Hello everyone,

Just a quick update to let you know what the Ponderosa Land and Cattle Company (Colson resort) is up to in their efforts to oppose Senate Bill 30.

Attached is a scanned pdf of a flyer they've been handing out around the capitol, which believe it or not, proposes to save the Metolius River by developing it!

The flyer reads "Protect the Metolius River... Amend Senate Bill 30." The deal is that in exchange for allowing a 3500-acre 2500-unit development (with two golf courses) they will support a ban on all resorts within three miles of the river.

(For those that have been following SB 30 since the beginning this is essentially the same as the "compromise" they were willing to accept when this was being debated in the Senate Education and General Government Committee, but which was subsequently rejected by the senate. This proposal, however, in addition to protecting only one-fifth as much land than SB 30B (90 square miles vs. 450 square miles), actually asks for 250 more units than the previous proposal.)

This proposal would provide virtually no protection for the Metolius: The land they are proposing to "protect" is almost entirely public and they refuse to agree to any limitations on water use. This proposal would, however, cut out the Dutch Pacific/Lundgren crew entirely (which suggests that the two landowners probably aren't very happy with each other right now!) but they're by far the lesser concern here.

If their tactics upset you as much as they do me, I encourage you to write about it. Tell the representatives that you will not support this "compromise" and encourage them to stand strong in the face of those that would weaken the bill for their own personal profit. Let them know this is not a partisan issue. Let them know what the Metolius means to you. Don't let the developers make any headway with their disingenuous "offer" to protect the Metolius.

Send your letters to ALL representatives so that they know that our voice is ringing out loud and clear. Please copy us at info@centraloregonlandwatch.org as well.

That's it for now– the bill still sits awaiting a hearing in the House Rules committee. We'll let you know when that changes.

We are fighting the good fight, we're fighting it clean, and we are winning. Let's not let that slip away.

Yours, Erik