Gary and Cheri Rhinhart grow wheat on land that has been in Gary's family for more than 150 years. The Pendleton farmer's 600 acres is surrounded on three sides by Measure 37 claims that will mean houses going up on this dry, rolling farmland. Gary figures at least 1,000 homes will be built nearby in this farming country.

Gary fears this development will ruin important Oregon farm land, wildlife habitat and natural resources. He supports Measure 49 as a way to fix problems, mostly unforeseen, that are looming as a result of Measure 37.

Gary feels like he is not alone. "Everybody thinks everyone in Eastern Oregon is all for property rights no matter what. But I think the majority around here don't support Measure 37 as it turned out. They are not for housing developments on farm land. It was really a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Gary is worried about what the development will do to Birch Creek, a spawning and rearing habitat for steelhead and salmon, which runs though his property. It is an area critical for wild life such as deer and pheasants.

His property is across the road from the McKay National Wildlife Refuge, a 1,837 acre area of water, marsh and grasslands. McKay provides a resting and feeding area for migratory birds. Pheasants are common and bald eagles make an appearance in winter. Hunting, fishing and boating are popular at the McKay Refuge.

Gary worries about daily life and the faming industry too. The development "would be an absolute disaster water-wise," Gary says. "We're losing our groundwater here," he says, and more homes would only make the problem worse.

Then there is the conflict that seems to naturally arise when farming land and housing developments begin sharing the same turf. "When we spray, we have real issues. We can no longer hire a helicopter to spray, it has to be ground spray now," he says. The narrow rural roads are not built to handle the creeping, bulky farm equipment plus traffic from housing developments. These issues would only get worse with more development in the area, Gary says.

Gary is sympathetic to the issue of property rights. "I understand people's desire and feeling that they have the right to do as they wish with their own property. But whatever you do with your property affects all the neighbors." Gary knows it’s that need for balance that makes Measure 49 so important to Oregon.