'Friends' weigh in on Metolius bill in Senate

As Senate Bill 30 heads for a second public hearing this week, developers and interest groups continue to wrestle over the legislation which will shape the future of the Metolius Basin.

SB 30 is sponsored by Democratic Senator Ben Westlund of Deschutes County. As written, it would prohibit destination resort development "in or within three miles of the Metolius River Basin."

A public hearing on April 5 left many feeling dissatisfied about the controversial bill. (See "Metolius hearing breeds debate," The Nugget, April 11, page 1.) During the April 5 hearing, the speakers included members of the committee, a state hydrologist, representatives of the developers most affected by the proposed bill and Jefferson County officials. Due to the time constraints of the scheduled meeting, the supporters of the bill went largely unheard.

In an effort to allow for input from all interested parties, two work sessions with Senators Vicki Walker and Ben Westlund have been held since the public hearing. Work group participants included both opponents and proponents of the bill, including The Friends of the Metolius, the Confederated Warm Springs Tribes, Central Oregon Landwatch, Dutch Pacific Resources and Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co.

The latter two have seperate and very different plans for development in the area.

"It seemed as though progress was being made at the work sessions. However, correspondence that was delivered afterward made it obvious that some of the parties were not negotiating in good faith," said Shane Lundgren, president of Dutch Pacific Resources whose proposed low-impact development would be prohibited by SB 30.

Two days after the last work session, the Friends of the Metolius (FOM) provided their position to Senator Walker, the chair of the committee who was seeking to find some middle ground that would satisfy all parties. The letter stated that the FOM is opposed to the Dutch Pacific Development but would consider the Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. development with some significant concessions.

Although an agreement is not yet finalized and would be contingent upon the passage of a modified SB 30, Dick Kellogg, a FOM board member, and Rick Allen, former mayor of Madras who is currently registered as a lobbyist to represent Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co., both confirmed that FOM would not object to a 2,500-acre development by Ponderosa Land and Cattle Co. under several conditions.

The conditions include the outright donation of 1,500 to 1,600 acres of land which includes the headwaters of Fly Creek and placing several thousand acres into a conservation easement. An endowment must also be provided to care for the donated land and easements.

The development of 2,500 acres would result in a resort nearly twice the size of nearby Black Butte Ranch. No restrictions were mentioned by FOM regarding golf course development within the property other than to state that "...water use to the least possible impact to the hydrology of the Metolius Basin spring...."

However, the FOM continues to protest the low impact resort planned by Dutch Pacific Resources, citing: "Development will dishonor a sacred place of all Natives (sic) Americans and the legacy of its historic use." The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs have yet to comment publicly on this issue.

"What concerns us about the Lundgren (Dutch Pacific Resources) Development is that if it is approved and then they sell it to another developer who might then put in something very different than what is now proposed," said Kellogg.

Allen expressed satisfaction with the sessions.

"The work groups were good. People got to throw out what they were doing and what they saw. It was actually a good process, but it took a lot of time. The senators were there the whole time. They are working very hard to meet their objectives and see if there is some middle ground that could be found," he said.

All parties seemed to agree that they have no idea where all of the controversy will ultimately end up, whether SB 30 will be passed out of committee unchanged, will be passed out with some amendments or even be killed. The results of the upcoming hearing are being watched by a number of interests.

The second public hearing is scheduled in Salem for Thursday, April 26, at 6 p.m. in HR-C. The hearing will be immediately followed by a committee work session where deliberations will occur. Modifications could be made and it will be decided to move the bill on to the full Senate or to let it die.

Written materials for committee consideration must be submitted in advance. Arrangements to give testimony at the hearing can be made by contacting Dana Richardson at 503-986-1664.