Oregon is facing what will go down as its biggest challenge in history — that of the random and unplanned development invited by Measure 37. That’s why I, a fifth generation Oregonian, and my wife are supporting Measure 49.

Measure 49 doesn’t repeal Measure 37 but we think it is the best compromise that can be expected. Without the modifications Measure 49 brings to Measure 37, it is just a matter of time before wide swaths of Oregon’s forests, farmlands and watersheds are ruined.

We, along with our neighbors, face a typical scenario for people living next to Measure 37 claims.

A timber company that owns land adjacent to us is demanding to convert more than 300 acres of timberland — about a square half a square mile — into a subdivision. This development, which we have no reason to doubt will proceed as laid out in the claim, will help destroy the rural Siltcoos watershed that also provides drinking water for the area.

Timber companies decades ago encouraged counties to implement the forest use zonings that they now are seeking to have waived via Measure 37. The companies have benefited from both the ability to cut and sell timber, as well as from a reduced property tax rate associated with lands zoned for forest use.

Changing the rules of the game in this way is not what Measure 37 was supposed to be about. Measure 37 was advertised simply as a way to help individuals who wanted to build a few homes on their land — NOT AS A GREEN LIGHT FOR LARGE BUSINESS INTERESTS TO EXPLOIT OUR LANDS, OUR OREGON!

I urge you to consider the consequences of Measure 37.
Please join us in voting "YES" on Measure 49. It restores a land use system that ensures balanced growth.

Rand and Kathryn Dawson, Westlake, Oregon