Central Oregon LandWatch

05/08/2026

Live in Bend? Love your neighborhood? Have thoughts about what could make it even better? We want to hear from you—and potentially share your story in a video series this summer.

Friendly neighbors needed for a new video series! Live in Bend? Love your neighborhood? Have thoughts about what could make it even better? We want to hear from you—and potentially share your story. (Plus, we’ll give you a $50 gift card to a beloved local business in your neighborhood!)

05/06/2026

It's Day 6 of our 40 Years of Fortitude Challenge Match and we're so inspired by the outpouring of community support so far! All donations made through June 9 will be matched! https://www.centraloregonlandwatch.org/challenge-match

05/01/2026

LandWatch is at the forefront of challenging harmful land use decisions and shaping better outcomes for our wildlife, forests, rivers, farms, and communities.

A lot has changed since 1986, but our resolve to protect and enhance our region’s livability has grown stronger.

TallTreeTrust has committed to matching every donation to LandWatch—dollar for dollar—for the next 40 days during our 40 Years of Fortitude Challenge.

Give today to 2X your impact for Central Oregon's livable future.

All donations made before June 9, 2026 will be matched, up to $100,000.

04/30/2026

Executive Director Ben Gordon wrote about how recent wins at Oregon's Land Use Board of Appeals advance LandWatch’s long-running efforts to enforce protections for irreplaceable landscapes and push back against narrow private interests.

A recent decision by Oregon’s Land Use Board of Appeals marks significant progress in our long-running advocacy to ensure the landscapes, farmlands, water, and natural places that define Deschutes County are managed responsibly.

04/22/2026

Last month, Central Oregon LandWatch called upon Crook County to initiate revocation proceedings for a mine permit in an area where local residents are being affected by groundwater pollution.

Associate Staff Attorney Robin Hayakawa appeared on a video segment from Central Oregon Daily News to explain how we're urging the Crook County Planning Commission to take meaningful enforcement action—as the County code empowers them to do—to protect local residents from further violations.

A staff report will be presented to the Planning Commission at a public meeting tonight, April 22, for consideration of new steps.

Crook County leaders on Wednesday are set to review a gravel mining permit after residents reported contaminated well water and health concerns. A growing legal challenge could determine whether operations continue.

03/24/2026

25 years ago, the U.S. Forest Service held 600+ public meetings before adopting the Roadless Rule—which has since protected some of our morst wild, intact public forests.

Now the Trump administration wants to rescind it—potentially without a single public meeting. So we're creating space for the public to weigh in on the proposed Roadless Rule rescission by ourselves.

Join LandWatch and partners on April 6 for Public Lands, Public Voices!

Learn about the national threat to nearly 60 million acres of our wild, roadless public lands—and take action to defend them.

02/06/2026

Oregon’s rural lands are for agriculture—not sprawl.

This session, we’re standing up for working farms, ranches, and the landscapes that feed us by pushing back on bills that would open protected farmland to entertainment venues, data centers, and inappropriate development.

Once prime farmland is gone, it’s gone. We’re ensuring legislators know that keeping farmland affordable, supporting local food production, and protecting our state’s working lands are priorities.