he BCD Initiative advocates for a safe, inclusive, and community-oriented transformation in the Bend Central District. We aren't just here to talk about the community vision - we want to show you how public investment has catalyzed real changes in other cities around Oregon.

In addition to our other efforts in protecting forests and high desert, rivers and springs, fish and wildlife, and well-designed communities, Central Oregon LandWatch engages energetically in legislative advocacy. T

For more than a decade, Central Oregon LandWatch has been concerned about the risk of catastrophic wildfire in the forested area next to the west side of Bend.  Most of this land would have been developed at urban levels had it come in with the City of Bend’s 2009 Urban Growth Boundary proposal to expand the city by more than 8,400 acres. Instead, our advocacy helped reduce the approved expansion by 70% by increasing densities inside the existing city boundaries.

LandWatch succeeded in preserving habitat protections for wildlife species who depend on wetlands and riparian areas throughout Deschutes County!

The City of Bend has completed Phase 1 of its Transportation System Planning (TSP) process. Phase 1 identified a Citywide Transportation Framework, which includes projects and programs that principally affect the City’s arterial and collector system and transportation patterns in the City as a whole. The Citywide Transportation Framework will serve as the basis for Phases 2 and 3 of Bend’s Transportation Plan.

How do you give a Valentine to an old growth ponderosa pine with its orange-yellow bark, to a riffle of water from a spring, to a silent and watchful owl, or to a cougar whose track you see in the snow? How can we give a valentine to the Metolius?

Last year, we asked you to weigh in on the Forest Service’s plan to log and sell the dying trees along Highway 20. On Monday this week, the Forest Service finalized this plan to harvest and sell over 2,100 trees - many more than indicated in initial reports.

Preserving land that could be used for agriculture is at the heart of Oregon’s visionary land use laws. By containing most residential development inside cities and preserving agricultural land in the rural county, we can ensure that our urban areas are vibrant and equitable while our rural areas are preserved in trust for future generations.

The Deschutes County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a new zone designed specifically to limit wildfire risk for development west of Bend.  The county’s new Westside Transect Zone will limit development to a maximum of 187 homes on about 700 acres between the city of Bend and Tumalo Creek on private land that could otherwise be eventually developed at a level more than ten times that amount.

The City of Bend is hosting five Neighborhood Workshops where you will be able to influence the future of Bend's transportation system.  These workshops are a part of updating the Transportation System Plan (TSP), which will be the guiding document for transportation in Bend over the next 20 years. 

To assure that the Deschutes River is well-represented in future policy deliberations and decision-making, we are proud to announce that the former Executive Director of the Deschutes River Conservancy, Tod Heisler, will join our staff to run our Rivers Conservation Program .

In a victory for public lands, wildlife, and native fish, Judge Marco Hernández ruled that the Forest Service failed to satisfy its legal obligation to study the environmental impacts of a major new trail system for off-road vehicles, and to ensure that sensitive habitat for elk, wolves, and native fish are protected.

Next year will be the 10-year anniversary of the Metolius Basin's designation as an Area of Critical State Concern! The Metolius is the first and only area in Oregon to receive this designation which has kept it safe from harmful large-scale developments.

As the City of Bend moves forward with its “Core Area" Planning, we are preparing for the next steps in engaging the community to advocate for a vibrant, healthy, and resilient mixed-use neighborhood through the BCD Initiative

Central Oregon LandWatch received a $100,000 grant from Meyer Memorial Trust to continue work on the BCD Initiative, which is building broad support for policies and programs that promote the community’s vision for a vibrant, healthy, and resilient mixed-use neighborhood in the Bend Central District.

The City of Bend is proposing changes to its Comprehensive Plan that would allow more density in the Residential Standard Zone (RS) by permitting duplexes and triplexes (referred to as "plexes") on smaller lots. 

Thanks in large part to our advocacy, the Westside Transect is a new concept for Central Oregon that is being used to plan development on Bend’s western edge where we are at most risk of wildfire sweeping into town from the Cascade Mountain forests.

Central Oregon LandWatch (COLW) is seeking specific proposals from interested Facilitators who are capable of strategic group development and facilitation, transformational conflict resolution, and have experience working with diverse groups to achieve equitable outcomes, especially when related to community planning.

As development pressures grow in high-risk areas, we must consider every new development in the WUI carefully. Smart planning that takes wildfire risk into account will help avoid unnecessary loss of life and homes, risk to our health, and endangerment of firefighters.