Yesterday afternoon, LandWatch learned that the historic campaign to Save the Metolius! was nominated for a prestigious "Wheelie" award by the Oregon Bus Project, an "innovative vehicle for hands-on democracy" dedicated to mobilizing voters and activists from around the state to support progressive causes.

Specifically, the Save the Metolius! Campaign is one of six nominees for the "Best Campaign for the Public Good" over the past election year. The stated purpose of this category is to identify "the sleekest, most effective, grassrootsy campaign we saw during the 2008 election year."

Just being nominated for this award is a tremendous honor, and no small feat when you consider who we're up against:

Yes on Measure 49, for its campaign to pass Measure 49 and reform Measure 37;
Stand for Children, for supporting school funding through tax fairness;
Farm to Schools, for getting locally-grown food into local schools;
Oregon Action, for fighting Portland racial profiling;
Defend Oregon, for beating back bad ballot measures.

Here's what the Bus Project folks have to say about the Save the Metolius! Campaign:

"For anybody who hasn't been, the Metolius River Basin is pretty dang gorgeous. And for anybody who didn't attend hearings on protecting the Metolius, these folks packed the rooms. Concerned citizens across the state swarmed the Capitol, testifying and lobbying and brought it home, enviro-style. By the way, this is another example of farmers being wond'rous."

I'm not quite sure what they mean about farmers being wond'rous, but if you were part of this campaign, you know just how considerable an effort this was. And you know that it was your support, and the support of thousands of others like you, that made this possible.

The winner will be decided by popular vote via the Wheelies website. To place your vote, just go to www.thewheelies.org and click the "Vote for Awards" tab towards the bottom. The "Best Campaign for the Public Good" is the second of six categories following "Best Citizen-Driven Campaign."

The Wheelies event itself is a red carpet-style awards ceremony and will be held on Monday, October 5th, at Portland's Gerding Theater (at the Armory, 128 NW Eleventh Avenue). Tickets are available online for $30 ($130 for VIP tickets) or by phone at 503.445.3700.
The event is sure to be a blast.