The Crown Jewel of Oregon - Jeff Boyer, Bend

[Sent to Senators Westlund, Johnson, Walker, Metsger, Morse, and Kruse:]

The Crown Jewel of Central Oregon:

The Metolius river is one of the most amazing rivers in the world. This river and the ecosystem of the Metolius basin deserves strong and permanent protection. The river level has dropped substantially over the past few years due to drought. I fish and kayak this river and have witnessed this disturbing fact in a very personal way. Snow packs in the Cascades will continue to be depleted in the future due to climate change - this makes it even more critical to protect our rivers and their habitat. The wonderful and expensive public and private effort to put steelhead and salmon back into this basin now requires protecting the streamflows. The Metolius is sacred and needs our protection now, no compromise is acceptable. Please support legislation which will protect the Metolius basin now and for all future generations of Oregonians who do not yet have a say in this issue.

Jeff Boyer
Fisherman, Kayaker and Retired Professional Planner
Bend