What the Metolius River Means To Me - Kathy Krause, Portland

(To Senators Westlund, Johnson, Walker, Kruse, Morse, and Metsger)

I first visited the Metolius River when I was eight years old. This river was where my family spent summer vacation time. We would stay in a very old cabin (Lake Creek Lodge) and spend summer days and nights along the river.

As a child:

The summer days consisted of hikes along the river, riding my bike two miles to the headwaters and feeding the squirrels as I walked down the short path to see the beautiful river emerge out of the side of a hill into a large green, grassy meadow with a beautiful snowcapped mountain behind it. I would always ask the same question, "How does a river just come out of the hill"? I would build stick boats out of grass and bark which I would float from one bridge to another while racing down the bank of the river trying to "beat my boat" to the next bridge. I would find Salmon Flies in the bushes along the bank and toss them into the river and watch the large trout jump. I remember a fisherman explaining what "chumming" meant. Actually, I think he was grateful to see there were fish in the river, as he hadn't had any luck that day. I took up fishing myself. Lake Creek Lodge had a pond that was created by Lake Creek and kids were allowed to fish if your fishing pole was made from a long stick. I caught my very first fish in that pond. Dusk was the time for evening walks in hopes of spotting deer. Deer and stars were the glory of dusk. Why weren't the stars in Portland this big? Shooting stars meant a wish might come true. Many wishes were made on Metolius evenings. Nights were spent reading, playing cards and games. There were no televisions or phones and no need for them. This was time for family and friends and usually we were so tired, or so excited for the next days events that bedtime came early and easily. Who needed outdoor school when summer break was spent learning about ecosystems on a river through every day playing!

As a teenager:

Time at the Metolius was spent riding my bike and floating down the river on an innertube. The water was freezing, but the excitement of almost not fitting under the Allingham bridge made up for it. The Camp Sherman store was the perfect place to spend my hard earned babysitting money on candy and popcorn. Walking along the river as a teenager I learned what it meant to feel peaceful. I remember always feeling the Metolius was a happy place, full of wonderful memories and I always felt good when I was there. My parents were no longer married, and the family times were a bit different, but just being on the banks of the river made me feel safe and happy. It was as a teenager that I decided the large grassy wildflower meadow just before the Allingham Bridge was my meadow. It was the best place for stargazing, running and identifying wildflowers. The stars there were huge!

As a college student:

I introduced my college friends to camping at the Metolius. I was amazed that no one knew about Camp Sherman and this river! Friends who had grown up in Portland knew about Sun River, the beach, Black Butte, but never the Metolius. I felt so proud showing them how "my" river came out of the side of a hill! Everyone loved the area! "Norman Rockwell" was what came to mind. I still remember showing one of my friends the post office library and the expression on her face when I explained the "honor" system of taking books home to read. "You just help yourself to a book or magazine and then bring it back or bring another one for someone else to read". I remember as a child getting the Highlights magazine from the Camp Sherman Post Office library. Just like at the issues at the doctors office, all of the hidden puzzles had been completed by someone else.

Camping on the Metolius was fantastic! We would camp in the "hike in" area (our car was only a few hundred feet away) and we felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! For the first time, I felt like a grown up! It was so beautiful! The Metolius was untouched by human hands, and was magically and completely uninterrupted! I was very protective over the campsite. I was meticulous about making sure the campfire was completely out, I would triple check to make sure we hadn't left any indication of ever being there. I took pride in "my river" and wanted it to be as it always was - untouched by human hands. I knew what a special place it was and that I should leave it in better condition than when I arrived. We spent many wonderful college breaks camping on the Metolius! What happened on the Metolius will stay on the Metolius.

As an adult:

I realize what my experience on this river has given me and how it has affected who I am as an adult. I reflect on how blessed I am to have spent my childhood on a wild and scenic river. I have an inner peace, which is to this day, is ignited by the spiritual and pristine banks of the Metolius River. I am able to show young children how to spend summer days without television or video games and learn they crave the same experience of learning about nature and using nature as a playground that I did. I appreciate and love to be able to escape to an area where there isn't crime, billboards, television, traffic, noise and stress. I am able to know what a peaceful place is and as an adult, work as hard as I can to get time away from the grind of adulthood to go back to the river for a piece of it. I am able to realize how sacred and special places like the Metolius River are and that as an adult it is my duty to protect and save these treasures for future generations. I know now what an incredible and generous gift the land around the headwaters donated by the Johnson family is! Private land not only donated for the public to use and enjoy, but also specifically designed so that people with disabilities would be able to get down the path to see the beautiful river emerge from the side of a hill! This alone speaks of the passion one feels when one is touched by this beautiful place - you just want to share it with everyone in its current and untouched, pristine and magical state! No one can explain to me how beautiful, natural landscapes have come to be. However, I do know how they make us feel when we experience them. There is a price to pay for this type of beauty and that price is managed and restricted use and full protection. The Metolius River Recreation Area has and always will be available to visit, but it is home to our fish and wildlife and we (humans) are visitors. To allow "humans" to call this area home will destroy exactly what has drawn us to this special area to begin with. As an adult, I have a voice. I work hard, live my life responsibly and accountably and have earned my voice. Much like a child, nature has no voice. It is up to adults to speak up and be the voice for nature and children. I hope I may thank the banks of the Metolius for making me the adult I am by speaking for the river in demanding its protection.

-Kathy Krause, Portland, OR