The Deschutes River is one of Oregon’s most revered waterways, known for world class hiking, fishing, rafting, wildlife and more. Thanks to groups like Oregon Wild, who have worked tirelessly to protect the Deschutes, certain segments of the river are protected under State Scenic Waterway and Federal Wild and Scenic River designations.
However, the Deschutes still faces many long standing challenges including logging, grazing, and irrigation. Some areas on the Deschutes National Forest have seen visitor use numbers jump several hundred percent in recent years. With so many competing demands on the river Oregon Wild is working to find the right balance between conservation, recreation, wildlife in the river corridor and more.
In 2015, Bend Parks and Recreation proposed building a footbridge across a protected stretch of the Deschutes River that would connect Bend and Sunriver. The initial bridge proposal included a location that would require the weakening of river protections to allow for the build. After several public engagement processes, Oregon State Parks decided not to weaken river protections and removed the bridge issue from their 5 and 10 year plans. However, some groups are still advocating for the problematic location, despite several available alternatives.
Connecting Bend to Sunriver
Establishing a trail connection across the Deschutes is an exciting and complex concept. Currently you can already hike or bike the whole route, with some parts of the route on dirt roads. Building a bridge as originally proposed would increase development along a protected stretch of the Deschutes River just south of Bend. There are a variety of other options for how to connect Bend to Sun River, each with advantages and disadvantages. The key is to find a route that minimizes impacts to wildlife and the protects the health of the river.
Wildlife
The stretch of the Deschutes River where the bridge is proposed is home to a wide diversity of wildlife including bald eagles, golden eagles, herons, deer, elk, beaver, river otter, Oregon spotted frog, and more. Increased disturbance in this stretch of river would be bad news for wildlife. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife expressed concerns with the proposed bridge in this letter.
Losing Public Lands Protections
Building a bridge on the protected stretch of river would require weakening river protections afforded by the State and Forest Service. In a day and age when our public lands are threatened at all levels, whether it’s Monuments in Utah, State Forests in Oregon, or Wildlife Refuges in Alaska, any weakening of public lands protections is a red flag and potential slippery slope bad precedent. Fortunately there are alternative viable options.
Oregon Wild is working toward solutions that protect the Deschutes River, provide sustainable trail options, and avoid weakening protections for Oregon’s rivers. Recent bipartisan proposals to strengthen protections for the Deschutes River are a good step in that direction.
After a multi-year public process the city of Bend has a new Transportation System Plan (map) that includes a compromise bridge location. Finalized in 2020, the city plan will study a potential new bridge (potentially including vehicles) in a downstream location that is outside of the Wild & Scenic River and State Scenic Waterway designations and in a less critical wildlife zone. Oregon Wild supports this study moving forward.
