OREGON RATED "MOST ENDANGERED LANDSCAPE"
IN NATIONWIDE COMPETITION

MEASURE 7 CITED AS THREAT TO BEAUTY, LIVABILITY OF STATE
Central Oregon Also Singled Out Due to Rapid Growth, Rural Sprawl

November 15, 2001--The State of Oregon faces unprecedented threats to its quality of life and scenic beauty, according to Scenic America, a national conservation organization that named Oregon one of the ten "most endangered scenic places in America" in a nationwide competition.

Oregon was cited primarily because its nationally admired land-use planning program, which protects natural and scenic resources and controls urban sprawl, is imperiled by the regulatory payment scheme of Measure 7, as well as other pending ballot measures that could irreparably degrade the state's urban and rural landscapes.

Scenic America separately singled out Central Oregon (Deschutes, Jefferson, and Crook counties) as another of America's "Last Chance Landscapes"--endangered places of beauty or distinctive community character that face an immediate threat-because rapid growth has exacerbated existing problems with lax local regulatory standards. For example, in Deschutes County, more than half of all new housing permits are authorized outside urban growth boundaries, leading to unsightly and inefficient rural sprawl.

"The motto of our state's tourism industry is 'Oregon--things look different here,'" said Randy Tucker of the land use watchdog group 1000 Friends of Oregon. "But if Measure 7 goes into effect, our state will suffer the same kind of ugly and wasteful overdevelop-ment that has marred the landscapes of so many other beautiful areas of our country."

Tucker pointed out that Oregon's planning laws protect not only natural landscapes like Smith Rock and the Oregon Coast, but also the "working landscapes" of the state's productive farm and forest zones, as well as the urban landscapes and "streetscapes" of neighborhoods, towns, and cities that remain vibrant by limiting urban sprawl.

Real estate developer Ed McNamara noted that the laws that protect urban landscapes benefit Oregonians economically as well as aesthetically. "Any developer has an obvious interest in cities and neighborhoods that are attractive and livable, since those are the types of places that support investment and maintain strong property values over time," he said. "Not only are these good places to live, work, and raise our families, but they are also good for business."

Measure 7, a little-noticed initiative that passed narrowly in November 2000 and is now under court challenge, would require governments to pay an owner of real property whenever a past or future regulation restricted use of that property and thereby threatened its speculative value. This sweeping measure would apply to regulations ranging from Oregon's Bottle Bill to farmland protection laws, urban growth boundaries, neighborhood zoning, transportation planning rules, and fish and wildlife protections. Since it would be impossible to pay every landowner affected by any regulation, the result could be a wholesale rollback of Oregon's land use laws and many other community protections.

A state circuit court overturned Measure 7 on constitutional grounds in February 2001, but its proponents have appealed the decision to the Oregon Supreme Court. Meanwhile, Measure 7 proponents have filed several new ballot initiatives that would drastically undermine the anti-sprawl protections that make Oregon a national model for sensible growth management.

Beth Burczak, president of the League of Women Voters of Oregon, cited her organization's long history of commitment to Oregon's land use laws. "If Measure 7 or a similar measure becomes law, it will effectively reverse decades of work by the League of Women Voters of Oregon and thousands of other Oregonians to protect the urban and rural landscapes and communities that make our state special," she said.

"Oregon, through its strong land-use planning laws, has become one of the most beautiful places in America," said Scenic America president Meg Maguire. "It would be a tragedy to destroy it now."

2001 Last Chance Landscapes:
The State of Oregon (including the Central Oregon Region and Wallowa Lake); Washington, D.C.; The Marsh Islands of Coastal Georgia; Red Rocks Scenic Road (AZ 179), Sedona, AZ; Coyote Valley, San Jose, CA; Narragansett Bay, RI; St. Croix Valley Scenic Corridor, Minnesota and Wisconsin; Harpeth River Valley, Williamson County, TN; Lynville Mountain Landscape, Roanoke, VA; Woodberry Watershed Forest, Baltimore, MD

CONTACT: Randy Tucker, 1000 Friends of Oregon, 503.497.1000; cell 503.481.9455
Steven Strohmeier, Scenic America, 202.543.6200 ext.18
(for Central Oregon:) Jeff Boyer, 541.317.9115, or Bill Boyer, 541.548.6544
FOR MORE INFORMATION: See www.scenic.org

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