27/09/2024
Keep the farmlands!
Hello wonderful farmers, vinters, and farm advocates in Washington county (or really close to WA county!
It's Aaron again, reaching out about land use, again! I bothered you all for a bit about SB 4 last year and North Plains this year and now we have one more big issue that affects us all as farmers and residents in and around the county and as Oregonians. I'm reaching out separately to you all because this issue - outlined in the call to action below - is something that really affects us as small scale growers right here where we farm.
The ask, from our group, Friends of Smart Growth, is below: it's mostly sharing with your lists. But I wanted to reach out more personally to you all since we'll be the most affected. If you are interested in helping out more or just learning more, let me know. We'll be assembling a group to lead the campaign and you all are certainly invited!
Thanks,
Aaron
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Hello wonderful friends of smart growth,
As you probably know, the governor called a public meeting as a first (and pretty much only) step in activating her supposed powers under SB 4 that would let her bypass 50 years of Oregon's land use laws, the laws that have protected forests, farming, hiking, and recreation in our state during times of massive growth. It has been reported in the Oregonian, OPB, and KGW among others. As stewards of the land, as caretakers of our democracy, as residents of Oregon we have to fight back against this. And we are.
This really is the biggest threat to our land use system in a generation. If Hillsboro convinces the governor to give it 373 acres of rural reserve land, some of the farmland with the most protections from development, this time, there will be a precedent and a road map for Kotek and every future governor to take land for whatever purpose they want. We will see land use go from a community decision to one made in Salem by the most connected and the wealthiest.
Hillsboro and the governor are taking what should be a long and thoughtful community decision and giving the power to one person to make in 20 days. This alone is unacceptable. The best way to stop autocratic decision making and secretive lobbying is to be involved and to raise awareness. We need you!
Here are ways to help, most of them take only minutes and cost nothing:
1.) Put one (or more!) of the attached graphics on your social media and send folks to our website, www.friendsofsmartgrowth.org This is an issue for everyone in Oregon who cares about our working and wild lands or who eats! Feel free to use the pitch above in your post if you want.
2.) Sign and share our petition. Let the governor know you oppose this land grab.
3.) Share with your lists. If you have a list for your CSA, farmers market, local community group, Nextdoor, or anything else, please put a blurb in for us. You are welcome to use the graphic or take anything you want from our website.
4.) Donate and, if you can, mention donations on your lists. We are entirely community funded and volunteer-led and we're up against the city of Hillsboro and the governor! We need some help.
5.) Come to the public meeting on October 10th in person or on zoom and submit testimony by the 30th. Info on that to be posted here as it comes out and on our website.
Thank you for your help, your dedication to Oregon, and for being willing to do the work to protect what we love about the state.
Aaron Nichols and Nellie McAdams
For Friends of Smart Growth
Protecting Oregon’s working and wild landsWe are an Oregon Advocacy group dedicated to promoting smart growth in our cities and protecting what we love about Oregon: open space, working farms, and scenic beauty. Learn more Sign the Petition Donate Help us fight sprawl in Washington county - sign o...
