Place-based Conservation: Central Oregon
Lying at a crossroads for connectivity between the Rockies and the Cascades, and between forested and shrub-steppe ecosystems, this fast-growing region is home to a diverse and active population with growing influence in the state. In addition, the Deschutes River is critically important to the ecological, economic, and cultural well-being of central Oregon.
Funding here is focused on areas defined by the Deschutes River Basin upstream of Lake Billy Chinook. Our goal within this region is to achieve strong conservation goals supported by a broad set of diverse constituencies.
Our specific goals for Central Oregon
Improved growth management planning plus local and state policy agendas that incorporate the conservation voices of stakeholder groups
Increased support from decisionmakers for Central Oregon’s conservation goals
Engaged and proactive hunter, fisher and recreational constituencies seeking local, state and federal policies that reflect strong conservation principles
Increased state and local funding for open space and wildlands protection in the Deschutes River watershed
Success!
In July 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a landmark decision in Oregon Natural Desert Association (ONDA) v. Bureau of Land Management, determining that the BLM must rewrite its land use plan for southeast Oregon. The court agreed that the BLM had wrongly refused to evaluate impacts to wilderness values for 4.6 million acres of public lands. The Brainerd Foundation supported ONDA's work with a general support grant in April 2008.