Utmost Support to SB 30 - Ellen Wood, Camp Sherman

Dear Representatives:

I give my utmost support to SB30, a measure to protect the Metolius Basin from development. I have lived in Camp Sherman for the last 30 years and have recreated in this area with my family for 20 years before that.

I am sick at the thought of destination resorts, or any large scale development in the area, as are the majority of residents in Camp Sherman. The Metolius is unparalleled in its quiet, serene setting and attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Large scale development of the Basin would ruin it and deprive the many tourists from around the world who visit, and future generations, from enjoying this unique natural environment. It is Oregon's most precious gem and warrants protection from its legislators.

The private property rights of a few, such as the Lundgren and Colson families, should not be allowed to ruin a national treasure belonging to the public. Nor should Jefferson County be permitted to throw out land use regulations that the Local Advisory Committee (LAC) spent 10 years to develop. It is the County who is not following land use protocol. The Oregonian was mistaken about this issue and obviously did poor investigative reporting. Tom Landis, was the Chair of the LAC here in Camp Sherman and can confirm this fact. It is only because land use regulations have been ignored is there necessity for SB30. Sen. Betsy Johnson has been an advocate for the residents of Camp Sherman on this issue. I personally talked to her, before the death of her mother, Becky Johnson, and she informed me of her mother's desire to fight the development of destination resorts in the Metolius Basin.

The Metolius River has had many appreciative fans through the years, including my great grandfather Charles Erskine Scott Wood. The Metolius has been the inspiration to poets, painters, writers and photographers. Here is an excerpt from his book Poet in the Desert where he argues for the protection of Nature from Man.

Is there any flaw in Nature,
Or any wart upon her excellence?
I know not at what time,
For nature regards not the clock of the heavens
And keeps no calendar;
But I know she will not construct this beauty
And endure Man's ugliness
She will not scatter out of her treasure-house
This plenty and endure that Man
Should plunder his brother;
Shall her child destroy her house of eternity?
Or shall he pass into oblivion and her palace
Of ecstasy remain?

Let us listen to our forefathers and protect this beautiful place, unlike no other.

Sincerely,
Ellen Wood
Camp Sherman, Oregon