Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department is responsible for overseeing the Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor. The scenic corridor serves only as a buffer of native habitat along Route 97 between Bend and Redmond, giving the landscape along the highway corridor a natural high desert appearance. The department has no plans to develop any of the scenic corridor parcels.Armstrong, Chester H., History of the Oregon State Parks, 1917–1963, Oregon State Highway Department, State Printer, Salem, Oregon, 1965, p. 177.Bethers, Susan, "Redmond-Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor", park information memo, Tumalo Management Unit, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Bend, Oregon, 6 June 2014.[http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/files/ud_rmp_feis_vol_3.pdf "Key Observation Points"], Proposed Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Volume 3– Proposed Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan and Appendices), Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management, United states Department of Interior, Prineville, Oregon, October 2004, p. 218.

The Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor is named for the large western junipers found in the area. Many of these juniper trees are several hundred years old.[http://www.allbendoregon.com/parks/redmond_bend_juniper_state_park.php "Redmond-Bend Juniper State Park"], AllTrips, www.alltrips.com, Jackson, Wyoming, 5 September 2014.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19590826&id=gjtYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=XPcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2166,735608 "Oregon State Park Interests Vary"], The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 26 August 1959, p. B8. The scenic corridor is made up of ten separate parcels of land scattered along a {{convert|10|mi|km}} section of U.S. Route 97, between Bend and Redmond in Central Oregon. Most of the parcels are less than {{convert|40|acre|ha}}. The parcels are bisected by the Route 97 forming a corridor with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department land on both side of the roadway as the highway passes through each parcel.Merriam, Lawrence C. and David G. Talbot, Oregon's Highway Park System 1921–1989, An Administrative History, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Salem, Oregon, 1992, p. 215. The state scenic corridor covers a total of {{convert|352|acre|ha}}.[http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/documents/sept_2009finalminutes.pdf "Real Estate, Juniper Wayside Property Sale (Action)"], Public Meeting Minutes, Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission, Enterprise, Oregon, 17 September 2009, pp. 4-5. Additional scenic corridor land along U.S. Route 97 between Bend and Redmond is owned by Deschutes County.Redmond-Bend Juniper SSC, map (NMOB-02888), Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Salem, Oregon, 15 October 2013. Together, the state and county scenic corridor lands cover approximately {{convert|600|acre|ha}}.

The Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor is not a typical park. There are no facilities on any of the scenic corridor parcels. In addition, camping, hunting, motorcycles, and off-road vehicles are not allowed on any part of the scenic corridor. Hiking and nature viewing are the only activities permitted within the scenic corridor boundaries. However, the individual parcels are small and none of them have any developed trails to facilitate hiking.

Accessing some of the scenic corridor parcels can be difficult. Only one parcel has direct road access from U.S. Route 97. That access point is not marked so it can be hard to locate along the highway. None of the other sites have access from Route 97.[http://mapper.acme.com/?ll=44.1843,-121.2412&z=17&t=H&marker0=44.1843,-121.2412 Redmond-Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor] (single site entrance), topographic map, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of Interior, Reston, Virginia; displayed via ACME mapper, www.acme.com, 23 August 2014. Many of the parcels are bordered by private property with no road connecting the state land to a public thoroughfare, making access to the parcels problematic.[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/150815 "Summary for account #150815"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/150838 "Summary for account #150838"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/150888 "Summary for account #150888"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Index/150889 "Summary for account #150889"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014 In addition, there are no signs identifying any of the parcels as state land. Geological survey markers are the only way to identify these lands as state property.[http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMJXDR_T15S_R13E_S32_S_1_16_COR_Deschutes_County_OR "T15S R13E S32 S 1/16 COR - Deschutes County, OR"] (posted by Cooke17513)], Waymarking Groundspeak Inc, www.waymarking.com, Seattle, Washington, 5 September 2014.

Old-growth juniper woodlands are generally defined as juniper groves where the majority of the trees have existed for at least 150 years in an undisturbed environment. That means the stands were present before the arrival of white settlers in the western United States. In addition to their scenic value, old-growth juniper woodlands provide critical wildlife habitat and help preserve the western juniper's gene pool. Human activities have reduced the old-growth juniper woodlands in central Oregon. However, some of the old-growth stands are preserved in areas like the Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor. Many of the remaining stands are located on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, which is actively working to protect old-growth juniper groves throughout central Oregon.[http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/files/ud_rmp_feis_vol_1.pdf "Old-Growth Juniper Woodlands"], Proposed Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Volume 1– Executive Summary and Chapters), Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management, United states Department of Interior, Prineville, Oregon, October 2004, pp. 221-223.

The age and large size of central Oregon's old-growth junipers is likely due to the local weather conditions and deep pumice soil found in the area. The porous pumice soil allows the limited rainfall, an average of only {{convert|15|in|mm}} per year, to be captured in the subsurface water table where the junipers can draw on it throughout the year. A healthy and well-distributed understory with a low proportion of young junipers, an abundance of native plant species, and relatively undisturbed ground is characteristic of old-growth juniper woodlands.[http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/files/ud_rmp_feis_vol_1.pdf "Climate"], Proposed Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Volume 1– Executive Summary and Chapters), Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management, United states Department of Interior, Prineville, Oregon, October 2004, p. 189.

The wildlife found in the areas around the Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor sites are typical of central Oregon's high desert country. Among the animals found in and around the scenic corridor parcels are pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, jackrabbits, ground squirrels, and chipmunks. Birds include warblers, woodpeckers, sage grouse, chukar partridges, and golden eagles.[http://www.blm.gov/or/districts/prineville/plans/files/ud_rmp_feis_vol_1.pdf "Wildlife"], Proposed Upper Deschutes Resource Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement (Volume 1– Executive Summary and Chapters), Prineville District, Bureau of Land Management, United states Department of Interior, Prineville, Oregon, October 2004, p. 11.

The scenic corridor was created in 1945 by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The parks department acquired {{convert|635|acre|ha}} from Oregon's State Land Board in order to protect undeveloped areas with large numbers of old-growth western juniper trees and create a scenic corridor of native high desert habitat along Route 97. By protecting the old-growth juniper landscape, the state also hoped to draw tourists to central Oregon.[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1243&dat=19491210&id=wGhYAAAAIBAJ&sjid=cvcDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6214,1435609 "Boughs and Mistletoe Much in Demand in Yule Season"], The Bulletin, Bend, Oregon, 10 December 1949, p. 6.

File:Redmond-Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor, Oregon.JPG

In 1999, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department transferred title to some of the scenic corridor land to Deschutes County. However, those lands have not been developed and remain part of the scenic corridor's native landscape.[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Sales/150840 "Sales for account #150840"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Sales/150886 "Sales for account #150886"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014[http://dial.deschutes.org/Real/Sales/172406 "Sales for account #172406"], Deschutes County Property Information, Deschutes County Assessor's Office, Deschutes County (Oregon), Bend, Oregon, 5 September 2014

At the north end of the scenic corridor, a {{convert|40|acre|ha|adj=on}} parcel was located inside the city limits of Redmond. That land was sold to the city in 2006. The city later sold the parcel to a private company to facilitate a hotel development project. The sales agreement included specific conditions that limit the use of the property.Richards, Heather, [http://airportcam.ci.redmond.or.us/WebLink8/0/doc/20711/Electronic.aspx Revision – BGJJ Addendum C Purchase and Sales Agreement], Staff Report, City of Redmond, Redmond, Oregon, 29 September 2009.

In 2009, the State of Oregon sold an {{convert|11|acre|ha|adj=on}} portion of one of the corridor parcels to the Central Oregon Irrigation District. The property is on the east side of Route 97 in an area where the Pilot Butte Canal runs close to the highway. The Oregon Central Oregon Irrigation District subsequently built a small hydro-electric plant on the property, utilizing the water flow in the canal to generate electricity. The plant now produces enough electricity to power 4,000 central Oregon homes.

In 2011, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department approved a land exchange that transferred {{convert|6.4|acre|ha}} of Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor property to the Oregon Department of State Lands in exchange for {{convert|75|acre|ha}} of timber land in Lincoln County. The Lincoln Country property is located near Ona Beach State Park and Beaver Creek State Natural Area. The parks department also paid the Department of State Lands $32,450 to make up the difference in the value of the two pieces of land.[http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/documents/2011.1_com_janfinalminutes.pdf "Redmond-Bend Juniper SSC – Land Exchange with Department of State Lands"], Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes, Oregon Parks and Recreation Commission, Salem, Oregon, 26 January 2011, pp. 9–10.

Today, the Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor is managed by the High Desert District, a subdivision of the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. The sites are part of the district's Tumalo Management Unit, which has its headquarters in Bend, Oregon. Because the scenic corridor has no facilities to maintain, the parks and recreation department staff only provides basic custodial oversight of the scenic corridor sites. The department has no plans for developing any part of the Redmond–Bend Juniper State Scenic Corridor.[https://phonebook.dasapp.oregon.gov/display.asp?agency=63400 State Agency Directory], Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Salem, Oregon, 6 September 2014. Nearby state parks with public facilities, trails and interpretive signs include Tumalo State Park, Cline Falls State Scenic Viewpoint, Smith Rock State Park, Pilot Butte State Scenic Viewpoint, and Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint.[http://www.oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=visit.dsp_find Find a Park], Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, Salem, Oregon, 6 September 2014.

Several of the online geo-location maps incorrectly identify a single parcel of land along Route 97 as the "Redmond-Bend Juniper State Park" site.[https://www.google.com/maps/place/Redmond-Bend+Juniper+State+Park/@44.21648,-121.213631,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x5698795ab2761027 "Redmond-Bend Juniper State Park"], map, Google Maps, Google, Mountain View, California, 5 September 2014.[http://binged.it/1tvoMJ2 Redmond-Bend Juniper State Park, OR], map, Bing, Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington, 5 September 2014. However, the property these online maps highlight is in fact private property that has nothing to do with the scenic corridor.

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Category:1945 establishments in Oregon

Category:Parks in Deschutes County, Oregon

Category:Protected areas established in 1945

Category:Protected areas of Deschutes County, Oregon

Category:State parks of Oregon