Thank You Senators - Pat Krause, Portland

[Sent to those Senators supporting SB 30:]

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your vote to pass Senate Bill 30! Thank you for listening to the citizens of Oregon, for doing your homework and educating yourselves on the issue, and for recognizing that "development" is not always "progress" or "quality" to Oregonians. Thank you for having the wisdom and forethought to vote to save one of our greatest national treasures. You proved that you do care. You have showed the citizens of Oregon that you have the courage and conviction to protect and preserve the quality of life Oregonians want and deserve. A life that does include growth and success for the state, but not at the expense of our unique and pristine natural resources which can never be replaced. You make me proud to be an Oregonian!!

Sincerely,

Pat Krause
Portland, Oregon

Places Like the Metolius Make Oregon Special - Sam Morley, Washington DC

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

I am writing in support of Senate Bill 30, a bill that would prohibit destination resorts within 3 miles of the Metolius River Basin. I was raised in Oregon and even though I now live in the East, I have been returning to the Metolius each summer for the last 25 years at least.

For me the Metolius is a unique and precious area with unrivalled wildlife, fishing, hiking and camping. A fragile balance between environmental needs and human use has been maintained by the untiring efforts of generations of people who want to preserve this environment for the enjoyment of future generations. Places like the Metolius are what make Oregon a special place. Large destination resorts of the sort that are being proposed for the area will change the unique Metolius environment forever. They are irreversible. Please don’t let that happen.

Sincerely yours,

Samuel A. Morley
Washington DC

Thank You - Frances Hogan, Palo Alto, CA

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

My husband, my family and I wish to express our appreciation to you for your foresight in restoring the original Senate Bill 30 to Save the Metolius. Your vision will be instrumental in preserving this unique environment.

Sincerely,

Frances B. Hogan
Palo Alto, CA

Please Continue To Be A Leader - Susie Leone, Elk Grove, CA

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

I am writing regarding SB 30 (Metolius). I want to express my overwhelming support for your senate bill.

I am a Californian who has visited Oregon many times and have been to the Metolious River several times. It is a wonderful and serene spot within the United States! I support the original vision behind Senate Bill 30 and a total prohibition on resorts in or within three miles of the Metolius River watershed. PLEASE DO NOT COMPROMISE THIS BILL!

We need this area to be kept as natural as possible... a place that feels good and feels like "home." This area is rehabilitative to most of us. Quite simply, if we don't take care of the precious landscape we have, it won't be able to take care of us. PLEASE DON'T LET THE DEVELOPERS WIN THIS ONE! Don't let Oregon become uncaring! Clearly, the Metolious River watershed is at risk:- Destination resorts consume vast quantities of water (shouldn't Oregon be saving?)- Their golf courses, wastewater and pavement runoff can pollute surface and ground waters (Does Oregon NEED more than 35 golf courses in an area this size? You have SO many ways tourists can enjoy your area)- Thousands of more visitors will crowd the unique Metolious Wild and Scenic River.

- Damage to the sensitive riparian areas and healthy fish habitat, not to mention wildlife like river otters will be at risk. Please, Please, Please CONTINUE to be a leader on this.

THANK YOU

Susie Leone, an Elk Grove, California resident who loves Oregon and the Metolious River

Thanks To Senate Rules Committee - Pat Krause, Portland

Senate Rules Committee

Dear Senators:

To say thank you to all of you for your efforts to restore SB30 to its original intent does not seem adequate. I know SB30 is just one of many issues on your busy schedule and each one takes time, hard work, and commitment on your part. Your job certainly is not an easy one. Thank you for your part in defending and protecting a very special and magical place, the Metolius River Basin. You will be remembered by all Oregonians, present and future, as the Senators who listened and cared about the future of our state. You make me very proud to be an Oregonian.

Sincerely,

Pat Krause
Portland, Oregon
Washington County

Metolius river cabin for sale for approximately $700,000 - Kathy Reynolds, Camp Sherman

It’s true! These cabins are rarely offered for sale, since they stay in families for generations. Of course, the price doesn’t include the land, which is leased from the Forest Service.

This reminds me of a cabin which was traded for a (new) car, in the late 1950s. The cabin certainly has been a better investment than the car, and the car dealer’s grandchildren - and their children - will continue to enjoy it. Who got the better deal?

Well, Jefferson County wants to make a similar deal – they’ll trade over 10,000 acres of forest for increased tax revenue. These lands will be valuable destination resorts because of their beauty, location, wildlife, clean air, and clean water. But what if the resorts destroy the source of their value? What if future generations lose a wild and scenic river? Are we certain we can make this trade and come out ahead?

Please approve SB 30 with its original intent - to protect the Metolius Basin watershed. If the Bill is wrong, we can fix that. Jefferson County can find other revenue. But no one can fix polluted aquifers, or replenish them when they’re empty. Let’s make sure we keep something for our grandchildren’s children.

Kathy Reynolds
Camp Sherman, OR

Deepest Respect and Thanks - Kathy Krause, Portland

Senate Rules Committee

Dear Senator(s),

My deepest respect and thanks goes to all of you for restoring Senate
Bill 30 to its original intent! Faith in our "system" was restored
when I learned all of you had listened to the concerns and requests of
every day Oregonians! I know all of you have extremely tough and
demanding jobs. With great respect, I thank all of you for taking the
time to educate yourselves about the issue and speak on behalf of so
many Oregonians who believe this State can be a wonderful combination
of growth, success AND protected natural treasures! All of you will be
forever remembered as leaders in our community who had the forethought
to help protect an Oregon jewel! You will be known for having the
wisdom to research an issue and execute the right decision, so that
some day, we will never have to ask why no one cared!

Again, thank you for keeping Oregon the type of place that has kept me here!

Sincerely,

Kathy Krause
Portland, Oregon
Multnomah County

Thank You - Joel Wilson, HIllsboro

[Sent to members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

Thank you for your action in restoring the original SB 30 that will save the Metolius! Your devotion in preserving Oregon's natural beauty is indeed praiseworthy.

Sincerely,

Joel Wilson
Hillsboro, OR

Thanks To The Senate Rules Committee - Marie Sheahan Brown, Camp Sherman

Dear Senator Brown [and Senators Ferrioli, Nelson, Johnson, and Monnes Anderson]

I am deeply grateful to you and your colleagues on the Senate Rules Committee for your principled actions today to restore the original SB 30 to Save the Metolius. You make me proud to call myself an Oregonian. We still have leaders.

Sincerely,
Marie Sheahan Brown
Camp Sherman, OR

Dedicated To The Metolius - Matt Weeber, Corvallis

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee, Sen. Morse, and Reps. Merkley, Hunt, Roblan, and Gelser:]

It is my understanding that senate bill 30, regarding the protection of the Metolius River watershed may soon be coming to a vote in both the senate and house. I would like to make it known that I support the original vision of the bill set out by senators Johnson and Westlund. I believe in a total prohibition on resorts in or within three miles of the Metolius River watershed. I am a graduate student in Fisheries and Wildlife at OSU and my research revolves around the Metolius sub-basin and protecting its native fish species. I believe it would be a travesty to allow "big resort" development within a sub-basin that is already one of the most "road impacted" in Oregon. As a native central Oregonian, born and raised in Redmond, I grew up on the Metolius in a sense. One of my first jobs was working for Becky Johnson, on her property at the head of the river. I have fly-fished the river since adolescents. I have conducted countless snorkel and fish nest (redd) surveys on the Metolius' many tributaries. I am concerned that added anthropogenic pressure would only exacerbate current problems, such as illegal camping, fishing, and dumping on river tributaries. Please protect this gem of an area so that future generations can enjoy it in the same way I have.

Sincerely,

Matt Weeber
Corvallis, OR

I Grew Up On The Metolius - Celia Smith Walker, Fort Collins, Colorado

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

I write to ask for your careful consideration of Oregon Senate Bill 30, and for your support for it in its original version. The Metolius Basin is truly a magical area. It deserves protection.

I grew up on the Metolius. I attended the little Black Butte School, ate potluck and danced at the Community Hall, bought penny candy at the Store, hiked the trails, fished the tributaries of the Metolius, learned to swim in creeks and ponds, rode my bicycle along the cinder roads. I spent hours under the ponderosa pine trees and along the Metolius and Spring Creek. I grew up judging the weather coming over Green Ridge and Black Butte, watching deer out in the meadow. This is no place for the concentrated masses of destination resorts.

I now live in Colorado, and have for 30 years. Colorado knows about mega development….and has rarely done it well. Aspen, Breckenridge, and Vail are prime examples, and the pristine beauty of high country Crested Butte will be Colorado’s next example of development gone extreme. The losses are immense for those of us who have seen the wildflowers, the quiet roads, the clear water, smelled the peppery swamp grasses. Large-scale development is simply incompatible with such sites and violates them.

In 1996, following the death of my husband, I sought the Metolius for healing. My writings were intended to be private, but if excerpts of them help convince you of the criticality of protecting this area, then sharing them with you is appropriate:

“The river fills my senses. The first night here it was so quiet. Not just that campers were still, but that nothing seemed to make a noise except the river. The river doesn’t speak with just one voice, but several—or maybe it is one voice, but with much to say. The background is almost a buzz of water crunching into water, but it undulates irregularly. With its rise and fall you can almost visualize the wave caps over rocks. Then there is the galumph of bigger water sloshing into some temporary vacuum. The brighter splash against the rocks. The background’s dull roar must be the slot water upstream, first shallow, then forced into a chute down the middle of the stream. From the transparent crystal shallows where you can see the rocks, to aquamarine and white cascades with champagne bubbles churning up. It sounds like wind in the trees, and although it could be, I think it is the beautiful water of the Metolius, and all that I can hear. It fills me completely and reassures me that the world continues at some basic level.”

There is a value to humankind in preserving the few quiet, special, pristine places remaining. There is honor and respect for those who can do that, such as yourself.

Celia Smith Walker
Fort Collins, Colorado

Still A Chance - Steve and Kathy Bachelder, Camp Sherman, and Portland

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee and Senators Devlin and Courtney:]

I have just learned there is still a chance to move this bill forward. Please do so!

The Metolius River Basin is recognized as one of the most special places in the country, if not world. A river of unmatched beauty, magical in its mood and pristine character.

Allowing destination resorts nearby will tarnish it with overuse, fertilizer run-off, litter, noise and general degradation of what is Oregon's crown jewel of quiet beauty. We cannot allow such a precious resource to be swallowed up just for the sake of Jefferson County tax revenues and developers' profits!

And speaking of that, are you aware that the sudden change in Jefferson County development rules last year increased the value of the two developers' holdings overnight a hundredfold? For example, Dutch Pacific purchased its square mile just a year and a half ago for $1.1 million. Shortly thereafter, the development rules change made it worth at least $100 million once it sells individual lots. The Green Ridge development is ten times larger (worth $1 billion?). Please contact me if you would like to see the math.

The legions of lobbyists and lawyers money like that can field are hard to fight, and hard for a county with its own economic problems to resist. But it's a big county with lots of private developable land that does not threaten a national treasure. Please support SB 30 and encourage development where it is less harmful.

Thank you,

Steve and Kathy Bachelder
Camp Sherman and Portland

Metolius is NO PLACE for destination resorts - John Schubert, Bend

Greetings Senators & Representatives,

Please act decisively to help Oregon remain Oregon, by giving the strongest possible protection to the Metolius basin. The Metolius is NO PLACE for destination resorts--it would be over run and ruined for all Oregonians, for the benefit of a few.

My family has visited this precious place since the 1950's and it still remains an important place where we can see the old Oregon, disappearing all too fast in the face of rampant post-measure 37 growth.

Destination resorts that convert prime forest habitat into sprawling rural subdivisions of luxury homes are not in the long term interest of our state. Please do not sell out our future for short-term economic gains. If all of Oregon begins to look like the rest of the country, we will have lost a great treasure.

Thanks for your consideration.

John Schubert
Bend, OR

Life Along The Metolius - Quentin and Jean Smith, Eugene, OR

[Sent to members of the Senate Rules Committee and Sen. Burdick:]

We strongly support the orignal vision behind Senate Bill 30, and support total prohibition of destination resorts in or within 3 miles the the Metolius River watershed.

Our children attended the little grade school there inthe 1960s and in those days could run and play freely, safely in the woods. Quentin operated the little salmon hatchery behind the grade school almost single-handed, and drove snow plow some winters. I worked on the election board -- maybe 42 registered voters? --- was treasurer for the community hall and kitchen help there for our community dances and parties. The usual community sounds were the songs of wind in the pines and the Metolius rippling along. Our son and Pat Korish began the now-yearly project of cleaning debris from the river below the store bridge. Our children graduated each in a class of 3 from that school, and were well prepared for larger schools. Now they take their children and grandchildren to show them this area that has remained relatively clean and "wild" and which we all love so much. Please help us.

Quentin and Jean Smith
Eugene, OR

Seen Too Many Environmental Treasures Destroyed - Michel Bayard, Bend

Dear Senator or Representative....

I am a long time resident of Central Oregon, among many, who has seen one environmental treasure after another destroyed or severely damaged by uncontrolled development, resulting from greed and a lack of concern for our desire to preserve our wonderful environment. We live here because we love this environment and the passage of bill SB30 (in its original version preventing any destination resort three miles from the Metolius river) would help protect one of our last environmental treasure, the Metolius area.
Please help us pass this bill.

Thank you.

Michel Bayard
Bend, OR

Your Work Will Be Appreciated For Years To Come - Sandy and Erskine Wood, Vancouver, WA

[Sent to members of the Senate Rules Committee and Reps. Merkley, Hunt, and Roblan:]

We ask that all of you work to restore Senate Bill 30 to its' original vision before the senate brings it to a vote. We thank you all for listening to the words of those who love and respect the beauty and peace of the Metolius River area and wish to preserve a priceless area of Oregon. There are far too few places left in their natural state for our children, much less our grandchildren. Your work to preserve the area, rather than to permit development, will be appreciated for many years to come.

Thank you,
Sandy and Erskine Wood
Vancouver, WA

Don't Destroy The "Destination" - Stan Shively, Philomath

[Sent to all members of the Senate Rules Committee and Sen. Gary George:]

I understand that you will be taking up Senate Bill 30 (protecting the Metolius Basin) in your committee Friday afternoon.

I am writing to ask that you pass the original bill presented by Sen. Westlund protecting the Metolius Basin from destination resorts. I am appalled by the plan to establish two massive resorts in the Basin. These resorts would destroy the beauty of the region and, perversely the very reason for the "destination." The long-term loss to the State would be unimaginable.

My family and I have camped at and fished the Metolius River since 1970. Politicians often talk about 'family values' yet I can think of nothing that contributes more to a family than the ability to enjoy time together in the natural beauty of this great State - and one of the most pristine areas is the Metolius Basin.

I am asking that you protect the Metolius, now and for future generations.

Thank you,

Stan Shively
Philomath, OR

Destination Resorts And Global Warming - Lizbeth Adams, Seattle

[Sent to the members of the Senate Rules Committee:]

I am writing again to express my strong support of SB 30 as it was originally conceived, and to ask you to throw the full weight of your power AGAINST the development of the Metolius River wilderness area. There are many powerful arguments that can be and have been made against the destruction of this pristine and irreplaceable piece of nature. My argument hinges upon the impending crisis of global warming and upon your responsibility as elected officials to make policies and establish precedents that will begin to reverse this catastrophic climactic course on which we have found ourselves.

In the context of global warming, it goes without saying that building 3500 homes to which people will commute long distances every day is an act of grave irresponsibility. Add to that the destruction of trees to make way for those houses and the crime becomes more serious. Then consider the destruction of wildlife habitats, pollution of watersheds, and disassembling of ecosystems, and the project becomes frankly inexcusable. Building a bunch of houses in order that a relatively few number of people may benefit financially simply does not provide adequate cause for obliterating this beautiful and precious area.

The Metolius is one river in one state in a large country on a very large planet. It could be argued that the fate of this little piece of paradise is of no great consequence to the world as a whole and that it is fatuous to cry "global warming!" when considering the impact of such a small area.

But this is exactly where the destruction must stop and where a new and necessary model of caring for and preserving our planet must be implemented. How can we ask China to stop building coal-powered electrical plants if we the United States are unwilling to take steps to clean up our own air and water and develop alternative energy sources? How can we ask India to exhibit better stewardship of this planet if we are unwilling to modify the patterns of gross energy consumption and waste that contribute so clearly to the poisoning of our atmosphere? And how can we expect the federal government to create policies with teeth if they have no evidence of concern or compliance at the local level? This IS an area that can be controlled. This is an area where we and you can make a difference. And as our elected officials, you not only have the power to start creating intelligent and transformative laws and policies, you have a responsibility to do so. We do not stand a chance of reversing global warming unless we all devote our individual and collective efforts to the task. I ask you to set an example and create a model for positive moral treatment of the environment. Please preserve the Metolius.

Lizbeth Adams, PhD
Seattle, WA

Don't Ruin An Oregon Treasure - David Johnson, Salem

[Sent to members of the Senate Rules Committee and also Sen. Jackie Winters:]

I am asking that you restore SB30 to its original form, pass it out of committee to the senate floor and recommend a YES vote to prevent new resort development in the Metolius basin area. The pressure that would be put on this area as a result of the increased population of a resort 4 - 5 times larger than Black Butte, would ruin this pristine treasure that all Oregonians enjoy. Also, the potential for pollution of the most crystal clear river I have ever seen is frightening. The needs of an area's local economy should not be allowed to ruin an Oregon treasure.

Thank you for listening.

David Johnson
Salem, Oregon

Think Of Tom McCall - Bill Failing, Portland

[Sent to Senators Brown, Ferrioli, Nelson, and Monnes Anderson:]

I can hardly believe it is necessary to write this letter, as the Metolius River basin is so unique and so Oregon scenic, that one would think that it would be safe from developer desecration. Yet, here it is on the table. You and your Rules Committee colleagues have an opportunity to be heroic. Stop this dead in its tracks!

This sell-off by Jefferson County, not known for their planning brilliance---but known for pleading poverty, needs intervention by those with a more global view.

Partisan politics aside, think of Tom McCall…who always did what was best for Oregon. You can (must) carry on his vision!

Thanks for protecting what will be appreciated by Oregonians for generations ahead!

Bill Failing
Portland, OR
(Our family has enjoyed the Metolius for 85 years---I want my grandkids to enjoy it as we have!)