Seven regional tourism projects received a total of $280,000 from the Visit Central Oregon Future Fund, according to the destination management organization.

Central Oregon is a victim of its success, said Tom O’Shea, Sunriver Resort managing director. But the negative impacts are not solely caused by tourism, rather it’s from growth, O’Shea said.

The Painted Hills are located in north central Oregon, 10 miles outside of Mitchell. The three units of the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument can be reached by car using secondary roads ...