Bulldozers, backhoes and water trucks are visible from Madras Highway, just east of Ochoco Creek.

Residents have been curious what is taking place less than two miles out on the highway, just off of the fields that were recently farmland. A recent tour shed light on the project, where the Ochoco Preserve, recently purchased by Deschutes Land Trust, encompasses 185 acres one mile north of Prineville on Madras Highway.