for an everyday environment worthy of our affection.
Water Rights: Conservation Efforts Questioned
More than a century ago, private capitalists, including Alexander Drake, built canals in Central Oregon to attract settlers with the promise of irrigation for farming
The UGB's Role in Reducing Reliance on the Automobile
The integration of land use and transportation systems can have a big impact on how far people have to drive every day, and whether or not they use alternative forms of transportation.
Bend's Boundary Taking Shape
Yesterday afternoon, the group of public officials guiding the Urban Growth Boundary process voted unanimously to approve the initial map for Bend's boundary expansion.
Win for LandWatch and for Oregon's Land Use System
Wednesday, Central Oregon LandWatch persevered against an attempt to erode protections for farmland with a favorable decision from the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Settlement Reached on Tree Farm LUBA Appeal
Building on momentum from community urban growth boundary discussions, Central Oregon LandWatch and The Tree Farm LLC successfully reached a settlement agreement on a proposed development west of Bend.
Double Win in the Fight Against the Attack of the Waterksi Lakes
Last week, Deschutes County hearings officers ruled in favor of Central Oregon LandWatch and neighbors on two similar cases in which waterski lakes were created without the requisite land use permits.
Collaborative Vision for the Western Boundary Adopted
Dewey and Schueler worked with other westside landowners to come to an agreement dubbed the “Westside Transect,” which addresses wildlife, wildfire, and transportation concerns.
Shaping Our City: UGB Update
The process to develop Bend's next Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is now at the refinement stage
2015 In Review: Top 5 Environmental Victories
LandWatch's Outreach & Communications Coordinator wrote about the biggest local, national, and international victories of 2015 for The Source Weekly.
LandWatch's Outreach & Communications Coordinator wrote about the biggest local, national, and international victories of 2015 for The Source Weekly.
Snowmobile Clubs Do $200,000 in Damage to Deschutes Trails
PB reported on the destruction of trails west and south of Bend by volunteer snowmobiling clubs.
Low Deschutes River Flow Reveals Mirror Pond Mudflats
Three factors combined to cause the Deschutes River’s low flow as it passes through the city: slight releases from Wickiup Reservoir, nearly half average flow from the Little Deschutes River and temporary irrigation diversions, or “stock runs.”
The UGB Steering Committee Receives The Source's 'Glass Slipper'
The Source Weekly gave its "Glass Slipper" to the Urban Growth Boundary Steering Committee this week.
Land Use Planning Can Reduce Wildfire Threat
The 2015 fire season was worse than any on record, and summertime temperatures are steadily escalating.
Rock, River, Recharge Recap
We learned how current practices are causing the Upper Deschutes River to be dewatered in the winter months and flooded during the irrigation season.
Our Take on the City's UGB Proposals
We believe Scenario 2.1 (pictured below) comes the closest to addressing our community values of preventing urban sprawl, protecting wildlife habitat, sustaining vibrant neighborhoods, and achieving balanced growth, but a few modifications are necessary to make Bend even better.
A Day in the Life of a Whychus Fir
Thirty years ago, when Paul was living at this very ranch, he heard about a proposal to pipe Whychus Creek and clear-cut its banks.
Letter: Restore the Deschutes River to its Natural Flow
he Deschutes River is many things: it's home to fish and wildlife, it drives our economy, it's the source of water for agriculture, it's a place for recreation..
Sign the Petition to Protect Deer & Elk Habitat
We see deer in Bend because we've built in their natural habitat, not because there is an abundance of them. Their numbers are in decline.