A planned forest restoration project in south Bend, near Cabin Butte, is set to begin May 1, leading to a temporary closure of 34,600 acres. The Cabin Butte Vegetation Management Project, which includes fire treatments like forest thinning and prescribed burning, will restrict access to the area for at least one year.
As the closure looms, homeless advocates are calling to halt the project to avoid the displacement of individuals living on forest land along China Hat Road.
The group submitted a letter to the Bend-Fort Rock Ranger District last week, requesting the project be delayed or canceled, citing significant impacts and an uncoordinated effort to relocate those experiencing homelessness. Advocates and service providers share concerns about the pending relocations and the lack of available shelter beds and services in Bend.
The Project
While the U.S. Forest Service announced in 2022 that it would initiate a mitigation plan to help relocate those in the project area, advocate and service provider Chuck Hemingway, with local organization Home More Network, says the Forest Service has not offered guidance.
The plan, detailed in a Final Environmental Assessment, included coordination with service providers and organizations to assist in relocation efforts. Hemingway stated in his letter that the USFS had not contacted service providers like himself.
Hemingway says that Forest Service employees are telling campers to leave the area, without offering coordination with service providers.
The group, which includes Hemingway and the Bend Equity Project, a collaborative group supporting human rights efforts and offering aid, claims the project is causing involuntary displacement with no authorized place for people to go, and significant impacts to the individuals being displaced, many of whom have medical vulnerabilities or disabilities.
“Had the Forest Service set up a working group of local governments, service agencies and organizations starting in November 2022 to plan an orderly relocation response, this potential looming crisis could have been mitigated and likely avoided,” Hemingway stated in his letter to the Forest Service.
According to Kaitlyn Webb, public affairs officer with the Deschutes National Forest, law enforcement officers have been making in-person notifications about the upcoming closure since January “to provide individuals as much time as possible to find more suitable living situations.”
Dispersed camping is generally allowed on public land, for a period of two weeks at a time in a single location.
Mandy Bryant and her partner Chris Daggett have lived in China Hat for nearly three years. While the two plan to move on from Forest Service land, leaving is hard, and the current strategy, she said, is not working for people living there.
Bryant claims that Forest Service workers have been coming into camps and telling people they need to leave, but that no service providers have been involved in communications with them, besides Hemingway.
“Any one of us could end up out here. I never thought I was going to be homeless. It could happen to anyone… one bad decision, bad paycheck,” Daggett said.
Safety Near Public Lands
Oliver Tatom lives in the Sundance subdivision in south Bend, surrounded on three sides by public land. While Tatom acknowledges that the project will have effects on the people living near China Hat, he looks forward to the fire mitigation work ahead.
“When we started hearing about this Cabin Butte project, people were pretty excited about it, even though they’re closing what’s essentially our backyard for a little over a year,” he said.
According to Tatom, who serves on the Rural Fire Protection District Board, the neighborhood has an intimate experience with wildfire. He and his neighbors live on the site of the Skeleton Fire that burned 19 homes, including his family home where he resides, in 1996.
“It’s why so many people in my neighborhood are so sensitive about the danger of fire. We can’t keep pushing this off. It does impact the people that are living out there, and it’s unfortunate, but I don’t see how the Forest Service has an alternative.”
While the work will occur, essentially, in Tatom’s backyard, cutting off access to the area, he sees it as a necessity to increase safety and prevent a possible wildfire catastrophe. He hopes that on the other side of this project, everyone is safer from wildfire.
“The disruption for us is not nearly what it’s going to be for the folks who are living out there. I’m incredibly sympathetic to the people that are living out there. But on the other hand, this treatment needs to be done because of the fire risk,” Tatom said.
Nowhere to Go
While Bryant and her partner contemplate their plans for the future, they realize their options in Bend are limited.
“There’s really nowhere for people to go right now,” Bryant said. “I told the Forest Service guys, even if any of us had the money to get into a place, none of us would be approved and into a place before the first.”
Capacity is a real concern in Bend. Local facilities housing those experiencing homelessness say they’re already full.
Local organization Shepherd’s House recently reopened its renovated Bend shelter, Lighthouse Navigation Center, essentially doubling its capacity from its temporary shelter, now offering 100 overnight beds.
During snowstorms and freezing temperatures, the shelter has been able to temporarily increase its capacity to 135.
“During all of those surges, we were consistently at capacity. Right now, we have been consistently at capacity as well,” said Naomi Blair, director of Lighthouse Navigation Center.
According to Blair, the organization’s Redmond shelter is also at capacity and currently has a waiting list.
While the Lighthouse shelter, as a low-barrier overnight shelter, sees a lot of turnover as people transition into housing or otherwise move on, Blair is unsure about how local resources will accommodate individuals with the China Hat project ahead.
“It’s hard to say what to anticipate. We will do all we can to provide services for whoever walks through the door,” said Blair. “I do know a lot of our resources in town are well at capacity. Every time a new project opens up, it immediately has a long wait list, and then before even opening, has to close that wait list.”
Another upcoming project at Juniper Ridge, in north Bend, will restrict certain areas for mitigation work, but still allow camping in a section of the area.
The City of Bend and Deschutes County are collaborating on that project in Juniper Ridge, cutting off access to camping in all areas besides a designated “temporary safe stay area,” which will consist of 40 acres. Service providers are contracted to work with individuals in the area, which will offer hygiene stations and other services.
More Camping Restrictions
The closure of certain sections of land in north Bend will either force people to move into the safe stay area or leave the area altogether. With a closure at China Hat and few shelter spots, some providers, like Blair, see the safe stay area as a place where people could go.
“We don’t really know what to expect. I think the City is hoping — and we’re all hoping — that the people that are wanting to camp or don’t have other services would go to the designated area out in Juniper Ridge,” Blair told the Source Weekly.
While the City initially planned for the safe stay area to serve those already living in Juniper Ridge, Matt Stuart, the City’s real estate and facilities director, said they aren’t turning people away.
“Our goal was to focus on the people there. That was the whole intent. But obviously, we recognize that there’s other things going on,” said Stuart. “If there’s a huge influx, we may have to reassess that, just based on the ability for us to provide what we can to that area. All that will be evaluated,” he added. “We will find out here in the next month or two about those other efforts and how that might impact our area.”
The partial closure at Juniper Ridge will take effect on May 31. Moving forward, the Juniper Ridge safe stay area will eventually decrease from 40 to 20 acres. The goal is to officially close the area by the end of 2026, due to the ability to fund service providers.
In the meantime, Stuart said the City is constantly evaluating options for increasing beds and safe parking.
The City of Bend and Deschutes County will hold a joint meeting on April 28 to discuss the safe stay area.
According to Webb with DNF, implementation for the Cabin Butte project is still ongoing and the closure is still planned for May 1.
Service provider Hemingway has been contacting individuals living in China Hat and plans to continue assisting in coordination and relocation efforts, if the project continues.
This article appears in Central Oregon Pets Spring 2025.
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The question we should be asking here is why are people living in our forests to begin with? The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) must take immediate action to address this issue and fulfill its responsibilities and continue to close down and do the work needed. The forest is not an appropriate or safe environment for homeless individuals, and their presence creates significant risks for both them and others including fire risks. The USFS’s primary duty is to protect our forests, wildlife, and ecosystems, ensuring that these natural spaces remain safe and accessible for recreational use, which is their intended purpose. The forest is not a viable place for people to live.
This situation has escalated due to the USFS’s failure to enforce regulations and uphold its mandates. The lack of action has led to dysfunction and disarray in our forests. It is crucial that the USFS take the necessary steps to close affected areas, complete the required restoration efforts, and maintain a commitment to keeping our forests clean and secure.
The responsibility to provide healthcare, mental health services, and addiction support lies with services from Deschutes County not USFS. However, many individuals in these situations may not seek or want help. I am advocating for the county to step in and ensure that these individuals are removed from the forests and provided with the proper care and support in a safe, humane environment.