Metolius Deserves, Needs To Be Protected - Madeleine Landise, Camp Sherman

[Sen to Rep. John Dallum and House Leadership:]

I have lived full time in the Metolius Basin for 18 years & have actively worked to protect it from environmental and social damage since I moved here. It is a unique area in many, many ways and deserves statewide, if not national, recognition. Our Jefferson County officials do not seem to care if the pristine water quality, wildlife and flora, clean air, dark nights, quiet, views and more... will be compromised, just for their short term goals of quick cash from un-needed resorts . Traffic on our narrow roads, overpopulation on the Wild and Scenic Metolius River, safety, and increased fire risk in surrounding National Forest are a few things that unneeded development will certainly bring to this entire area.

The Metolius deserves, needs, to be protected for ALL people to enjoy for future generations, not just two developers and their clients who would benefit if ill conceived destination resorts were allowed to be built. No one stands to benefit from this bill except the special interests of the developers and a few county officials!

Please vote in support of SB 30 and create a lasting, living legacy of a permanently protected Metolius River and Basin for ALL citizens!

Thank you,

Madeleine Landis
Camp Sherman, OR

Many Reasons To Support SB 30 - Russell Eaton, Portland

Dear Representative:

I am writing to urge you to support, without amendments, Senator Westlund's Senate Bill 30.

Powerful development companies, planning to build destination resorts near the Metolius River, are even now lobbying the House in an effort to weaken or kill Senate Bill 30.

One such resort, containing over 3000 homes and 2 Golf Courses, is sited directly above the Metolius. It will need water, alot of it, and the wells it drills could tap into the aquifer that is the source of the Metolius River. Any draw down of this aquifer threatens the flow of the River and all those creatures dependent upon it.

This [See image] is the headwaters of the Metolius River.

Thousands of visitors a year come to walk the banks and marvel at a river that springs full blown from the side of a hill. A river whose water flow is constant and clear, providing habitat for one of the strongest populations of native trout in Oregon. Osprey, Eagles, Ducks and Geese call this river home, as does the tiny community of Camp Sherman, all of whom would suffer the impact of development.

This development will sit in the middle of national forest lands. In such cases, the Forest Service has a mandate to protect life and property in case of wildfires and, as the B & B Complex fire proved, this area is prone to wildfires. Fire fighters will have to divert precious resources to protect such a development, putting more of our forests at risk. Who pays the Tens of millions of dollars it costs to fight such fires, not the developer, it is the citizens of Oregon.

On the surface you may see this as a local land use issue and prefer not to revisit the reasons why Jefferson County rezoned a timber parcel for a housing development, a "destination resort". It comes down to money. Money for the tax base of Jefferson County and Money in the pockets of developers who will, based on other developments of this class, price just the bare land for each home at $500,000 X 3000=1.5 Billion dollars.

Seven years ago when this land was purchased, it could not be subdivided and was originally zoned for logging of all trees 21" or less. Jefferson County's rezoning of this land has increased it's value 100 fold.

The danger that 3000 new homes pose to the fragile ecosystem of the Metolius Basin cannot be underestimated. The impact on the water table alone should give one pause for thought, as well as the damage to the river's water quality from sewage and fertilizer run off.

How ironic that the very reason the developers chose this pristine site for development
would be diminished forever by their very presence.

I have lived my entire life (45 years) in the state of Oregon and I have never spoken out on a political issue before. However I cannot remain silent while this magical jewel of a river is threatened. I have fished rivers and streams through out the State and have not seen anything to match the clarity of the water in the Metolius.

I am not alone in recognizing the attributes of this area. Just before the Normandy invasion of Europe in World War II Gen. George Marshall, Army Chief of Staff, called up a friend, Erskine Wood, and said that he expected in a short time to be extremely busy and wanted a few days rest. He asked to spend that time at Erskine’s camp on the Metolius because he could think of no more restful spot.

At the turn of the century the majority of the Metolius River Basin was privately owned by lumberman intent on clear cutting the area. They waited for a rail line to go through on the Santiam Pass to move their timber to market. That rail line never came. The land remained, the trees remained, and this magical river runs through it all. The Metolius River Basin is a gift to us from the past, a twist of fate has left it to the citizens of Oregon intact.

The River flows past Indian reservations, past county lines, into the Deschutes River, and from there into the Columbia. It is designated a wild and scenic river by the federal government.

Generations of Oregonians have brought their children here to experience the beauty of nature first hand, and those children have returned with their children.

1.5 Billion dollars, it's easy to see why the land was rezoned by Jefferson County.

But I live in a state who has been represented in the past by legislators with the vision to see beyond immediate profit. I live in a state that that has led the nation in forward thinking, the Bottle Bill, and Public Beaches to name a few examples. I live in a state that had the forethought to make "Quality of Life" a tangible idea and protect it.

Governance is by no means an easy task and I am fully aware that you face enormous pressure from your constituency. However, you are also empowered to act in the best interest of Oregon's future citizens, and that future includes making wise decisions despite the vagaries of business interests or public opinion.

And now it falls to you representative, will you protect that which cannot be replaced? Will you stand up as your predecessors have done and protect the things that make Oregon, Oregon?

Who speaks for this river and it's pure waters.

I ask you for your support for Senate Bill 30.

Sincerely,
Russell Eaton
Portland, OR

Watercolor - Rebecca Wood Hardesty

Dear Senator Westlund,

I painted this watercolor of the Metolius River Basin (near Camp Sherman) this month and am sending you a file containing the picture. Please feel free to use it as you wish in any correspondence or otherwise (you have my full permission to reprint) in support of SB 30. I think visualizing the scenic elements helps people relate to the purpose of SB 30.

Please call or email me with any questions.

Respectfully,

Rebecca Biddle Wood Hardesty
Boise, ID

From Rebecca Wood Hardesty - Painted In Support of Senate Bill 30

Oregonians Are Looking To You - Rebecca Wood Hardesty, Boise ID

Dear Representatives:

I am writing to urge you in the strongest possible way to pass SB 30 to protect the Metolius River Basin from resort development. Oregonians are looking to you as their elected representatives to protect this one of a kind, unique and pristine land from permanent destruction. This beautiful and calm river basin contains unmatched scenic beauty which Oregonians and people from all over the world treasure. The scenic and ecological wonder of the huge ponderosa pines, the deep pools of water filled with bull trout and other fish, the lazy logs stretching across the river, the Indian paintbrush and Mt. Jefferson looming in the background will never be the same if speeding past the river and through the forest are thousands of cars making their 35,000 daily car trips (the amount attributable to a resort of 3,500 homes), if exhaust from the human imprint muddies the beautiful blue sky, if trees are cut to build resort McMansions, if the road system and infra structure is improved to accommodate the new population boom. .. . and the list goes on. Consider the painting above with cars driving on roads through the forest. Would it be the same? Of course not. Nothing would ever be the same in the Metolius River Basin.

Please consider what is driving the resort rezone - solely private profit and limited county economic interests. Solely money. Is private profit a legitimate reason to forever give up this natural treasure? No.

Consider the legacy you as representatives of Oregonians will create by standing up and protecting one of the most beautiful places in the world. Do Oregonians care about advancing one or two developer's private profit interests? Of course not! This is not why we elected you! Do we care about protecting this treasure? Of course we do!

The passing of SB 30 will become a most honorable part of Oregon's history and a matter of legacy which future generations will admire and appreciate.

Thank you for your strong and courageous leadership.

Rebecca Biddle Wood Hardesty

Paradise - Tom Anderson, McMinnville

Honorable Members of the House:

I am writing to you about a piece of legislation that is very important to me. My fondest childhood memories are from my family’s summer trips to Camp Sherman. Every summer, my parents took my brother and sisters and me to the Metolius River where we camped or rented a cabin. I don’t own any property there, but I have been returning ever since for 30 years to camp, hike, fish, and ride my bike.

The Metolius and Camp Sherman are unique because the area is an incredibly beautiful natural wonderland where there is a perfect balance between accessibility and a quiet experience in a part of nature that, if you’ve ever been there I think you would agree, is paradise. I was shocked to learn that Jefferson County has decided to permit the development of destination resorts in the Metolius Basin with thousands and thousands of houses, golf courses, etc. I am not against development, but the Metolius River Basin is one of the greatest natural treasures in this state; it is the wrong place to build destination resorts because that would forever ruin the special character of this unique place, with overcrowding, traffic, noise, and pollution. You can walk across the tree-studded little parking lot of the general store to the wooden bridge at Camp Sherman and fed the huge trout swimming below it. That bridge could not accommodate the 33,600 additional daily car trips the proposed destination resort would bring. The Jefferson County Planning department uses the Institute of Transportation Trip Generation Manual to assign 9.6 trips per day to each house and if 3500 houses are built in a destination resort (as in one currently proposed), that will generate 33,600 vehicle trips per day on the Camp Sherman road. What will that cost in road maintenance and expansion, traffic, pollution, and carbon emissions? Someone actually has to pay these costs and that someone is Oregon citizens and taxpayers.

The sleepy little village of Camp Sherman would be changed forever into something more like downtown Sisters where it is hard to even cross the road. I cringe to think of what the crowds would do to the banks of the river.

I am writing to ask that you give energetic support to SB 30 and preserve one of Oregon’s greatest natural treasures for generations to come.

Sincerely,
Thomas H. Anderson
Law Offices of Thomas H. Anderson, P.C.
McMinnville, Oregon

To Rep. Burley: Support SB 30 - Betsy Warriner, Bend

[Sent to Chuck Burley and the three leaders:]

Dear Chuck - Please do everything you can to support SB 30 in order to
protect the Metolius watershed. The Metolius is a unique Oregon
heritage. The clarity of its water creates reflective colors that awe
me and my family, friends, and visitors, whenever we have the privilege
of walking beside it. Special places like this do more for the economy
and the quality of life in Oregon, in the long run, than
inappropriately sited resorts.

Thank you for your support, Betsy

Betsy Warriner
Bend, OR

Metolius is Unique - John Hogan, Laguna Hills, CA

Honorable Representatives:

I strongly urge you to support the passage of SB 30 to prevent the development of destination resorts in the Metolius Basin.

I own 10 acres of unimproved property in the lower reach of the river that I purchased four years ago. I have also been a summertime visitor to the Metolius for nearly every one of my 55 years.

I find the Metolius to be unique in many ways. One of these is how little it changes from one year to the next and from one generation to the next. It is one of the very few constants in life. The Metolius does not have second home mansions like are found in so many other parts of Central Oregon. The homes are simple, many historic. Social stratification is nonexistent at the Metolius. Residents and visitors alike share a strong common bond: their love for the River. We consider ourselves stewards of the Metolius who seek to preserve this special place for the benefit of future generations. There is no doubt that the introduction of destination resorts in that area would forever alter the character of the area and destroy the unique qualities that are held so dear.

Jefferson County clearly erred when they recently changed the land use designation to allow such resorts to be developed in the basin. It is an injustice to the taxpayers and citizens of Oregon that a unique asset of statewide, even national significance will be compromised so that one County can raise a few tax dollars while several Johnny-come-lately developers get rich. I respect the rights of Jefferson County to make land use decisions, but when those decisions promote the special interests of a few to the detriment of the entire state, then I would expect our state representatives to intercede, as SB 30 would rightfully do.

I also respect the rights of property owners to develop their property. However, these properties had never been developable until the land use designation abruptly changed a few months ago. What a windfall for the fortuitous developers who recently acquired these properties! Prohibiting the development of these properties into destination resorts will not make victims out of these property owners. They will end up with exactly what they bought to start with…forest management land.

Introducing developments of these magnitudes into the midst of forests is the antithesis of sustainable development…no matter how “green” the proposals claim to be. Such developments also gravely threaten the ecology of the forests by fragmenting and bifurcating habitats. These developments further strain the resources of the Forest Service, the agency who must now be on alert to suppress wildfires near such developments (at taxpayers’ expense).

It is simply wrong that a special area like the Metolius Basin should be irreparably degraded and exploited so that Jefferson County can try to solve it’s economic health issues. Please help create your own legacy by voting to support an unaltered SB 30. Future generations of Oregonians will be forever grateful.

Sincerely,
John C. Hogan
Laguna Hills, CA

Editorial: Regarding Opposition to SB 30Erik Kancler, LandWatch

I have been very careful in editing this blog to ensure that the content is devoted almost entirely to supporters of SB 30 and not filled with "editorial content." However, I believe that the following is matter worth commenting on as it forces the fundamental question of who exactly is in support of SB 30 and who is against it.

A few days ago, the Bend Bulletin published an "In My View" by a Bend resident named Duane Clark.

In his letter, Mr. Clark informed his readers that he is a former watermaster with extensive experience in the Metolius basin, thus attempting to establish himself as an authority on water in the Metolius, which he may well be. What he didn't inform his readers of - or the Bulletin, it seems - is the fact that he is a close friend of the Colson family and that he was worked for them as a paid consultant on water-related issues before.

The Source Weekly has just reported on this matter, you can find the story here.

The point of the piece isn't to discredit Clark, per se, but to raise legitimate questions about his partiality on the matter and ask the readers to decide for themselves where they think he stands.

When I first read the piece, I thought to myself, "Well, here's the first real opinion piece I can recall where an impartial observer - a regular and probably well-informed citizen - has come out against SB 30."

As it turns out, that may not be the case. The letter got me wondering just how strong the support for SB 30 is amongst people, and left me thinking that if this is all the other side can muster up, they must really be struggling. Even Senator Ted Ferrioli - in his floor speech on SB 30 - couldn't claim to have talked to any consituents in his district who were against SB 30 and who were not local government officials or who otherwise stood to gain in some way from the developments going forward.

As has been reported previously, Sen. Westlund's office has received more letters of support for SB 30 than they have in support or opposition of any other bill. This was true as far back as a month ago, and he's certainly received many more letters since. When last I checked, those letters of support outnumbered those opposing SB 30 by 100-1.

On this blog alone, we have received over 260 letters of total support for SB 30 and a ban on resorts in or near the Metolius basin. Those letters have come from Republicans and Democrats from districts all over the state.

And numerous public interest groups have lined up to support SB 30 as well. Not Just Friends of the Metolius and LandWatch, but Backcountry Hunters and Anglers, Trout Unlimited, The Native Fish Society, WaterWatch of Oregon, OSPIRG, the Oregon League of Conservation Voters, 1000 Friends of Oregon, and numerous others. Not a single group has staked out opposition to SB 30.

Where this leaves us is that support for SB 30 among unbiased citizens - those who don't stand to gain politically or financially from the bill - seems to be near unanimous. And contrary to what the Bulletin has suggested repeatedly on its editorial page, this support extends far beyond Camp Sherman, both geographically and in number of supporters. The only real detractors of SB 30, it seems, are the owners/developers of the Dutch Pacific and Colson properties and their associates, local officials in Madras (but not in Sisters or Warm Springs!) and Republicans in the state legislature.

It's understandable why the developers are against SB 30 and why Jefferson County is opposed given the position they've staked out for themsleves, but given how the general public feels, why haven't any of the Republicans in the legislature come around? They all voted against it in the Senate, and I'm not aware of any in the House who have expressed any intent to support SB 30 when it comes time to do so. So what's holding them up?

At this point it's hard to say, but it certainly isn't their consituents.

-Erik Kancler
Executive Director, Central Oregon LandWatch
Bend, OR

Do Not Let the Metolius Get Destroyed - Michael Graham, Portland

[Sent to the members of the House Rules Committee and copied to House leadership:]

This message is to implore you, as a member of the House Elections, Ethics and Rules Committee to vote to pass, UNCHANGED, Senate Bill 30, a measure passed by the Senate and now in the House. This bill protects the precious Metolius Basin from rapacious development by landowners who have cowed Jefferson County into submission and whose only real interest is in creating profits for themselves and their cronies.

For the last 30 years we have seen the Metolius Basin community slowly grow and the growth has been well managed and it's effects on the basin have been minimal.

The proposed development of no less than 3000 homes on on the 3500 acres of the Colson property and over 300 units on the 640 acres on the Dutch/Pacific property are simply outrageous. The destruction of wildlife habitat, the creation of colossal traffic overloading of the roads, the degradation of water quality and availability, and the additional pollution created by so many new residences in the now pristine area are mind-boggling. This unique basin would be overwhelmed and it's pristine character, a precious possession of ALL THE STATE AND, INDEED, THE ENTIRE COUNTRY, would be forever lost. All for a pitiful modest inflow of tax dollars to the county.

I encourage you to vote for the original uncompromised version of Senate Bill 30 and place a total prohibition of any destination resorts in or within three miles of the Metolius Basin watershed.The Metolius basin is a unique and precious asset to the state and the country...we cannot let it be destroyed by greedy, unthinking and uncaring so-called "developers".

Michael H. Graham, MD
Portland