Oregon's big Wild and Scenic River
anniversary
On October 28, many of Oregon's most iconic rivers celebrated 35 years of Wild & Scenic River protections. This includes natural treasures like the Deschutes, McKenzie, John Day, Metolius, Clackamas and North Umpqua rivers. There's a good chance your favorite Oregon river was included in this legislation!
The 1988 Omnibus Oregon Wild & Scenic Rivers Act enjoyed bipartisan support as it was sponsored by Republican Senator Mark Hatfield of Oregon and signed into law by President Reagan. While there's not a lot of bipartisanship to be found these days, perhaps safeguards for drinking water, recreation, hunting, fishing and more could be a place for that to start.
The 1988 bill is still the largest single act of river conservation in Oregon's history at 1,400 miles. Despite that, and subsequent bills, only 2% of the state's total river miles are designated as Wild & Scenic. We need to do better.
Fortunately, we have a historic opportunity to protect over 3,200 miles of Oregon waterways through Senator Wyden's proposed River Democracy Act. The bill includes clean drinking water sources for the cities of Bend, Eugene, Medford, Oregon City and others, popular fly-fishing streams like the Fall River and North Santiam, world-class whitewater runs in the Rogue basin, and miles of critical salmon and wildlife habitat. If passed, the River Democracy Act would surpass the 1988 Act as Oregon's largest river conservation feat and increase the mileage of Wild & Scenic Rivers to 5% of the state's waterways.
—Sami Godlove
RE: Well Known Restauranteurs Plan Casual Tapas-Inspired Bar Downtown. Chow, 10.26
I cannot BEGIN to tell you how excited I am reading this. I mourned the loss of Toro Bravo. My grown children live in Portland and we celebrated so many things there. I love RBC but miss Spanish tapas. Cannot wait. I hope you all bring back the "kiss." Watching my family enjoy those is a forever memory.
—Heidi Howard via bendsource.com
RE: FERC Approves Pipeline Expansion Through Pacific Northwest. News, 10/26
Why are we putting our pocketbooks before the health of our planet? Contact your leaders mentioned in this article whom are making unwise decisions and voice your concerns and next time before you vote look at what interest groups support them and visa versa, don't just vote party line. When are we going to start putting politics aside and start taking care of our planet for future humans, plants and animals? There is a place for capitalism but it needs to be conscious capitalism where we look out for each other and our planet as a whole.
—Nicole Perullo via bendsource.com
RE: A Citizen Initiative, Doomed Before It Started. Opinion, 10/26
Like nearly every other issue of social import, Measure 110 has been so politicized as to make rational discussion impossible. 58.5% of Oregonians voted for it in 2020—the year BEFORE fentanyl-related deaths skyrocketed in Oregon and everywhere else in the nation. In 2022, as the epidemic continued to rage, eight states saw drug deaths continue to surge by 9% or more, with the greatest increases of 21% coming in Washington and Wyoming.
It is not true—as some ideologues claim—that Measure 110 is responsible for this increase in Oregon. In fact, an NYU Grossman School of Medicine paper published on Sept. 27, 2023, shows no evidence of that.
Co-lead author of this paper Corey Davis (clinical professor at NYU's Center for Opioid Epidemiology) acknowledged that the researchers were unable to assess the value of the harm-reduction and treatment center feature of Measure 110's two-pronged approach. "Most of that money didn't start flowing until almost the end of our study period," Dr. Davis said.
So, we are now seeing overheated rhetoric that aims to entirely scuttle Measure 110, when what we actually need is more time and data to ascertain if it is starting to reap benefits.
Who really wants to return to those barbaric years when prison replaced treatment and marginalized groups were targeted with excessively long sentences?
—Foster Fell via bendsource.com
Letter of the Week:
Thanks for your perspective on the issue, Foster. Letter of the Week!
—Nicole Vulcan
