Hooray!!!!!!!!!!! What an incredible victory for all Oregonians, the Metolius flora and fauna, the thousands of people who gave their time and passions to work so hard for this moment.

Deep gratitude and profound thanks to Rep. Galizio for listening to us and being open minded to change and making history with one vote! THANK YOU! I have to say that a month or two ago when I first found this blog was when I also first heard of Rep. Galizio and he was blasting this very bill. My faith in politics today is restored.

:)

Apparently Gov. K called Galizio over the weekend...and now he's a delegate, rather than a trustee.

It is a great victory!

I'm sorry, Pat, but I didn't see it the way you do.

Was the resort "shovel ready" with the zoning and all permits in place? Not what I heard.

I'm one of those (annoying?) folks who campaigned for Gov. McCall's re-election and still remember some of the speeches McCall made.

Using a search engine, I found the quote I was looking for and saved it on my computer. The fact that the speech mentions Jefferson County only made it more interesting.

http://www.onethousandfriendsoforegon.org/resources/mccall.html

But there is a shameless threat in our environment and to the whole quality of our life and that is the unfettered despoiling of our land. Coastal condomania, sagebrush subdivisions and the ravenous rampage of suburbia, here in the Willamette Valley, all threaten to mock Oregon's status as the environmental model of this nation.

We're dismayed that we have not stopped misuse of the land, which is our most valuable finite natural resource. Umbrage at blatant disrespect for sound planning is not taken just here in Salem, because less than a month ago for example, Jefferson's County Commissioners appealed to me for a moratorium on subdivisions in that county, because the speculators, the speculators, have outrun local capacity for rational control.

Dear Mr. Galizio: Thank you so much, and for not holding my rather cheeky letter and outcry against me. You did the right thing, Larry. Count me in as a strong volunteer and supporter for your next election.

Perhaps teacher/OEA Galizio appreciated Carla extending the OEA attack on ORCA?

Either way there's plenty of Oregonians who see this as yet another blow to our State perpetrated by a campaign of misinformation. The Metolius was going no where with the resorts.

Next blow, stop the LNG terminals and pipelines.

It's nice that Betsy Johnson and Ginny Burdick won't have anything spoiling their view.

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.

I live in Rep. Galizio's district. I wrote him an email after this vote, and he immeidtaely wrote back. We then exchanged some pleasant and constructive thoughts on the issue.

Regardless of the vote outcome, this experience has really brightened my mood about representative government. Being listened to, respected, and engaged in dialogue just feels...well, nice. Then to actually see your elected representative internalize the feedback, and alter course, well that feels almost shocking. I really can't express how much this improves my outlook on this session, and our system as a whole.

I live in Rep. Galizio's district. I wrote him an email after this vote, and he immeidtaely wrote back. We then exchanged some pleasant and constructive thoughts on the issue.

Regardless of the vote outcome, this experience has really brightened my mood about representative government. Being listened to, respected, and engaged in dialogue just feels...well, nice. Then to actually see your elected representative internalize the feedback, and alter course, well that feels almost shocking. I really can't express how much this improves my outlook on this session, and our system as a whole.

same here, although i was a bit of a poop to Larry in my email....and I agree with you, really makes a person feel like they can make a difference, although mine was not the one that convinced him....hee! (i'll be nicer next time)

THANKS LARRY!!!

Johnson and other Senators have been holding some pieces of legislation hostage in order to get this bill voted through on the House side. It became very personal last week.

Congratulations, Carla. Your joy is infectious today!

I'm proud to be an Oregonian.

In other pro-Carla news, I wasn't with you on the Lane County commissioners and the jail funding, but it looks like you got your way on that one, since the commissioners changed their minds and funded the jail after all. Maybe your influence from the left had something to do with that.

Congratulations to all of us, Oregon won today.

Rep. Galizio: I'm not in your district, but thanks for preserving a memory. In the 60's, all sixth graders in the David Douglas School District went on a geography field trip to central Oregon, and one of the stops was the headwaters of the Metolius River-the river that just bubbles up out of nowhere. It's nice to know it's going to stay that way...

"Never doubt that citizen action - calling and writing legislators - can make a difference in the outcome of something that matters."

If only the people would get off their butts more often and assume their responsibilities as citizens then not only Oregon but the entire nation could be proud of a better environment, health care system, fair trade, human rights, peace, etc.

"That when the state puts together a land use process meant to provide stability for development planning and environmental protections of sensitive areas, we should honor our process and commitments."

But we would be in error if we let process and commitments allow destruction of something as special and unique as the Metolius.

Metolius, such an awesome beer. We had that when we were out ice fishing http://reelretrieval.com/videos/ice-fishing-funny

Not to drag this off-topic, but if Reel is talking about the Metolius Brewing Company...

If you want a Metolius-themed beer that's about a million times better than the MBC, hear to the Bend Brewing Company and get a glass of Metolius Golden Ale.

Carla, I'm certain that the Metolius region is wonderful. I'm not on the side that 'won' today. Certainly from a micro perspective, those who wanted to preserve the Metolius 'won'.

In the macro view the other 'winners' were those who like to preserve scorched earth, winner take all politics as usual. Yep, the party in power takes a recalcitrant senator or representative to the woodshed and either promises retribution of pacification in order to get the vote they want. That and taking other worthy measurs hostage is old time politics at its best.

Those who voted for "We The People" and a promise of a new way of doing things defintely lost in Oregon today. That's too bad, because neither party has done long term good for the state. Perhaps there will be a new party born before the next election that will actually do more than talk about change.

Rep. Galizio, thank you for reconsidering. Deliberation is a key element of a functional legislature and you just demonstrated a willingness to change your mind based on added information. Thanks!

Carla, I'm certain that the Metolius region is wonderful.

If you have never been there, then you are the real loser. It is sacred ground.

Great work to everyone for fighting for what is important to all Oregonians, whether they've realized it yet or not.

Go ahead and pretend Galizio et al preserved the Metolius.

But the fact is the Metolius and it's headwaters is a small part of massive hydrology/aquifir system extending high in the Cascades which this resort could not and would not have diminished to any recognizable extent, period.

So making the connnection that the "the river that just bubbles up out of nowhere" will now "stay that way" because of Larry is too silly.

My guess is Larry knows this but will allow people to keep their illusion of his preservation.

"Urban Democrats led the charge to remove the local authority and anticipated jobs. The Governor's implicit endorsement and then rejection after the locals said to go ahead really screwed over both the investors and the locals. I fear that this will make getting a consensus on long term land use planning more difficult, ignite new conflicts, and make it more difficult for Democrats to win east of the Cascades. I hope I am wrong."

You are wrong, at least partially. Many of the people pushing to protect the Metolius are from the east side of the Cascades with a sizable portion that can be described as rural and small town. This resort might have offered jobs and taxes but it would have cost people more in the long term. Developers bought politicians a long time ago and they wrote rules that mean localities can't collect enough in system development charges (SDCs) to pay for the infrastructure that will inevitably be needed. People in Bend recently complained, like many other cities, that they don't have enough in their budget to take care of necessary infrastructure. That's because they didn't collect enough in SDCs from developers when developers were going full bore inflating the housing bubble. So, if cities didn't collect enough from developers to pay for the required infrastructure, who pays? The taxpayers, most of whom did nothing to create this need. That's who.

"We have tried for a decade or more to reduce the rural-urban divide and I suspect that this vote added some real height to the wall."

Did you hear Rep. Judy Stiegler's speech? You do realize she represents Deschutes County, don't you?

Do you know what high school Tom McCall graduated from? How many of the legislators who voted for the Metolius bill graduated from big city high schools?

Long before some current legislators were born, the McCall vs. anti-McCall view of Oregon was (to boil it down to slogans) statewide land use planning to protect the jewels of this state and "keep Oregon, Oregon" vs. "local land use planning and if the locals want to heed the wishes of developers, so be it".

A friend who fought hard for this bill grew up in a small town, and went fishing sometimes on the Metolius River.

But if he got very passionate about this bill he was adding to the urban rural divide? Sez who?

And don't make this about Kulongoski! To the extent this involved the wishes of any governor rather than ordinary citizens, it was about the wishes of the late McCall, Straub, and as I recall Gov. Atiyeh co-wrote a guest opinion asking legislators to vote yes.

I agree with other commenters that this isn't a rural-urban or east-west (of the Cascades) issue.

My wife and I are part owners of a forest service cabin in Camp Sherman. We know that when Jefferson County held a public hearing there on the rezoning proposal that would allow destination resorts in the Metolius Basin, opposition from locals was virtually unanimous (something like 35 to 1, among those testifying).

Plus, it is an accepted land use principle that a developer is foolish to plow ahead with his plans after an appeal of the project has been filed. This occurred soon after Jefferson County ignored local wishes and approved the rezoning. Currently the state Supreme Court is still considering an appeal.

So it's utterly wrong to argue that the Metolian developer was blind-sided by opposition to his plans, and that he deserves to be compensated for the money he's put into the project (as today's Oregonian editorial says). If someone goes ahead with a development in the face of an unresolved land use appeal, he should get no sympathy.

"Go ahead and pretend Galizio et al preserved the Metolius. But the fact is the Metolius and it's headwaters is a small part of massive hydrology/aquifir system extending high in the Cascades which this resort could not and would not have diminished to any recognizable extent, period. So making the connnection that the "the river that just bubbles up out of nowhere" will now "stay that way" because of Larry is too silly. My guess is Larry knows this but will allow people to keep their illusion of his preservation."

Perhaps Richard would like to show us pictures of this "massive hydrology/aquifer system" he has on his facebook page so that we all might clearly understand which bit of 15 year old snow melt this drop of Metolius river water is from.

So if I understand his point correctly, a short term development for someone else's huge profit payoff ($500,000/homesite X 400 units =$200 million) is worth it, because we don't know how the Metolius aquifer will be affected and that uncertainty makes moving forward with the development preferable to the preservation of a one of a kind natural area.

Huhh?

No one knows how or were the water for the main spring of the Metolius comes from. No one knows how drilling wells for development will affect it.

Period.

BS, RE

Hydrologists know plenty. You could easily google yourself if you were really ineterested in the truth.

The Metolius water comes from a known massive gound system in the Cascades. There's many hits like this.

http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu/under/oregw "The high Cascade peaks – Mt Hood, Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters, and the rest are volcanoes made up of very porous material. Much of the melting snow and rainwater seeps into the ground and comes out at a lower elevation. This is the main source of groundwater for much of central Oregon. The entire Metolius River comes from the Cascade Mountains' groundwater that emerges as a giant spring. Cascades groundwater also contributes greatly to the flow of the Deschutes River and supplies much of the water for the Klamath Basin. "

The idea that this development would cause the loss of the Metolius and the Metolius area is as contrived as the oppostion to LNG terminals.

But that's what enviro extemists do. Make up things.

http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2008/10/owrd-usgs-response-to-cascades-mother-lode-article.html "The large regional ground-water system in the Cascades, and its importance to stream flow in adjacent basins, has been known to scientists and water-resource managers for many decades. Hydrologists recognized over 80 years ago that ground water in the young lava of the Cascade Range was responsible for the stable year-round flow of rivers in adjacent basins, including the Deschutes and Metolius Rivers, as well as critical tributaries of the Klamath and Willamette rivers."

The extensive development in the Bend area has left the deshuttes flow very stable.

The realtive small Metolius development would not be noticable in the Metoius flow, habitat, scenery or experience.

Furthermore it would not happen all at once. The 50 first homes and infrastructure would yield no effect. The next 50 same. At build out the Metolius would remain in it's full splendor. All of those jobs, tourism and economic benefits would join the Metolius area not destroy it. And the tax revenue generated could be used in part for REAL environmental work.

Very good news, perhaps we dodged a bullet. After the first resort, there may be another, then another, then an air strip, a golf course, another resort, etc., etc. Maybe "good" for locals, as there would be lots of minimum-wage jobs cleaning rooms and busing tables, but to the grand kids, "Metolius" my mean "the fancy resort district" instead of an amazing natural area.

I can't believe Ted did two good things in one week.

This is unqualified good news.

Richard:

I'm happy to see that you're citing your sources. This is good... but I still disagree as your premise about the Bend area vs. Deschutes flow is a bit off-base.

I will tell you though that the reason development in the Bend area has left the Deschutes River stable is because the Water Resources Department demands mitigation through increased flow or water right purchase downstream. In fact, for about 10 miles upstream of Bend, the Deschutes loses flow of between 5 and 6 CFS per mile. (That's a lot!) But it doesn't matter in the long run, because that water is replaced by the time the Deschutes reaches Lake Billy Chinook.

Mitigation in the Metolius would work similarly: A decreased flow in the headwaters (described by the USGS and Water Resources letters already discussed on BlueOregon) would be mitigated DOWNSTREAM. No problem as far as filling Lake Billy Chinook goes... but the headwaters? Permanent decreased flow.

I'm very glad that the Legislature recognized the importance of preserving this treasure. Thanks Rep. Clem!

"but the headwaters? Permanent decreased flow"

You can chant that over and over again forever.

But it is just BS.

There is no evidence the development would have tapped into the headwaters at all. Let alone diminished it.

The headwaters are fed by an enormous hydrology system in the Cascades.

The convenient speculation on a hypothetical effect of some unknown extent is a concocted excuse to obstruct development.

Richard, I am half way with you as it concerns The Metolian resort which seemed like a very good enviromentally friendly resort. BUT if they had allowed The Metolian to go ahead..could they really turn around and deny the very much bigger and not enviromentally friendly Pondorosa resort or any other developer who comes along wanting a huge resort on the Metolius? Im not happy with this vote, but then again im not distraught that people want to protect Oregons great places.

I'm not distraught period.

Certainly not over people wanting to protect oregon.

Since I am one of them.

At least for genuine protection.

Not this repeatedly contrived BS to block development. It's the same as the anti-M37 campaign, anti- LNG terminal campaign, anti-smith rock resort, anti-pelican butte resort, anti Mt Hood Meadows expansion etc etc etc.

Carla,

Looks like you got your way. Congratulations.

I'm just relieved that another beautiful part of Oregon has been protected from ruin by development. Luxury resorts, blighting the natural landscape...who needs them? Yes, this one was supposed to be 'green'...that currently hip term probably represents an improvement over past developments, but they're still generally blights on the landscape.

What we need is money to staff campgrounds, so people can go as unobtrusively as is reasonably possible, to places like the Metolius to experience it.

Richard, Those suffering from Developmental Dementia can feel free to cherry pick your facts to fit your perspective.

Reading a little farther down from your quote of:

http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu/under/oregw

I found this interesting note:

"In fact, if we aren’t careful, pumping wells can actually affect river levels and draw contaminants from the river into otherwise clean groundwater. (See induced recharge in Groundwater Basics section.) River valley aquifers can be tricky because not all layers yield plentiful water. Some aquifers are so shallow they are at serious risk of contamination from human activities. Inland, human populations tend to be concentrated in valleys. That makes these aquifers extremely important because the water is in high demand by households, farming, industry, and other uses. All these uses have the potential to contaminate or overuse the precious water resource."

The quote you copied from:

http://aquadoc.typepad.com/waterwired/2008/10/owrd-usgs-response-to-cascades-mother-lode-article.html

was the preamble of the article, this was the conclusion of YOUR experts:

"In fact, ground-water storage in the Cascade Range and discharge of ground water to streams diminishes in response to drought. Ground-water levels in wells in the Cascades dropped as much as 20 feet during the most recent drought and have only partially recovered. Late season flow of ground-water fed streams adjacent to the range, such as the Metolius River, dropped as much as 30 percent during the last drought.

State and Federal water resource agencies already factor Cascade Range ground water in their management strategies. The U.S. Geological Survey and Oregon Water Resources Department have several past and ongoing projects that characterize ground-water flow in and adjacent to the Cascade Range, and have developed robust computer models to quantify its interactions with streams and lakes in the adjacent basins.

Additional study of the Cascade Range aquifer system is certainly warranted, but characterizing it as newly discovered and unused misleads the public into thinking it is an untapped resource ripe for development without consequence to stream flows and existing water uses"

-Hard to see how you missed the end of those articles.

USGS Hydrologists do know plenty and they are usually a cautious lot. They know freshwater is finite, and development once begun, is not.

"-Hard to see how you missed the end of those articles."

To the contrary, it is very easy. You just ignore the facts that fit with your fiction and cherry pick the "facts" that enhance it.

I neither missed or ignored the rest of the articles.

You're reading into those other parts what is NOT there.

Nothing in those parts adresses the resort effects on the Metolius.

Of course water levels drop during droughts. So how does that apply to the Metolius resort issue?

We would have more revenue for parks, trails and campgrounds if these reasonable developments were allowed. Just as SunRiver and other locales provide tremendous amounts of facilities to access nature and tax revenue to fund others.

But this is about fanatics who see resorts as blight. The cherry picking and making up facts then obstructs the developments.

Richard, again you ignore what is inconvenient. I sense a pattern here.

To reiterate my previous post: PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE FIRST LINE, after all it's your source.

'Reading a little farther down from your quote of:

http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu/under/oregw

I found this interesting note:

"In fact, if we aren’t careful, pumping wells can actually affect river levels and draw contaminants from the river into otherwise clean groundwater. (See induced recharge in Groundwater Basics section.) River valley aquifers can be tricky because not all layers yield plentiful water. Some aquifers are so shallow they are at serious risk of contamination from human activities. Inland, human populations tend to be concentrated in valleys. That makes these aquifers extremely important because the water is in high demand by households, farming, industry, and other uses. All these uses have the potential to contaminate or overuse the precious water resource." '

De Nile Is also a river.

The point is your certainty is Unfounded and Dangerous as NO ONE KNOWS what particular Snow Capped Peak the Metolius River Water comes from, OR BY WHAT ROUTE.

Should a developers well punch a hole thru the one lava tube that feeds the Metolius (just one possible source for the River) the consequences would be devastating and NO AMOUNT OF MONEY OR MITIGATION WOULD FIX IT! Damaged Forever.

Perhaps your fond of that latest landscape design motif, the dry river bed.

If you have some secret map Richard that will show us all HOW and WHERE the Headwaters of the Metolius are fed from, please share it with us.

Richard, Your ignoring the inconvenient and I sense a pattern here. I'll reiterate the first section of my earlier post.

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION THE FIRST LINE IN QUOTATIONS, after all it's your source.

'Reading a little farther down from your quote of:

http://groundwater.oregonstate.edu/under/oregw

I found this interesting note:

"In fact, if we aren’t careful, pumping wells can actually affect river levels and draw contaminants from the river into otherwise clean groundwater. (See induced recharge in Groundwater Basics section.) River valley aquifers can be tricky because not all layers yield plentiful water. Some aquifers are so shallow they are at serious risk of contamination from human activities. Inland, human populations tend to be concentrated in valleys. That makes these aquifers extremely important because the water is in high demand by households, farming, industry, and other uses. All these uses have the potential to contaminate or overuse the precious water resource." '

The point is that NO ONE KNOWS from which Snow Capped Peak the Metolius River Water comes from, OR BY WHAT ROUTE.

If a developers well punches thru the lava tube that feeds the headwaters (one possible scenario for the source of the Metolius headwaters) GAME OVER the river is: Changed Forever.

Unless of course you enjoy the latest landscape design motif, the dry river bed.

If perchance you have some secret map Richard that shows the subterranean source of the Metolius River , by all means, Share it with us.

Hasina Squires must be hating life right now.

All that work she did last session to sully legislators names who supported protecting the Metolius.

I agree with Brian's comment, "So it's utterly wrong to argue that the Metolian developer was blind-sided by opposition to his plans, and that he deserves to be compensated for the money he's put into the project (as today's Oregonian editorial says). If someone goes ahead with a development in the face of an unresolved land use appeal, he should get no sympathy.

If there was any sleeze going on, it was with Kean and his lobbyist.

<hr/>