Central Oregon LandWatch
For people ready to ensure Central Oregon’s future is equitable, beautiful, and livable.
- During this year’s legislative session, LandWatch’s Legislative Team is advocating for what matters most to Central Oregonians: 🏡 Communities where people can afford to live and thrive 🧑🌾 Rural lands that remain productive and protected 🦌 Wild lands that support the wildlife that define our region
- The 2026 #Oregon Legislative Session is underway - as @bradleywparks.bsky.social aptly notes: "a short legislative session that is long on priorities."
- Oregon is undergoing a rulemaking process to update how water is managed statewide—and these rules affect our rivers, farms, and communities. Now, public input is essential to ensure the final rules truly protect our limited water resources and better align land use and water user regulations.
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- 400+ of you signed our petition with Bend YIMBY or wrote in to Bend City Council about expanding neighborhood commercial. From reducing traffic to supporting small entrepreneurs, you shared many thoughtful reasons, but the needs that came through strongest were for community connection and equity.
- Reposted by Central Oregon LandWatchThe Roadless Rule -- which limits clear-cutting and roadbuilding in America’s last remaining pristine forests -- turns 25 today! I've fought for the Rule since 2001 because Washingtonians depend on our 2 million acres to safeguard clean drinking water sources and our $25+billion outdoor rec economy.
- We’re reflecting on a year defined by persistence, partnership, and people. From protecting farmland and advancing housing solutions to defending public lands, LandWatch's win this year were fueled by a community that showed up for Central Oregon. www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/update/2025/...
- An uplifting story!
- 💚💧 The Animas River in Durango, Colorado, U.S., has been enshrined as a living, rights-bearing entity under a new local resolution driven by an extraordinary group of Fort Lewis College students: f.mtr.cool/dkuajtdeph
- Kudos to @merkley.senate.gov, @alsobrooks.senate.gov, Sen. Kevin Cramer, and Sen. John Curtis for introducing legislation reauthorizing the Wildlife Crossings Program. www.merkley.senate.gov/alsobrooks-c...
- In a difficult year, we achieved significant wins for Central Oregon’s livability thanks to the members, volunteers, partners, advocates, donors, and neighbors who consistently show up for the places we love. Please enjoy this collection of scenes, stories, and accomplishments from 2025.
- If @wilsonxcassie.bsky.social sent you here, hello and welcome!! Our last five blog posts are for you! www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/news
- Yesterday, LandWatch Executive Director Ben Gordon joined state + local leaders to discuss regional wildfire safety and call for stronger federal action on wildfire prevention and climate policy. Watch: www.youtube.com/live/-lkncDb...
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- Today at 10 am, Bend Mayor Melanie Kebler, state and local leaders, fire officials, and climate advocates will discuss the growing danger of wildfires and related flooding in Central Oregon and urgent need for stronger mitigation and prevention measures. Watch Live: www.youtube.com/@centraloreg...
- With experience shaping city canopies across the West, Bend's new Urban Forester Ian Gray brings a clear vision for a thriving, climate-resilient Bend. Get to know him in our latest community Q&A. www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/update/2025/...
- Love a bit of community science? Take part in @myodfw.bsky.social and the @oregonzoo.bsky.social's new Roadkills of Oregon project to help them learn where and when roadkills are occurring and what species are most often involved.
- Gearing up and getting excited to host a great day with filmmakers and athletes Vanessa Chavarriaga and Jr Rodriguez on Oct 16, in collaboration with Protect Our Winters and Vámonos Outside! www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/update/2025/...
- Enter by Oct 15 to win two tickets to Rights of Nature - A Conversation with Chuck Sams on October 30.
- Hey #booksky - On November 13, we're hosting High Country News editor Michelle Nijhuis for a rousing talk on the 20 most influential environmental books we all need to read. What should be on the list??
- Gig Alert: Bend Bikes is looking for a passionate, organized Program Manager to help drive their vision of a Bend where walking, biking, and rolling are safe, accessible, and embraced by all. #bikes #activetransportation
- Over half of daily trips in Deschutes County are under 3 miles. We don’t have far to go - literally - to shift many of our trips to walking, biking, rolling, and transit.
- Our 2025 Livable Future Forum features passionate environmental advocates speaking on the mindset shifts and solutions needed to create a thriving world in our region and beyond. For a chance to win two free tickets to "Rights of Nature: A Conversation with Chuck Sams," enter by October 15.
- Transportation peeps - What do you think of our Guest Opinion, "Bend’s Midtown Crossings: Moving through the muddy middle"? Does it hit the mark, what would you add? www.bendsource.com/opinion/lett...
- Our 2025 Livable Future Forum lineup = National Park Service director Chuck Sams (Oct 30), High Country News editor Michelle Nijhuis (Nov 13), and National Geographic Explorer Kiliii Yuyan (Dec 4).
- From our latest play to end spot zoning in Deschutes County to preparing for the return of our Livable Future Forum ... read on to learn what’s on the horizon. bit.ly/Horizon-Sept...
- Rural Lands Program Director and Staff Attorney Rory Isbell explains the damage spot zoning inflicts on Central Oregon and the remedy LandWatch is seeking in his latest Guest Column.
- The Museum At Warm Springs annual membership drive ends August 31. Sign up to support enlightening exhibitions and receive free admission, a gift shop discount, and invitations to special events!
- “Wildlife crossings have a long history of bipartisan support at both the federal and state levels…it's not a matter of if, but when we secure permanent funding for this work in Oregon” – Jeremy Austin, Wild Lands and Water Program Director
- "And call that area, the Bend Central District, the BCD. That’s not a new thing. It should be more of a thing thing. Every cool place needs a cool shorthand." 10/10 agree. #BCD
- LandWatch’s Rural Lands team just stopped a luxury subdivision from replacing 65 acres of irrigated farmland above the Deschutes River near Tumalo State Park.
- Before LandWatch’s summer legal intern Zoe Morton headed back to Lewis & Clark Law School, we had one more assignment for her: reflect on her time with us and answer a few curveball questions.
- We're excited the The Open Arts Center is coming to life in the Bend Central District! Read @sourceweekly.bsky.social's coverage of the vision for this new creative hub, then stop by the open house tonight from 5-7pm at 175 NE Greenwood Ave. We'll see you there!
- LandWatch is hosting a good ol’ fashioned summer ice cream social in Sisters—and you’re invited! Come Chill with LandWatch at Village Green Park on Wednesday, August 6 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. RSVP today to help us bring the correct scope of scoops and quantity of cones!
- Locally, rescinding the #RoadlessRule could impact nearly 200,000 acres of inventoried roadless areas. #SaveTheRoadlessRule #ProtectRoadlessAreas
- The Metolius is one of Central Oregon’s most important wildlife strongholds. Since 2017, LandWatch monitored the Green Ridge Project and advocated for a plan that better balances wildlife habitat preservation with improved wildfire safety. Last month, the Forest Service issued its final decision.
- The Bend Central District is the vibrant heart of our growing city. It’s funky. It’s fun. And, it keeps getting better. Take a moment to get reacquainted with the BCD in this new spotlight from @visitbend.bsky.social!
- 🍦 Waffle cones and land use zones—what more could you want? Come Chill with LandWatch at the Village Green City Park in Sisters on Wednesday, August 6 from 6:00 – 8:00 PM for a good ol' fashioned ice cream social! RSVP today! bit.ly/Chill-With-L...
- The Bend Bulletin recently asked: “are a bunch of homes on 10-acre lots the kind of land use flexibility Oregon needs? Or are they an undesirable unraveling of the land use system?” It’s a good question—and we were eager to weigh in with a guest column of our own.
- Sprouting a new city on public lands sounds ridiculous, but the “Freedom Cities” initiative proposes just that. LandWatch recently conducted a GIS analysis of Freedom City focal areas in Central Oregon, and the impracticality of this idea came into sharp focus. colw.maps.arcgis.com/apps/instant...
- As it stands now, the Senate’s version of the “one big beautiful bill” mandates that millions of acres of public land be sold off, with no community input or rules on what would be developed.
- The much-anticipated bill—HB 2025, Oregon’s Transportation Reinvestment Package (aka “Oregon TRIP”) has finally dropped. Transit advocates, find our talking points to submit testimony. www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/action-cente...
- Cascade East Transit's Ride the River Shuttle transports thousands of river floaters between Farewell Bend Park and Drake Park each summer ... and, get this, you can take their buses to work as well. For free! #TryTransit
- @sourceweekly.bsky.social recently reminded us of something important: public input still works — and it still matters. Change still starts at the local level. And when we show up—whether at city hall or in the Federal Register—we can protect the landscapes and species that we care about.
- HB 3858 threatened to weaken farm and forest protections and open the floodgates to unchecked development. But LandWatch, our community, and land use advocates across the state stopped this dangerous bill in its tracks. Not every threat makes headlines, but this quiet win has a big impact.
- On #WorldBeeDay, tips for starting a pollinator-friendly native plants garden.🐝
- If you agree that Oregon's communities need a #transportation system that is healthy, affordable, and safe, please ask your representatives to support a 2025 transportation package that works for ALL Oregonians.
- It's #BiketoWorkWeek! Read on for road-tested advice from some of Bend's strongest cycling advocates.
- The Endangered Species Act is one of our strongest tools for protecting wildlife and the habitat they depend on. Now, the Trump administration is proposing a move that aims to undermine the ESA’s ability to protect habitat and recover listed species. Take action to defend the ESA by May 19!
- What have the first 100 days of the second Trump administration meant for National Forests in Oregon and across the country? Join us on May 6 for a webinar featuring expert panelists from Earthjustice, Crag Law Center, Advocates for the West, and Central Oregon LandWatch.
- GOOD NEWS: Oregon Senate Votes to Enable Safe Travel for People and Wildlife HB 2978 is headed to Gov. Kotek's desk!
- The City of Bend is seeking a Transportation Mobility Program Manager to help meet its mobility targets by increasing walking, biking, rolling, and transit trips and reducing single-occupant driving trips. Is #EarthDay your sign to apply? lnkd.in/gQ3gbEvz
- Habitat connectivity. Water conservation. Housing solutions. Farmland preservation. Multimodal transportation. Watch for a recap of LandWatch legislative efforts + what we expect in this session's second half.
