From the pine forests of our Cascade foothills to the working ranches and farms along the Crooked River and in Madras, the Deschutes Land Trust is conserving land in Central Oregon at a time when the pressures on our human and natural communities are intense.

As our economy continues to diversify from farming, ranching, logging, and other natural resource industries towards tourism, recreation, and technology, we create new opportunities and challenges. Population growth also continues to change the face of our region. This growth accelerates development, increases the need for housing and transportation options, strains natural resources, and changes our quality of life and amazing access to the outdoors. It also enriches our region as people from many different backgrounds work to build community and connect to the outdoors in many different ways.

When these population shifts and economic changes are combined with climate change, they place enormous pressure on our region’s life-sustaining resources: clean air, clean water, and native plants and animals. The stakes are high. Here in Central Oregon, how will we protect the land we need to clean carbon from the air? How will we provide sufficient clean water for agriculture, people, and the native plants and animals that need it to survive? How do we build communities that coexist with wildfire? How do we address the high demand for outdoor access in an equitable way?

At the Deschutes Land Trust, we don’t have all the answers, but we do know that one key to a better future for all of us is conserving and caring for the land. Conserved lands that are vibrant, connected, and strong in the face of a changing climate are also vital for plants, animals, and people. Together we can build a future where our healthy natural areas are inextricably linked to the wellbeing of all Central Oregonians. Read all about it in our 2021-2025 Strategic Plan.

Our Vision
We envision a future of strong and healthy natural and human communities—where we work together to conserve and care for the lands that make Central Oregon an incredible place to live, work, and grow.

Our Mission
We conserve and care for the lands and waters that sustain Central Oregon, so local communities and the natural world can flourish together for generations to come. To achieve our vision, the Land Trust is pursuing six goals:

• Goal 1: Conserved lands throughout Central Oregon provide climate resilience, protect vulnerable habitats and species, support ecological integrity, and foster overall community connection.
  
  
• Goal 2: The Land Trust models and fosters an ethic of inclusive stewardship by restoring priority habitats, providing opportunities for community connection, and maintaining the resilience of our protected lands in perpetuity.
  
  
• Goal 3: People throughout Central Oregon are connected with and inspired to care for the land and waters of our region
  
  
• Goal 4: Deschutes Land Trust is well known, engaged with, and broadly supported by the community—a household name and a community institution.
  
  
• Goal 5: Deschutes Land Trust attracts, retains, and develops the diverse talent needed to implement its strategic plan and deliver its mission.
  
  
• Goal 6: Deschutes Land Trust builds the financial health, systems, and infrastructure needed to implement its strategic plan and deliver its mission.
  
  

You can read all about strategies that will help us accomplish these goals in our Strategic Plan.


Learn more:

• About our protected lands.
• About our current projects.
• About our climate change strategy.