To: Oregon Senators:Dear Senator __________,
My relationship with the Metolius Basin goes back over 40 years, before there was a Black Butte Ranch or even a Metolius Meadows development. I considered my childhood summer visits to this area to be the best part of the whole year, even better than Christmas! I knew, even as a child, that the forests, wildlife, springs, creeks and river of the Metolius Basin were magical, wonderful and irreplaceable. I felt that way as a young person, and I feel the same way today as a 50-year-old.
The additions of the Metolius Meadows development and Black Butte Ranch have already had a noticeable impact on the Basin from when I was a child -- these days, wherever you go in the Basin, there are more people, especially between the headwaters and Bridge 99 in the summertime. When I was little, my family and I would hike, ride, camp and picnic and hardly ever see other people -- and that is the way an area like this should be.
I cannot begin to imagine the numbers of people flooding the basin with the addition of more destination resorts added to this area. One of which is so massive it is beyond imagination, beyond responsible planning, and far beyond the ability of the infrastructure of this quiet rural area to support it. I live in Colorado now, and I know what massive resorts and the in-flux of thousands of people can do to the surrounding mountain forest habitat. It can be trashed. It can be trampled. It can be destroyed. People arrive with their 4-wheel drives, all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes and snowmobiles and find a close area to “recreate” in, and you know that is going to be the Metolius Basin with its wealth of logging roads and pretty little creeks and springs. I have already seen forest areas in the Metolius Basin crisscrossed with dirt bike trails, the delicate plants and flowers replaced by dusty ruts, and I have found (and picked-up) trash, beer cans and bottles left in woods. I have heard the sounds of roaring dirt bikes drown out the sounds of the birds and bugs. It makes me sad to see this happening already, and it will be far worse with thousands more people living and vacationing right next door.
Also, where does the water come from for a destination resort of thousands of acres of homes, hotels and golf courses? What would be the impact on the springs, plants and wildlife of the Metolius Basin if some (or most) of its water source was diverted and/or pumped to serve destination resorts? Will the Metolius River become just another muddy streambed?
It is one thing to look at a map and point out an area that seems acceptable for a destination resort, but it is far different to be intimately aware of a place, a very special place, from hours spent playing in the woods, building forts, catching frogs and fish, watching a porcupine, coyote or doe and her fawn cross a road, toasting a marshmallow over a fire or freezing your toes in ice-cold Canyon Creek on a hot summer day. I know that there has been talk of compromise. Is that really a word that should be used in conjunction with the Metolius area? Aren’t there places in this world that should never be compromised -- the Metolius included? Please find a way to halt this development before the magic of the Metolius is gone forever. I fully support SB 30.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and efforts,
Sincerely,
Trina Van Patten
Louisville, CO
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