Letter to the Editor by Mary Ann Baclawski in the Statesman Journal, October 24, 2007

I back Measure 49. Once land is built on, it is forever lost to farming.

Oregon has incredibly productive land. Oregon soil is the reason pioneers trekked here.

If a vineyard goes out of business, it can be replaced by another crop. If a strip mall or big box building becomes vacant, it may sit idle for years or forever. We've all seen that phenomenon. However, the land upon which it sits can never be converted to agriculture again.

We live in a world that faces many unknowns. We don't know how climate change, peak oil and possible pandemics are going to affect Oregon.

As it becomes prohibitive to ship food around the globe, or supplies become suddenly disrupted, we may desperately need all the locally grown food we can get.

As ecosystems shift north, we may need to replace California-grown food with Oregon-grown food. Already, there is talk of pinot wine production shifting north from California to Oregon. Where will we get our lettuce, spinach, strawberries, etc., if not from Oregon?

There are property rights and there is the common good.

Measure 37 went too far in one direction. Let's give Measure 49 a try.