Greenhouse rising at Central Oregon Veterans Ranch

A greenhouse taking shape at Central Oregon Veterans Ranch aims to be a place where local veterans can connect with the natural world.

The greenhouse project is the work of nine Rotary clubs across Central Oregon, all of which worked together to raise the funds needed to build the 16-by-40-foot structure, located on the ranch property about halfway between Bend and Redmond.

The ranch began a little over two years ago, conceived as a place where veterans with terminal illnesses can live out their final days, and other veterans can unplug from the day-to-day world, helping to raise livestock and produce on the 19-acre property.