Environmental Assessment

AFFECTED ENVIRONMENT & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSEQUENCES CHAPTER 3
Social
Surrounding physical and biological environments influences human social life. This is most evident in
rural areas where the variety and quality of available natural resources often determines the chief means
of economic livelihood and what leisure activities people are likely to pursue and, therefore, influence
local preferences for the use of public lands. From a historical prospectus it is evident that all of the local
community's cultures were natural resource based and to a certain degree, especially in the more rural less
populated areas, still are. Livestock, agriculture and timber were the backbone of the economic structure
and as a result strongly shaped the social fabric that still defines the communities today. Since most of
the surrounding land is administered by federal agencies, chiefly the Ochoco, Deschutes, Winema,
Fremont National Forests and the Prineville and Lakeview Districts of the BLM, changes in federal land
use policies can impact the socioeconomic and socio-cultural way of life.
One needs to keep in mind that the various communities, and the individuals within them, contain a broad
spectrum of perceptions and values related to the road system and use of resources on the surrounding
national forests. Recreation (often roaded and/or motorized) is also an important component of the life
styles for many of the people living in these communities. These same communities and individuals also
have interests that span multiple geographic and political scales simultaneously.
The following descriptions portray communities only in the most simplistic terms, and do not capture the
full community richness.
Many of the communities (rural industrial, as defined in the Deschutes NF LRMP) within Central and
South Central Oregon, such as Crescent and Gilchrist, are closely tied to the Forests in work, subsistence,
and play, and are directly affected by what happens on the Forests. The relationship between the Forests
and these communities is based in part on access to logs so that individuals can make a living from their
harvesting, manufacturing, and transportation businesses; and catering to tourists drawn to the area.
People from these communities also use fuelwood, fish, and game for part of their subsistence and also
recreational activities.
The Sunriver destination resort community is defined by recreation opportunities and amenities and
recreation residences (rural recreation and residential, as defined in the Deschutes NF LRMP).
Environmental and scenic amenities and nearby recreational opportunities plays the major role in its
existence. Local service-oriented businesses are the major economic driver instead of extraction-based
activities.
Bend (Central Oregon Urban Center, as defined in the Deschutes NF LRMP), is the dominant community
in the Zone. It has a large industrial sector with wood products playing a major role, and a large service
sector based on recreation and tourism. In addition its’ financial, real estate sectors, and economy as
whole has increased substantially as people have moved into the area because of the amenities the
surrounding area provides, much of which is associated with the national forests. It is also the major
shopping and service center for most of the communities within the area. Due to its population size and
density, and economic and social diversity, the health of the wood products and service sectors of the
economy, along with environmental and amenity values, play an important role in defining what is
important to the Bend community.
Communities such as Prineville, Redmond, and Madras, from a historically perspective, better fit the
“rural industrial” community described above. But with their exploding populations and diversifying
economies, they are developing a more diverse set of interests more along the lines of Bend’s. With the
recent weakening of the economy, it is clear that these communities are still very much tied to the woods
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