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County adopts updated Greater Sage‑Grouse combining zone map to match state rule changes
Summary
Following a public hearing with no in‑person public testimony, commissioners adopted an ordinance by emergency to update the Greater Sage‑Grouse combining zone map to align local zoning with recently adopted state habitat maps.
Deschutes County commissioners closed a public hearing and adopted an ordinance by emergency to amend the Greater Sage‑Grouse combining zone map to align the county zoning overlay with recently updated state habitat maps.
Nicole Mardell, senior planner with Deschutes County Community Development, summarized the background: the sage grouse combining zone has existed in county code since an earlier state strategy was developed to avoid federal Endangered Species Act listing, and Oregon Administrative Rule sections (as cited by staff) require periodic map updates. Mardell said the state updated habitat maps using newer modeling and mapping data; in Deschutes County the net effect is a reduction of roughly 27,000 acres of mapped habitat and a property‑level remapping that added and removed properties across core and low‑density designations.
Mardell told the board that because the state rule and maps take precedence, the county’s hearing was intended to align the local combining zone map to the adopted statewide maps to reduce confusion for property owners. She said property owners had an opportunity to contest the state maps during the ODFW process, but that contests required biological evidence to overturn a mapping decision.
Commissioners questioned staff about acreage and parcel counts; staff said the mix of parcel sizes explained why a similar number of tax lots could be removed and added overall even though acreage decreased. No members of the public testified in person or remotely during the scheduled hearing. The board moved to deliberate and, by emergency ordinance (Ordinance 2025‑001), adopted the map updates; the motion passed on roll call vote.
What’s next: County planning staff will update the official zoning map and notify property owners; because the state map now governs inconsistencies, staff said adopting the local ordinance avoids a default to the state map and reduces property‑level confusion going forward. Commissioners also requested a follow‑up briefing on sage‑grouse population status and conservation work in the area.
