About This Site - Intro and Instructions

Welcome to www.noresorts.blogspot.com. This blog was created and is being maintained by Central Oregon LandWatch, a non-profit advocacy group based in Bend, Oregon. We've created it so that letters sent to lawmakers in support of Oregon's Senate Bill 30 could be banked in a single site on the web where they can be viewed by members of the public and lawmakers alike.

Our goal in creating this site was to find a way to unify the voices of concerned citizens regarding issues east of the Cascades. We firmly believe there is no substitute for showing up in person to deliver your testimony in Salem. But for many of us in Central and Eastern Oregon, it's difficult to make the trip, especially on short notice. Because of this, we believe its important to find new and innovative ways of making our collective voices ring out in unison. We believe that this blog site is one way to accomplish this goal.

If you choose to participate, not only will your letters be posted online, but you'll be able to comment on the letters of others. Perhaps you read something in a letter that you wished you had included in your letter. Instead of - or addition to - writing another letter, you can enter your thoughts as comments which anyone is free to do. (Note: we reserve the right to delete non-constructive or hateful comments.)

Please note that this blog is not an exercise in objective journalism - it is part of a political movement. We are not concerned about fairness or allowing opponents of the bill to have a voice (either in letters or comments) on this blog. If you oppose SB 30 and want a voice of your own, you can submit your own testimony or create your own website. And if you don't want us to post on it, well, that's okay by us.

For those who do support SB 30, we ask that if you'd like to see your letter listed on this site, that you send the text of your testimony (e-mails, written letters, and in-person testimony are all welcomed) to us at info@centraloregonlandwatch.org and note which legislators you delivered it to, the date you delivered it, and who you are. We'll post it up on the site for you.

If you're planning on submitting testimony in the future and want it posted on this site, please cc us or send us a copy of that as well. And if you have any stories, pictures, or any personal testimonials, send those too - the more personal, the better.

Thanks for your interest in this issue, and send in those letters.

-Central Oregon LandWatch