Under Oregon’s Land Use Planning System (Goal 5), counties are required to survey and map (or “inventory”) the areas that the county believes are significant for wildlife needs - places like winter range, migration corridors, riparian corridors, and food and foraging areas. Often, these inventories are created in collaboration with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS).

The goal of these inventories is to inform land use decisions to conserve wildlife and their habitats. The inventories typically involve a range of methods (like habitat mapping) to identify the presence of wildlife and critical habitat needs in specific areas. That data, if adopted, can be used to develop management plans that protect and enhance critical habitat, or minimize the negative impacts of new development on wildlife so that overall habitat function is maintained.

Wildlife Area Combining Zone - This is Deschutes County’s current zone, with a purpose to “conserve important wildlife areas in Deschutes County; to protect an important environmental, social and economic element of the area; and to permit development compatible with the protection of the wildlife resource.” --

For example, one limitation in Deschutes County’s current Wildlife Area Combining Zone is specifications for types of fencing that allow for wildlife migration on certain types of properties.

2023 Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone - This proposed new zone would incorporate the updated data for mule deer showing vital winter range areas and creating a new zone that seeks to protect this identified critical winter range.

Explore Deschutes County’s map of the existing zone and the proposed new zone (scroll to the bottom of the page)

The short answer is that the mule deer population is rapidly declining, and habitat loss is a driving factor. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) reports that mule deer herds in Deschutes County have declined 33% in just the last five years. If we don’t respond now, we could see the disappearance of mule deer from Deschutes County in the coming decades. Learn more about declining mule deer herds

ODFW provided Deschutes County with an updated map of key mule deer winter range habitat areas. The updated map could be the basis for new land use regulations that protect the habitat by making sure new development and land use decisions would follow habitat-conscious design and layout.

Deschutes County’s previous wildlife inventory was conducted in 1991. In the 30 years since, Central Oregon has undergone immense change, and new roads and development have put a strain on wildlife as they migrate. The old maps reflect out-of-date data. To protect wildlife, we need reliable data that shows where animals live, breed, migrate, and survive the winter.

In 2021, Deschutes County worked with ODFW and USFWS to gather new data, and that research was the first step. But that data only has an impact if it is adopted and reflected in policy and zoning decisions. In January 2023, in response to robust public support from groups of scientists, biologists, hunters, and concerned residents, the Deschutes County Board of County Commissioners agreed to update its wildlife habitat inventory for mule deer.

Commissioner Phil Chang said, “Every year we delay the adoption of these inventories and updates of our overlays leaves more of our important habitat in Deschutes County vulnerable to the least wildlife-friendly development patterns possible.” Read the Bulletin’s story

The newly proposed Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone would add an overlay zone that corresponds geographically to the newly-identified areas mule deer need to safely occupy their winter range. Instead of expanding the County’s current Wildlife Area Combining Zone, the County is creating a new 2023 Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone. Like the current WACZ, this new zone will impose new land use regulations on development that, to some degree, limit the impacts of new development on mule deer winter range habitat.

The new winter range zone is based on updated data from ODFW– data from comprehensive studies that tracked where mule deer spend their winter months. This shows accurate winter ranges that correspond to numerous changes in Deschutes County since the data was last captured in the 1990s–such as pressures from development and climate change.

Winter range is important because mule deer migrate great distances to reach lower elevations and find more favorable living conditions to survive the winters. They follow the same paths closely each year. Mule deer health is critically connected to nutritional intake– mule deer must obtain enough nutrients from the plants they eat to maintain their body condition and reproduce. Winter diets are less nutrient-dense, so mule deer rely on their fat reserves and lose significant amounts of weight in the winter.

This makes rest and low activity critically important in the winter months. Expending any unnecessary energy increases winter mortality.

According to the Forest Service, “Increased energy expenditures to avoid people and using more marginal habitats can affect deer body condition, survival, and ultimately population growth.” This means disturbances like increased road density or loud noises (i.e., a shooting range in the winter months) are a real risk to mule deer survival. To read more, click here.

Development also has impacts on habitat. Buildings, roads, fences, trails, and supporting infrastructures (like parking lots, trailheads, etc.) fragment mule deer habitat and disrupt safe travel corridors they rely on to migrate. Where we develop makes a big difference, which is why the layout of development on a property can be so important.

We can make small changes to how we use this land in the winter to help mule deer survive on their limited reserves during the cold weather months.

The new Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone introduces limitations on a list of conflicting uses that, if not regulated, would displace mule deer from this habitat. In the new zone as currently proposed, no uses are prohibited outright, and no person would have to modify their current use of their property.

Instead, the new code simply calls for future uses that intentionally plan their layouts (including things like the distance of buildings to roads, non-agricultural fencing standards that allow for deer migration, and more). It also influences the seasonal timing of large events by limiting outdoor events in the critical winter months. You can find the full list of the proposed regulation of this new zone here.

This wildlife inventory update, if done well, should support local farmers and ranchers in Deschutes County. There are shared values and needs between the agricultural land base and wildlife habitat. One of the primary overlapping concerns is land fragmentation, or instances when large parcels of land are subdivided into several smaller lots, often for non-farm development.

This fragmentation harms habitat by blocking migration corridors and dividing up the landscape, reducing the available area mule deer need to safely spend the winter. (Research shows 40 acres is the minimum needed amount for mule deer habitat.)

Similarly, this fragmentation harms farmers because it can reduce the efficiency of their operations, increase costs, and limit their ability to expand. Fragmentation can make it difficult or impossible for farmers to expand their operations, as neighboring parcels are too small in size or priced for real estate markets and not agricultural land. Land fragmentation also reduces the availability of land for farm use, which can negatively impact local food systems. Once farmland is developed into non-farm uses, it will never go back.

Curious to learn more about how fragmentation affects local farms? Check out our short video.

Further, language in the proposed Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone, like the current WACZ, specifically exempts agricultural fences from the proposed fencing standards, as not to interfere with agricultural operations.

The newly proposed Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone will add an overlay zone that corresponds geographically to newly-identified areas mule deer need to safely occupy their winter range.

Small changes to how we use this land in the winter months have a big impact on wildlife.

Because development also impacts habitat, where we develop makes a big difference. Buildings, roads, fences, trails, and supporting infrastructures (like parking lots and trailheads) can fragment mule deer habitat and disrupt safe travel corridors they rely on to migrate.

This is why the layout of development on a property can be so important. The location and proximity of a building, trail, and parking lot make a difference.

The new Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone introduces limitations on a list of conflicting uses that would otherwise make it impossible for mule deer to safely use this habitat. In the new zone as currently proposed, no uses are prohibited outright, and no person would have to modify their current use of their property. Additionally, according to Deschutes County, generally no changes are being considered for properties under 20 acres with an existing home.

Instead, the new code calls for future development to intentionally plan layouts (including elements like the distance of buildings to roads, non-agricultural fencing standards that allow for deer migration). It also influences the seasonal timing of large events by limiting outdoor events in the critical winter months.

The short answer is yes; it is crucial that Deschutes County update its mule deer inventory in response to a species in peril. To make informed planning decisions that support wildlife now and into the future, we need credible and current data on our region’s mule deer health and habitat needs. That’s why we are generally supportive of the wildlife inventory update as a process.

That said, the proposed land use regulations in the new Mule Deer Winter Range Combining Zone need improvements to best support mule deer in winter range in the newly identified habitat areas. We would like to see this reflected in better protections for mule deer from the disruptive impacts of conflicting land uses.

While we support this update, we hope to see more meaningful changes in how habitat areas are protected.