Deschutes River footbridge ban dies but debate continues

Now that state lawmakers have headed home from Salem, one Central Oregon debate continues to brew over what happens to a proposed footbridge on the Deschutes River scenic waterway.

House Bill 4029, which would have prohibited any person, public body or local service district from building a bridge on the Deschutes River within certain areas of the scenic waterway, died in committee as lawmakers adjourned Saturday.

It’s a loss for some environmentalists who supported the bill.

Oregon Wild, a nonprofit organization that backed the move, told NewsChannel 21 on Tuesday it believes the bill would have passed if state legislators had more time.

Erik Fernandez said the nonprofit organization will continue to advocate for a balanced compromise that doesn’t hurt the wildlife.

“I think if the bill had passed, that would have resolved this issue. Given that the bill did not pass, this issue is going to carry on,” he said. “There will likely be a stakeholder process that will start in the next couple of months.”

The Bend Parks and Recreation District and the city of Bend opposed the House bill and had testified in Salem it would impact future growth plans.

Parks district Executive Director Don Horton said the district’s goal is to find a way to connect people to the river trail in the area just south of Bend.

Horton said the district is open to getting a planning process going and bringing in all local agencies, including environmental groups.

He said a bridge is needed in that proposed area ,but if local stakeholders can find an alternate route, the district would consider the idea.

“I think we’ve seen through this process both last year and this year in the Legislature that we need to build a stronger support for this project, particularly amongst the environmental community,” Horton said. “We do need to take a step back. We need to listen to what the environmental community has to say, but also combine that what the community is telling us and what the recreation community would like to do, to be able find a solution.”

Republican state Reps. Knute Buehler from Bend and Gene Whisnant from Sunriver have opposed any type of bridge in the area of the Deschutes scenic waterway. But both are leaving the Legislature: Buehler to seek to unseat Gov. Kate Brown, while Whisnant is not seeking re-election.