There Are Parts Of Oregon That Belong To All Of Us - Andrea Scharf, Yachats

Send To the Editor of the Bend Bulletin and to the Senate Committee on Education and General Government:)

Re: SB 30 Metolius Basin

Although I’m not a resident of the Bend area, I have family there and have been visiting the area for the past 45 years. When I was sixteen, I visited the Metolius River Basin on a family vacation. I have been back many times, to walk to the magical place where the river flows out of the mountain, to breathe the clear air, to rejoice in the serenity of a special place.

Certainly many other people enjoy this area and want access to it, but the construction of large destination resorts of the type currently being proposed (Colson and Dutch Pacific) will in fact destroy those very qualities that make the place so special. A bill introduced by Senator Westlund has the potential to stop this kind of development and deserves strong public support.

There are parts of Oregon that ‘belong’ to all of us, and there are resources that belong to all of us as well. A development with density levels more appropriate to urban areas rather than remote rural areas poses a serious threat—to water quantity especially. The Metolius draws from underground aquifers. Resorts of this size will draw down the aquifer and threaten the flow that feeds the river. This will jeopardize aquatic habitat, including world class sports fishing opportunities. An invasion of as many people as is anticipated by the resorts will diminish the recreation experience, putting many more vehicles on the roads; increasing air, noise, and light pollution; stressing wildlife; and generally degrading the area.

I hope that SB 30 is successful in stopping developments of this type in the Metolius Basin. Public support is critical. People should contact their legislators in Salem, whether they are from the Bend area or elsewhere in the state—or even out of state.

Sincerely,

Andrea M. Scharf