By Alisson Vera
As one of the fastest growing cities in Oregon, Bend saw more than 267,000 people floating down the Deschutes River during the 2021 river recreation season - up 30% from 2020.
Carving its way through canyons and beautiful desert landscapes, the Deschutes River is a 250-mile river that provides diverse recreation opportunities for residents and visitors in Central Oregon. After noticing an all-time high number in visitation, the Bend Park and Recreation District conducted an inventory of the riverbank’s habitat and found that nearly 100 user-created access points had been made - highlighting the need for visitor use management and natural resource protection measures.
The district owns and manages 25 river access points and 16 parks within the river corridor which offer various recreational opportunities such as paddlecraft, fishing, swimming, wheelchair access to the river, and more. However, the existing access points and facilities have not been enough to accommodate the growing number of visitors, resulting in trampled vegetation and erosion along the riverbank.
In an effort to protect the river and its surrounding riparian habitats, park managers installed fencing and signage in the areas most impacted by visitor use. Nevertheless, the impacts to the river continued to grow and community members began to voice their concerns.
With community support, the district collaborated with the National Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance program in developing the Deschutes River Access and Habitat Restoration Plan which identifies restoration strategies and appropriate river access points to help balance habitat restoration and river recreation.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
