Stephen and Kathleen Schroeder watch the eagles that are returning to their part of the valley in southern Oregon. Lately, two pairs are raising their young near the Schroeder’s Scottsburg home.

But now, Kathleen worries that nesting eagles and the deer that graze next to her yard will be chased away by other newcomers—new homeowners. That may occur if a timber company succeeds in developing three parcels covering a hillside above the Schroeder’s property. Kathleen also wonders how development will affect existing homes and who will pay for urban services required by an isolated hilltop community.

Kathleen’s concerns echo some of the reasons Oregon citizens long have supported land use planning. She realizes that development not only impacts the environment but it also adds costs to neighbors. New construction could interfere with the stability and safety of homes in the area.

“How will they control the runoff when they build homes up there?” she ponders. And, as a member of her local fire district’s budget committee, she wonders how her community can ensure fire protection, both during the construction process and once the houses are built.

Kathleen supports individuals who want to build single homes on small parcels. She’s looking forward to new neighbors who are building a home and, who she says, “have done everything right.” She doesn’t have that confidence in the hilltop developers.

Kathleen is fighting mad about the threat Measure 37 presents to her home and the environment of Douglas County. She strongly supports Measure 49 because it keeps in place the sensible protections Oregon’s land use laws offer, both in managing the important asset that is our land and for all property owners.