Take a look at a few ways to get involved in your community and environment! All of these events are free and open to the public. Take some time to learn about your local environment and what we can all do to create a livable future in Central Oregon. We hope to see you out there!
Read MoreIn 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
Read MoreLandWatch succeeded in preserving habitat protections for wildlife species who depend on wetlands and riparian areas throughout Deschutes County!
Read MoreMountain lions (Puma concolor) have been in the news a lot recently as more sightings occur in Central Oregon and across the west. They are handsome and secretive animals, native wildlife, and elegantly adapted apex predators.
Read MoreIn 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.
Read MoreNext 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.
Read MoreThanks 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.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreCentral Oregon LandWatch is the ONLY watchdog organization protecting wildlife habitat and migration corridors in rapidly growing Deschutes County.
Read MoreAfter the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals ruled in favor of wildlife earlier this year, Deschutes County went back to court to challenge their ruling. In a recent ruling from the Court of Appeals, LUBA's decision was affirmed, upholding protections for wildlife in the deer winter range!
Read MoreCentral Oregon LandWatch is the only group on the front lines in defense of Deschutes County’s wildlife habitat code protections. Last week, we filed an appeal of an alarming change to the county’s Flood Plain Zone to the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals.
Read MoreMore than 100 of the iconic, old-growth ponderosa pine trees which greet us when we arrive back into Central Oregon from the Santiam Pass or the Metolius River Basin are dying because they were sprayed with a deadly herbicide by the Forest Service and ODOT over the course of three consecutive years.
Read MoreLast night, LandWatch advocated for wildlife habitat and protection from wildfire risk adjacent to Shevlin Park by supporting an application for a new zone in Deschutes County. The proposal to create a Westside Transect zone will extend to the county the 2016 UGB concept of tapering density as the city boundary nears the forest where there is higher risk of wildfire.
Read MoreA victory in Central Oregon LandWatch’s fight to protect elk habitat and quiet recreation opportunities in the Ochoco National Forest came out Monday, August 27th, 2018.
Read MoreLast year when Deschutes County proposed amending the code to weaken winter range protections, LandWatch's members and allies, including the friends of the Tumalo Wildlife Corridor, voiced their strong support for protection of winter range habitat and the species that depend on it.
Read MoreMany dying trees along Highway 20 between Sisters and Black Butte are planned to be cut down because they were sprayed with a deadly herbicide over the course of three consecutive years. These aren’t just any trees, but trees that the public had earlier saved, and the killing of the trees was easily avoidable.
Read MoreLUBA ruled that Crook County did not adequately consider the effects of their plan on significant wildlife, and in doing so, failed to comply with the law.
Read MoreTonight, the Deschutes County Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on whether to weaken critical wildlife habitat protections in the Metolius Deer Winter Range. This is an opportunity for you to make your voice heard!