Oregon Country Fair 2010

Oregon Country Fair 2010

Well, that was fun!  I just got back last night from this year’s experiment in family, art, music, craft, thought, science, and transitioning to a different way of thinking and being – The Oregon Country FairThis year I worked in the Wileyware booth, helping Marcia Wiley show off her beautiful glasses, taking pictures, fetching lemonade and carousing with our booth mates – Michele, Lori, Dave, Nicky, Olivia, Teresa and their friends.  Lots of people stopped by to say hi, give a hug and share smiles and stories.  At night the Faire becomes a special place with little parties in booths, lots of great food, The Ritz (my favorite place at the Fair) and time to wander the pathways through the forest to the background of a variety of music and special lighting. The Fair has become a very special place for me.  One where I get to reconnect with those that I’ve known the longest out here – Todd Pawolski from Klamath Falls, Amira from Brownsville, Michael Townsend from Eugene and people who I see only at Pacific Northwest Festivals like the Summer Solstice Healing Retreat at Breitenbush, Beloved, Burning Man and Northwest Folklife.  The weather cooperated this year – hot days, and warm evenings. Even Monday’s barter fair which is a special tradition was blessed with overcast weather for much of the time, making walking amongst the various vendors easy on the skin as there’s no shade and it can get hot out in that field.  My feet hurt!  So much walking, and talking, and playing the guitar and flirting and fun!  Yeah!  Here are a few pictures from in front of our booth to whet your whistle.  Thanks to the Oregon Country Fair staff and volunteers for making this year’s Fair fantastic!  A tired, sunburnt, and happy Albert

Fair Pics #1Fair Pics #2Fair Pics #3Fair Pics #4

Spreading Ecstatic Dance Far and Wide

Ecstatic Dance

If you’re reading this there’s a good chance that you’ve danced at one point or another in the PDX Ecstatic Dance world. Perhaps more than once. Most people I speak to remember their dance (even if it was just once many moons ago). And many of us return to the well as often as possible, can’t get enough. And so our community has grown – 30 people become 50 people becomes 100 people. The question that keeps coming to my mind is: how do we spread this even further?” So that 100 becomes 1,000, becomes 1 million, and on and on.

We all know this dance is good for us. Keeps us healthy, challenges us, brings up emotions, can be scary, can be illuminating, can be fun, can be a drag – all of the above and more. I think one thing that’s in the way of dance spreading is our own quietness about it. Shyness? Fear that others that we invite, might not get it? Fear that friends we invite might see a side of us that we’re afraid to show? There are probably a few fears in the way of our inviting everyone we know to dance.

Then, there is our hesitancy to recommend something so big to someone else. It might come across as a cult. It might come across as showing support for a certain group of people, and their take on this dance – I can imagine there are a few sets of emotions and blocks in this area that keep people from sharing with others.

All of that said, I think it’s time for us all to jump over our own shadows (a phrase I once learned in Germany) and help to get the word out about this beautiful thing. And here’s why.

It’s good for the people – the potential for personal growth found through dance is humongous. The health benefits are great – stamina, balance, coordination, stretching sore or hurt bones and muscles: therapeutic… I’m sure you’ve experienced some of this, and I suspect you know that it would be true for everyone you know – if they could just move like this once in a while they’d face some of those demons, get off the couch, get out of their stuff and move, both physically and emotionally.

It’s good for the community – I probably don’t have to go into this too much – it’s somewhat obvious to anyone who has danced and then shared a meal with fellow dancers – new friends, old, the mix of people who are dancing are living inspiring lives and after-dance conversation is often scintillating. We also learn new things at the dance – how to hold space, how to listen, how to observe, how to make mistakes and clean them up, and new skills, and dance moves.

It’s good for the planet. Groups of people coming together to celebrate life, practice being around each other, touching each other, and moving together to raise the vibration – if you’ve ever felt this you know what I mean, and if you haven’t, keep an eye out for it, it happens quite a lot on ballroom floors in our town frequently.

So, here’s what I recommend. If you agree that ecstatic dance is good in the ways I’ve outlined above, stop being quiet about it. Start being loud about it. Put it on your resume. Invite your 10 best friends to dance with you at your favorite dance spot. Once in a while volunteer to help set up, break down, or lead the intention – get to know the folks that put on the dances and ask how you can support their efforts and share the work.

Then there are the other 500 ways to support something: word of mouth, passing on some flyers, posting flyers, posting your intention on your FB profile, blog, website…

Being shy about this thing we love serves no one. Let’s be out and proud and see what happens.

My vision is to encourage this fire to grow big everywhere. Right now I’m trying to help the folks at OmCulture in Seattle get their dance on. My sense is that Seattle has the people, it is just waiting for the spark and the infrastructure to show up. And just like any good and worthy movement, if we play our cards right, and encourage the growth of dance in many places, we will help the world to dance ecstatically.

If you’d like to continue this discussion, please feel free to write me with your ideas. And, I’d love to hear back from anyone who takes any of the suggestions above and runs with them.

Remember the last time someone came to dance and said “this is my first time here and I feel like I’ve found my home”? Yeah, let’s spread that – like a big slathering of goodness all over this planet earth.

Till we dance again,

Albert

Here’s this writing as a short cartoon 🙂 

And, if you don’t already subscribe, don’t delay. Conscious  Dancer Magazine rocks!

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Billboards and Oregon Byways

billboard she is a thingBillboards and Oregon byways
by Max Ashburn
guest opinion
Friday May 15, 2009

The Oregonian editorial board appropriately calls attention to a deceptive and weak-kneed bill currently making its way through the Legislature (“A weak makeover of Oregon billboard laws,” May 9). Senate Bill 689 appears on the surface to be pro-beauty, by creating a program in the Department of Transportation that would “encourage voluntary removal of outdoor advertising signs from particularly scenic areas of scenic byways.”

In reality, the bill does little to encourage removal of signs along scenic roads and would in fact increase the total number of billboards in the state, by granting a sign owner two permits for removing a single billboard in one of the so-called “scenic areas” of a scenic byway.

The bill states that the DOT will establish the standards for what constitutes a “scenic area.” One has to wonder whether the makeup of that standards committee will be similar to that of the sign task force behind Senate Bill 689, a task force largely made up of members with interests in the outdoor advertising industry.

For decades Oregon was renowned for having some of the toughest billboard laws in the country, laws that helped preserve relatively unobstructed views of the state’s breathtaking natural beauty from its roadways. All that changed in 2006 when the Oregon Supreme Court ruled that the state’s statute that placed restrictions on billboards in commercial or industrial areas violated free-speech protections. The statute, originally enacted to comply with the Highway Beautification Act, effectively capped the number of billboards in the state at just under 2,000.

After 35 years without a single new billboard, the state has seen over 200 new signs go up since the 2006 ruling. Senate Bill 689 also fails to address, perhaps intentionally (given the makeup of the sign task force), the emerging trend of billboard companies toward erecting digital or LED signs. These new signs are essentially televisions-on-a-stick, and are a growing safety concern along the nation’s roadways.

The Federal Highway Administration is currently conducting a massive study on the safety of these new signs, and the results are due late next year. The citizens of Oregon are deserving of strong legislation that protects their treasured landscapes and the safety of the motoring public. Senate Bill 689 accomplishes just the opposite.

Max Ashburn is online communication manager for Scenic America in Washington, D.C.

———

My LTE: To the Editor:

Thanks to Max Ashburn for his article about the threat to our landscape via more billboards in “Billboards and Oregon byways”.  I too have noticed the sprouting of more view-blocking billboards along Oregon highways and it saddens me.  Oregon is so beautiful – I often imagine I’m passing through the Irish countryside.  But instead of recognizing our treasure and doing everything we can to protect it we seem to have a habit of despoiling it and blocking the view with billboards.  When I see a billboard it generally makes me less likely to buy a product from whoever is represented there because I become angry that a company would spend money to advertise in such a manner.  Billboards are advertising where the viewer has no choice in the matter.  In a TV ad a person can change the channel or turn off their TV.  With a billboard, the viewer is forced to view the ad which I think is an infringement on my rights.

One of the largest cities in the world, Sao Paolo, Brasil, has taken the step to outlaw all billboards in that city of 17 million people.  I can imagine that it has improved morale and certainly made architectural beauty more visible along with other social benefits.  Would that we had the foresight and political willpower to outlaw billboards in Oregon.  Something is wrong when corporations like Clear Channel have more of a right to pollute the viewpoints than people have to stop them from doing so.

I agree with Mr. Ashburn that Senate Bill 689 should be reworked to strengthen our protections against billboards and encourage my fellow citizens to contact their State Senators immediately on this issue.

Sincerely, Albert Kaufman

The Tillamook Forest Slaughter

Tillamook

Dear Governor Kulongoski,

I am writing to you today to talk about how we might better protect our Tillamook State Forest. I drove from Portland to Cannon Beach yesterday and what I saw really shocked me. The clear-cuts are gigantic and are even taking place on extremely steep hillsides – which, we have seen during recent extreme rainstorms, lead to landslides, which take out roads, fill streams with silt and cause other harm. While the Brazilian government is making headway in saving the Amazon rainforest, it’s time we look at our State forests similarly and not reduce our own oxygen-creating resource.

I once attended a Forestry Board hearing in Salem and was shocked to learn that all members of that board are timber industry representatives. At that time I remember wishing that more board members were representing a wider variety of interests – such as recreational, educational, and environmental. There was once an initiative that I thought had a lot of merit called the Tillamook 50-50 initiative. Is there a chance that that could be looked over again? Something really must be done – I’m not a forester, I just know that what I’m seeing can’t be good for the land, for other species and for our air quality – for starters!

Right now, while there’s a global recession could be a great time to look at our State forests and create a better long-term plan for their future. They look like they’d make a great place to hike, fish, camp, and enjoy – but not in their current state. Right now they look like hell. I know we can do better than this. I know that we are better than this. I know we value the Earth more than this. And, I know that this is also my State Forest – and I want to have a say in how it is “used”. Right now it looks to me as if one industry is making all of the decisions – and they’re deciding to clear-cut as far as the eye can see. We are pioneers in better forestry practices – why aren’t we using them on our State Forests?

For better air quality (for the planet)
For a healthy atmosphere for salmon and other species
For a landscape that everyone can visit
For better water quality
For less landslides
For less erosion
For less pesticides and monoculture tree farms
For more old growth and mature second growth
For the future of the planet
For the future of Oregonians
For my future and yours
For future generations

I implore you to get busy on changing how the Tillamook State Forest is being managed/damaged.

Sincerely,

Albert Kaufman

Initiative 34 info on Secretary of State page https://www.sos.state.or.us/elections//nov22004/guide/meas/m34.html

found some comments in favor of the initiative @ https://www.sos.state.or.us/elections//nov22004/guide/meas/m34_fav.html

Decided to copy this page for future reference (seems that some OR Gov’t pages disappear…)

Measure 34

Argument in Favor

A Legacy for Our Children

Tillamook; A special place
The Tillamook holds a special place in our hearts. It belongs to all Oregonians. After a series of logging caused fires in the 1930’s, Oregonians voted in a statewide election, to replant the Tillamook with tax dollars. 40 plus years ago, thousands of Oregonians and school children planted 72 million trees in the Tillamook. Governor Tom McCall dedicated the Tillamook as a “state forest” in 1973. Now that the forests have grown up, there is a debate about whether this land should be logged or preserved.

Require Balance
As a mother, a grandmother and former Governor of Oregon I hope that Oregonians will choose a balanced approach to management of our state forests. We can protect our natural resources for generations to come while also providing jobs and dollars for local economies through timber production.

Greatest Permanent Value
Current law requires the Tillamook and Clatsop State forests to be managed for the Greatest Permanent Value of the citizens of this state. That means for you, me, our children, and their children. Decisions concerning the Tillamook need to be made with both economic and environmental concerns in mind.

That is why I am supporting Measure 34.

Will the forests be “locked up”? No, measure 34 keeps the forests open for the benefit of all Oregonians.

What about forest fires? Measure 34 manages the forests to protect against wildfires across the entire forestland. We already know that old growth forests used for recreational purposes provide the lowest fire threat level compared to actively harvested forestland.

Measure 34 is a balanced plan – that puts logging on an equal footing with clean water and protecting our fish and wildlife, for today and tomorrow.

Protect our jobs today and into the future while leaving our children a legacy we can be proud of.

Vote Yes on 34!

Governor Barbara Roberts

(This information furnished by Governor Barbara Roberts.)


Argument in Favor

Yes on 34 – Good for Schools

  • Measure 34 provides $6.5 million more for local schools in the 4 affected counties of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests than they received last year.
  • Measure 34 requires additional revenue for all public schools. Requires annual deposits of timber revenue from OUR State Forests to the Common School Fund.
  • Measure 34 makes Oregon Forests work for YOU…rather than just benefiting special interest groups such as a few timber corporations.
  • Measure 34 requires managing our forests equally between timber production and conservation – 50 -50. Do the math – It is balanced! This will bring in a sustainable amount of revenue from timber for the schools and assure that Oregon remains attractive as a state to new business and workers who help drive our economy.
  • Oregon schools receive 70% of their funds from State Income tax dollars. Measure 34 recognizes that “livability and quality of life” are key components of Oregon’s future economic growth. Recreation and tourism are one of the fastest growing sectors of the Oregon economy bringing in millions for Oregon’s schools.

It’s time to make our State Forests work for us!

We have reviewed the ballot measure and have determined that the Tillamook measure which requires “balance” between timber production and protection of water, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation in the Tillamook and Clatsop State forests is in the long-term benefit of Oregon Schools.

Vote Yes on 34 – Good for Schools

Submitted by Oregon School Employees Association which represents thousands of education workers across the state.

(This information furnished by Ed Edwards, Oregon School Employees Association.)


Argument in Favor

Washington County benefits from our quality of life
By Dick Schouten
Washington County Commissioner

Vote Yes on 34, Protecting Oregon’s livability means protecting our economic health.

Washington County’s economy depends on our quality of life to attract and retain businesses and households to our region. The Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests are critically important to residents in Northwest Oregon for drinking water, outdoor recreation and fish and wildlife habitat. Many of our current residents were drawn here because of the abundance of natural amenities in Northwest Oregon. Balancing protection of these amenities with timber harvest on OUR state forests not only makes good sense, but also makes long term economic sense.

Vote Yes on 34, Protecting our water source means protecting our economy.

Over time, the most important product produced in the Tillamook and Clatsop forests will not be timber–it will be clean drinking water. Oregon’s high-tech industry, located not far from these forests is a major consumer of water and will be a key sector of the Oregon economy far into the future. Over 250,000 residents of Washington County get their drinking water from watersheds in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests and that number is expected to double in less than 50 years. Balancing watershed protection with timber harvests in OUR state forests makes economic sense.

Vote Yes on 34, Balancing conservation and timber production protects our economy.

Tourism and recreation are the fastest growing economic sectors in Oregon. While logging remains an important part of our economy, employment in that sector continues to decline while wages and employment in the recreation and tourism industries continue to increase. Protecting the growth areas of our economy and creating new family wage jobs in the wood products industry and restoration forestry is an approach all Oregonians can support.

Please join me in voting YES on Measure 34
Measure 34 is good for the environment, good for the
economy and good for schools!

(This information furnished by Dick Schouten, Washington County Board of Commissioner, District 1.)


Argument in Favor

State forests should not be managed in back rooms behind
closed doors by special interests.

Vote Yes on 34

After years of public testimony – and even a vote that failed in the Oregon Legislature to increase timber harvesting in our State Forests, State Forester Marvin Brown made a decision to increase clear-cutting by over 50% in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests.

When asked on April 8, 2004 by a sub-committee of the Emergency Board of the Legislature why the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF) was increasing clear-cuts after an agreement had been reached on timber harvests levels, Brown said (according to The Oregonian on April 10, 2004) that he was trying only to satisfy the Legislature’s demand for more state logging revenue -clearly a false statement.

According to The Oregonian article, the State Forester met with former Rep. Lane Shetterly, a Republican from Dallas and sponsor of the unsuccessful bill to boost state forest logging and Ray Wilkeson a lobbyist for the timber industry to discuss increasing the cut in the Tillamook.

Senator Joan Dukes, from Astoria, said that Brown had not discussed the added logging with all sides. Dukes: “I don’t know at this point who you are going to cut the next side deal with, and that scares me.” (April 8th Legislative hearing tapes of General Government subcommittee)

Dukes continued according to The Oregonian article; “I don’t know how you (ODF) manage land that a lot of people have an interest in without having everybody involved in the discussion. A lot of people were left in the dark.”

Measure 34 is a balanced and scientifically supported approach to managing OUR State Forests. The law states that State Forests are to be managed for the “Greatest Permanent Value” of the State of Oregon, not by 3 people in a back room who make money off the forests.

Support the Public Debate

Say No to Back Room Deals

Yes on 34

(This information furnished by Mari Anne Gest, Oregonians for a Balanced Tillamook.)


Argument in Favor

Oregon Business Needs Measure 34
By Steven McGeady

Today’s Oregon economy depends as much on high-tech jobs as it does on forestry jobs. Clean water, forests, and recreational opportunities create economic opportunity in Oregon. As an executive at Intel, Tektronix, and other high-tech companies for more than 20 years, I have recruited over 500 engineers, scientists, and businesspeople to Oregon. Our biggest selling point is livability and quality of life. We attract and retain these entrepreneurs, businesses, and employees because Oregon balances the needs of its historical economy with those of new industries.

The Tillamook Forest is the source of the
Silicon Forest’s Clean Water

While Portland gets its drinking water from Bull Run, Washington, Tillamook, and Clatsop Counties get theirs from the Tillamook forest. Nothing is more important to the business climate than clean, plentiful water, but the current plan to log 85% of the Tillamook puts that water at risk. High-tech manufacturing depends on water as much as on science. The current plan for clear-cutting the Tillamook delivers nothing to Oregon’s technology businesses, and a landscape of stumps and slash encourages current and potential employees to look elsewhere.

The Tillamook Belongs to ALL Oregonians –
Now and For the Future

After the Tillamook Burn and the subsequent salvage logging, Oregonians came together to restore the devastated landscape. Hundreds of schoolchildren planted trees in the bare hills, and today that forest supports millions of dollars in family-wage jobs in recreation and tourism as well as forestry. Measure 34 sends the message that we value both jobs and the natural beauty found in our backyard, we want to Balance timber needs with all others. A balanced approach that harvests what we need today while preserving our future is the only plan that will ensure that there are trees and streams and wildlife and water for our children and grandchildren to use.

For Business and for our Children

Vote Yes on Measure 34

Sincerely,

Steven McGeady

(This information furnished by Steven McGeady.)


Argument in Favor

Dear Oregon Voters:

I am writing to let you know about the benefits of Ballot Measure 34 – the Tillamook 50/50 initiative. The initiative language is limited to state-owned forest lands totaling less than 3% of the forest land in Oregon.

As a former gubernatorial advisor on workforce issues, the Tillamook 50/50 initiative requires new apprenticeship training programs in restoration forestry for the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. For every $1 invested per year in apprenticeship by government, a study shows that apprentices pay back an average of $20.60 in State and Federal income taxes. It is my belief that the Tillamook 50/50 plan is good for Oregon’s economy. By investing in our workforce, the return on the dollar is significant for our schools, government programs and our state’s economy.

Measure 34 also requires any restoration work or timber harvests on the Board of Forestry Lands in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests to pay a prevailing wage rate. The Bureau of Labor and Industries would determine the appropriate prevailing wage rate. In addition, Measure 34 directs the Oregon Department of Forestry to encourage bidding by and the awarding of contracts to local contractors for forest restoration programs. For rural Northwest Oregonians this is an extremely important building block to create stable family-wage jobs.

After studying Measure 34, I am confident it will help retain and create long-term jobs in the wood products industry and help spur economic growth in Oregon. The Tillamook 50/50 plan provides the proper balance between protection of water quality, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation values while ensuring that timber production will continue to supply a reliable revenue stream to the counties and school districts of Northwest Oregon

I strongly support Measure 34.

It is good for Oregon’s forests.

It is good for Oregon’s economy.

And, most importantly, it is good for Oregon’s working families.

Annette Talbott

(This information furnished by Annette Talbott.)


Argument in Favor

Dear Oregon Voters,

My name is Pete Sorenson, an elected Lane County Commissioner. I grew up in Coos County, graduated from the University of Oregon, ran a private law firm, and served as an elected Oregon State Senator. I’ve been a licensed Oregon attorney for 22 years. As a County Commissioner, I am committed to protecting our state forestlands. All Oregonians should have a role in the administration of our state forests.

I’m writing to urge you to vote YES on the Tillamook 50/50 measure. This measure is fair and balanced measure that will protect the Tillamook State Forest while providing quality family wage jobs.

This ballot measure represents a fair balance between forest uses. Under the measure, 50% of the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forest will be devoted to protecting drinking water, fish and wildlife habitat and recreation while the other 50% will be used for sustainable timber supplies.

This ballot measure will improve the economic viability of the Tillamook State Forest. Through preservation and management, this measure will create jobs in sustainable logging, restoration forestry, and increase tourism and recreational uses of the forest.

This measure will help Oregon Schools. Under this measure, schools in the Clatsop and Tillamook areas will receive guaranteed stable funding. In addition to this funding, a portion of the revenues collected from timber sales will be dedicated to the Common School Fund.

This measure is fair and balanced approach to managing and protecting the Tillamook State Forest. Please join me in voting YES on Ballot Measure 34, the Tillamook 50/50 measure.

Thank you,

Pete Sorenson

PS – If you have any questions about the seriousness of this measure and why I favor it, please contact me Pete Sorenson PO Box 10836, Eugene, Oregon 97440 or by calling me at (541) 485-6726 or by sending me an email at sorenson2004@juno.com

(This information furnished by Peter Sorenson.)


Argument in Favor

Local Businesses Urge a Yes Vote on Measure 34

Recreation and Tourism bring as much as $877 million
annually to the North Coast economy, including over 15,000
jobs. This is the fastest growing industry in Oregon.
We need a forest plan that encourages economic growth in
our communities!

As local business owners in Tillamook and Clatsop County,
we know better than anyone how important our forests are for
the local economy. It’s time that we adopted a balanced
management plan that looks out for small business
as well as logging.

The coastal economy is growing largely because of an influx of
retirees and second home owners. These people move here
because of the area’s natural beauty and quality of life, and they
always visit before they move. We need to adopt policies that
attract home buyers to our area, rather than turn them away.

Logging 85% of the State Forests is too extreme!

Everyone has seen the nasty clear-cuts on the way to the
coast. Now, the government wants to log 85% of our
State Forests over the next 25 years. It’s too extreme! We need
a plan that keeps the Oregon Coast a beautiful place
to visit, live, work, and play!

Standing Forests help control flooding, which costs local
businesses thousands of dollars each year.

Every year, Tillamook County businesses lose thousands of
dollars because of flooding. Now, over two years time,
clear-cutting in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests will rise
by over 50%, drastically increasing run-off. Who is going to help
pay to repair the increased flood damage?

Frankly we are sick and tired of paying for the costs of poor
decisions made by short-sighted politicians and bureaucrats.

These forests are supposed to benefit all Oregonians,
including small coastal businesses.

Measure 34 continues to supply timber to our local economy
while helping local businesses through increased recreation
and tourism and reduced flooding.

Support Local Businesses. Vote YES on Measure 34

(This information furnished by Peter and Janet Weidman, Astoria Real Estate; Susan Tone, Realtor, Manzanita; Pam Selway Birmingham, realtor, Seaside; Cliff and Judith Taylor, Clementine’s Bed & Breakfast; Daryl Hank Johnson, Wave Crest Inn; Wayne Curtis, Wayne Curtis Construction; Peter C. Sroufe, Peter Sroufe Hauling; James M. Kingwell, Icefire Glassworks; Watt Childress, Jupiter’s Rare & Used Books.)


Argument in Favor

Oregon’s Sport and Commercial Fishermen Strongly Urge
You to Vote Yes on Measure 34.

Ballot Measure 34 is critical for the survival of the
coastal fishing industry.

Many Oregon residents don’t realize how much our wild salmon
populations have declined over the last few decades. Sport and
commercial fisheries for 5 of our 6 wild salmon species have
been closed on the Northern Oregon Coast due to population
declines. These reductions have meant a big loss in jobs and
revenue to the state and local counties. The only way to restore
our wild salmon runs and strengthen the fishing economy is
through balancing timber harvest with watershed health when
managing our forests.

Restoring fisheries means restoring jobs. In 2001,
sport-fishing contributed more than $1 billion to Oregon’s
economy, including $733 million in retail sales, $300 million
in wages and salaries, and nearly 13,000 jobs.

As recently as 1988, commercial salmon fishing contributed
more than $89 million to the Oregon economy, and
supported 4,450 family wage jobs. Though many jobs have
since been lost, protecting the last, best salmon habitat
in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests is a key to
restoring these jobs.

Ballot Measure 34 is will strengthen our local economy.
These forests are home to the few remaining runs of wild salmon
in Oregon, and they are also a great place to harvest timber.
The best part is that they are on public lands!

Measure 34 dedicates 50% of the two State Forests for
watershed protection and healthy fish and wildlife, and 50%
for logging. This is just the balance that Oregon’s
economy needs.

We don’t have to choose between fishing and timber.

Support Oregon’s Fishing Industry with a Balanced Forest Management Plan. Vote Yes on Measure 34

(This information furnished by Glen H. Spain, Northwest Regional Director, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations; Robert Rees, Bob Rees’ Fishing Guide Service, www.NorthwestGuides.com; Nancy Paysinger, Fishing Guides Northwest; Trevor Storlie, Red’s Guide Service of Oregon; Rob Russell, Firstwater Outfitters; Dan Christopher, Quality Fishing Adventures.)


Argument in Favor

Conservation Groups Support Measure 34

The Tillamook and Clatsop are OUR State Forests.
Oregonians from across the state came together to replant these forests after the Great Tillamook Burn. These forests should be managed to benefit ALL Oregonians, not just a few special interest groups.

85% of the Tillamook and Clatsop State forests will be logged within 25 years unless we pass Measure 34. The Government’s plan is too extreme!

Over 350,000 Oregonians get their drinking water from the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, including almost the entire city of Hillsboro and parts of Beaverton. Measure 34 will protect drinking water.

The Tillamook is the largest contiguous expanse of unprotected coastal temperate rainforest in the lower 48 states. We don’t have to go to South America to find rainforests, they are right here, in our backyard.

The current government plan rejected the advice of two scientific panels. There are no permanent reserve areas for fish and wildlife in the Tillamook and Clatsop State forests.

No watersheds are permanently protected to save our wild salmon populations. The only protections provided are 25-ft no-cut buffers on some streams. The Tillamook and Clatsop nurture some of last healthy runs of Wild Salmon in Oregon

Measure 34 offers a balanced approach that will protect
and restore watersheds, wild salmon, wildlife habitat
and recreational opportunities while allowing for
sustainable logging.

Join the thousands of concerned Oregonians across the
state who know that we can do better for OUR State Forests

Support Balanced Forest Management

Vote Yes on 34

(This information furnished by Jay Ward, Oregon Natural Resources Council Action; Meryl Redisch, Audubon Society of Portland; Paula Del Giudice, National Wildlife Federation; Guido Rahr, Wild Salmon Center; Carol Porto, Sierra Club; Tom Wolf, Oregon Council Trout Unlimited; Xander Patterson, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility; Kelli J. Van Norman, President, Native Plant Society of Oregon; Chuck Willer, Coast Range Association; Doug Terra, President, Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition.)


Argument in Favor

Fact: Increased clear-cut logging does not create new jobs.

Timber giants and bureaucrats who profit from logging the Tillamook will say it’s about jobs, but really it’s about corporate profits.

  • When harvest levels on the Tillamook State Forest nearly doubled during the late nineties, Tillamook County reported an increase of only 8 jobs in the number of forestry and lumber jobs created from 1995 to 2000. Economic Realities in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests – January 2003
  • In the meantime, profits skyrocketed for a few special interests.

Technology, not ecology, results in job loss.

Howard Sohn, former Chair of the Oregon Board of Forestry and owner of Lone Rock Timber explained this situation in written testimony before the Legislature on 7-1-03. In the context of discussing House Bill 3632-A, a bill that would increase timber harvesting in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, he said:

  • “Conditions in the economy and the industry are very different than when the multipliers (additional jobs per million board feet) were developed in the 1990’s.” “In the context of overall harvest in Oregon, the increase envisioned is small and will be absorbed by slack in the existing production infrastructure.” “Efficiencies and excess capacity will absorb most of the increase volume, without substantial additional employment.”
  • “While higher state land harvests may yield some benefit to manufacturer and employment in the short run, the effect will not be large. In addition, too aggressive a harvest level will merely steal from the future.”

In other words, mechanization in timber production has eliminated thousands of timber related jobs.

And just as important, logging 85% of our forests will result in a loss of long term jobs—not only in forestry but also fishing, tourism, and recreation.

Measure 34 assures continued jobs in logging and forestry and creates new sustainable family wage jobs in restoration forestry.

Support Jobs today and for tomorrow

Vote Yes on 34

(This information furnished by Mari Anne Gest, Chief Petitioner, Oregonians for a Balanced Tillamook.)


Argument in Favor

Tree Planters Support Measure 34

The Tillamook has a special place in the history of Oregon and the hearts of many Oregonians. Beginning in 1933, a series of fires now known as the Tillamook Burn, destroyed much of what is today, the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. These fires created a huge plume of smoke that could be seen from the middle of the Pacific Ocean and left a desolate moonscape in their wake.

Oregonians Pull Together To Rebuild a Forest

In response to this devastation, Oregon voters came together by passing a state bond measure that funded the replanting of these forests. Replanting the Tillamook Burn depended on the volunteer work of thousands of Oregon students, Boy and Girl Scout troops, and church and community groups. When all was said and done, Oregon volunteers came together to plant over 72 million trees.

Oregonians helped protect our quality of life

As Oregonians who replanted these forests, we were told that we were restoring the Tillamook Burn, and helping to make the state a better and more beautiful place. We proudly recognize that these forests now contain some of the last healthy runs of salmon and steelhead; provide habitat for bear, elk and bald eagles; bring hundreds of millions of dollars into northwestern Oregon; and provide drinking water to over 300,000 Oregonians statewide. The Tillamook and Clatsop forests are now one of the largest rainforests in the lower 48 states. The current plan to open 85% of the forest to commercial logging would undo much of what has been accomplished by Oregon voters and volunteers. With this huge investment of money and time, we believe the people of Oregon should have a say how the Tillamook and Clatsop Forests are managed. Join us.

Require Balance & Vote Yes on Ballot Measure 34

(This information furnished by Robert Sims, Michael Munk, John Bates, Louis Jaffe, Doug Myers.)


Argument in Favor

Vote Yes on Measure 34 to Keep Oregon’s Way of Life

Abundant close to home opportunities to fish, hunt, boat, hike and camp with our families and friends are part of what defines Oregon’s way of life. As people of faith, we value this Northwest corner of creation for both its economic benefits and outstanding recreational opportunities that build strong families and inspire our souls. The Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests are Oregon treasures that contribute to our way of life. Measure 34 will ensure that close-to-home recreation is not jeopardized while allowing a reasonable level of timber harvest.

Vote Yes on Measure 34 for Safe Drinking Water

We are blessed in Oregon by clean, safe drinking water from
forest watersheds for our towns and cities. Faithful and wise stewardship of this gift now will protect it for our children. Measure 34 ensures the entire forest will be managed to protect against fires, floods, forest diseases and pests while ensuring that drinking water is kept safe and clean.

Vote Yes on 34 for Jobs and Conservation

Measure 34 proposes a reasonable level of timber production to maintain jobs and local economies around the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. It will also conserve and restore some of this special place using a common sense approach. Measure 34 preserves our outdoor way of life and leaves our timber economy intact.

Stewardship is Central

As Jewish and Christian religious leaders, we share the understanding That humankind is to “till and to tend” creation, both using it and caring for it in a way that ensures its continued fruitfulness from generation to generation. Stewardship is central to responsible use and care of our forests.

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein.

Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon

Restoring Eden/Christians for Environmental Stewardship

Rabbi Joseph Wolf

(This information furnished by Jenny Holmes, Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon; Rabbi Joseph Wolf; Peter Illyn, Restoring Eden/Christians for Environmental Stewardship.)


Argument in Favor

Protect our Drinking Water-Vote Yes on Measure 34

Clean and plentiful water is a vital resource in Northwest Oregon. Residential, industrial, and agricultural users all depend on clean water for their families, to supply their businesses, and grow their crops. Much of the water for Northwest Oregon’s residents originates in the Tillamook Rainforest. These public lands are owned by all Oregonians and are currently threatened by an aggressive logging plan that does not protect water quality. The Oregon Department of Forestry is already clear cutting thousands of acres a year in and around watersheds, and plans to drastically increase the cutting in the next few years.

Over 350,000 Oregonians get drinking water from the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, including much of Washington, Tillamook, Clatsop and Columbia County. In the next 50 years, the demand for clean drinking water in these areas will double.

We can do better-Vote Yes on Measure 34-Require Balance

Measure 34 will balance sustainable timber harvests with protection for our drinking water, recreational opportunities and fish and wildlife habitat. The current government plan will cut over 85% of OUR State Forests in just 25 years.

An award winning plan for Forest Grove’s watershed provides 200 foot buffers on streams and prohibits clear cutting while providing for sustainable timber harvests. In contrast, the State’s plan provides only 25 foot “no cut” buffers and aggressively uses clear cutting, even on steep slopes in our watersheds. Clean water is a precious resource, we must do better.

Our Quality of Life is Threatened-Vote Yes on Measure 34

The state’s aggressive logging plan threatens drinking water quality, recreational opportunities and wild salmon populations in OUR State Forests. Measure 34 will balance timber production with conservation, protecting OUR drinking water, recreational opportunities, and fish and wildlife habitat while providing healthy revenue streams to local counties and schools.

Join Us, Vote Yes on Measure 34

Tualatin Riverkeepers

Columbia Riverkeeper

Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water

(This information furnished by Lynne Campbell, Oregon Citizens for Safe Drinking Water; Sue Marshall, Executive Director, Tualatin Riverkeepers; Cindy deBruler, Columbia Riverkeeper.)


Argument in Favor

A message from anglers to Oregonians who love healthy
rivers and wild fish – Vote yes on Measure 34

Oregon’s North Coast mountains birth the headwaters of some of Oregon’s healthiest rivers. We love these places.

Wilson.
Trask.
Little North Fork of the Wilson.
Kilchis.
Miami.
Nehalem.
North Fork Nehalem.
Salmonberry.
North Fork Trask.

These rivers run through public lands we call the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. These rivers are home to important runs of wild fish including spring, summer, fall and winter chinook salmon, coho and chum salmon, as well as winter steelhead and cutthroat trout.

Wild fish and healthy rivers are the products of a healthy forest. They come from special places in these state forests.

Not every acre of these forests is created equal. Not every acre should be harvested. Coastal rainforests need to grow big trees that make a difference when they fall in the rivers. Big trees create big fish which create big dollars for the local and regional economy.

The Tillamook produces many sustainable resources including wild fish, wood products, recreation and clean water. Oregon Department of Forestry’s current plan will conduct timber harvests across 85 percent of the landscape over the next 25 years. This means increased roads and increased clear cuts. Measure 34 has a different vision of the future.

Measure 34 will bring balance to the management of these public lands, instill credible science into the process, protect important non-timber products like wild salmon and clean water, and still allow plenty of timber harvests.

Measure 34 does not seek a lock up, but simply balanced management of public resources. Help us shift the scales towards a balanced and sustainable future for over 500,000 acres of public land for all Oregonians.

Vote Yes on Measure 34.

David Moskowitz
Brian Posewitz
Robert Sheley
Mark McCollister
Ted Gresh
John Tyler
Larry Palmer
Les Helgeson

(This information furnished by Dave Moskowitz; Les Helgeson; John Tyler; Larry Palmer; Robert Sheley; Brian Posewitz; Edward S. Gresh; Mark McCollister.)


Argument in Favor

Help Strengthen Our Economy. Vote Yes on Measure 34!

Recreation and tourism is the fastest growing sector of Oregon’s economy.

In 2001 the sport-fishing Industry generated over $733 million in retail sales and provided nearly 13,000 jobs.

Wildlife viewing is the number one activity in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. Wildlife viewing, which includes bird watching and outdoor photography, generated $770 million in sales and over 21,500 jobs in Oregon in 2001

Camping, hiking, and biking are the three most popular outdoor activities in the United States, and kayaking is the fastest growing sport in America. Outdoor recreation brings as much as $877 million to the North Coast economy annually.

Over half of the healthy runs of wild salmon in Oregon are located the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests. The forests are some of the best places to fish for wild salmon in the world. Other than meager 25-ft. no cut buffers on some streams, there are no permanent protections for fish or our waterways under the current state plan.

Over 85% of OUR state forests will be logged in the next 25 years. It’s too extreme.

Regardless of what some land managers might tell you, people don’t hike or bike through clear-cuts, and they don’t kayak or cast in muddy water. The truth is that people don’t buy boats, tackle, rods, and bait if they don’t have places to fish and float. There are huge economic benefits to protecting our natural amenities, and with people taking more frequent trips closer to home, we need great places to enjoy right in OUR backyard! Its time to adopt a forest plan that reflects Oregon’s changing economy.

Some bureaucrats might not know much about the value of
a standing forest, but we sure do.

Oregon Businesses Rely on Recreation and Tourism

Support Oregon’s Economic Future. Vote Yes on Measure 34!

(This information furnished by Marty Sherman, ClackaCraft Drift Boats; Frank W. Amato; Andy Hardwick, Outdoor Supply Company, Tuf-Cat Pontoon Boats; Christopher Conaty, Idylwilde Flies; Vicki Grayland, Photographer; Sam Drevo & Kristin Dahl, eNRGKayaking.com.)


Argument in Favor

Enjoy Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Biking, Kayaking,
4-wheeling, or Wildlife Viewing in Northwest Oregon?
Vote Yes on Measure 34!

The Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests are important for timber, but they are equally important as a place for recreation close to Oregon’s booming population centers.

The government currently plans on logging off over 85% these forests over the next 25 years, leaving little for the benefit of most Oregonians who know them for their stunning beauty and abundant recreational opportunities. It is time that we adopted a balanced plan that considers both our need for timber revenue and the importance of recreation and quality of life to the residents of Oregon.

Measure 34 requires balance. If we pass Measure 34, recreation, clean water, and fish and wildlife habitat will be considered as equally beneficial as logging on OUR State Forests

We understand that some politicians and bureaucrats don’t see the value of running the Wilson River, fly fishing the Trask, hiking the Elk-King Traverse, or 4-wheelin’ at Brown’s Camp, but we sure do. That is why we are all voting yes on Measure 34.

Wildlife viewing is the most popular activity in the Tillamook and Clatsop State Forests, and it is one of the best places in the world to fish for Wild salmon. The area is also popular for off-road vehicle use. Hunters know the Tillamook and Clatsop for their abundance of Roosevelt Elk, and kayakers love to paddle on the Wilson River.

Measure 34 prioritizes all forms of recreation,
including biking and motorized recreation.

Measure 34 isn’t about locking the forest up, it’s about keeping it open for all Oregonians-especially outdoor enthusiasts who would rather hike or ride through Old-growth than clear-cuts. Its simple—50% for the values that we all cherish—clean streams, abundant fish and wildlife, and tons of recreational opportunities-and 50% for logging

Let’s keep our state forest open for all Oregonians to enjoy

Vote Yes on 34

(This information furnished by Sam Drevo & Kristin Dahl, eNRGKayaking.com; James Monteith, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.)

Portland3000

This is a post I wrote on BlueOregon yesterday. The comments are interesting and worth reading.

“I’ve been walking around my neighborhood lately, and have noticed lots of spray-painted areas where sidewalks are cracked and are to be repaired. My thoughts when I see this is: are we really spending all of this money to replace something that’s just going to break (either through tree roots pushing up sidewalks, or regular wear and tear) again in the not too distant future? If we were thinking 50-100-200 years into the future – we might consider different solutions – perhaps leaning towards removing asphalt rather than replacing it. And all of the money going into turning corners into easier-to-use corners (ADA accessible), that really makes me wonder – isn’t there a cheaper way to turn what we have into something that can be biked/skate-boarded or roller-skated on and off of – like a small ramp instead of completely re-doing, and re-pouring the sidewalks seems like a good start to me. Anyway, that got me to thinking about how we might be doing things differently if we were planning for a Portland 100 or 1,000 years from now.

We all know cheap oil is going away – so that probably also means the cheap fixing of our streets is also going away. So, I’m mostly wondering out loud here, but I guess I’m posing the question and I’m curious what people think about the concept of long-range planning.

For instance: we all know that putting on chains and studded snow tires wrecks our roads. So, why didn’t the message come out loud and clear over the past 2 weeks: Please don’t drive unless it is absolutely necessary. Why wasn’t that transmitted loud and clear by every government agency with a loudspeaker/blog/radio transmitter/e-mail/TV, etc.? Instead, we heard that we should support the economy through shopping, and get to work, if possible. During the storm I wondered to myself, do we have the ability to stop if we need to? I’ll rephrase it – when it makes sense for our society to come to a stop – for our own good, for our own economic good – are we capable of doing so? My sense is that the damage done to our roads by people driving with chains and studded tires far outweighed the profits made by area retailers. And I know, local retailers are hurting, no doubt about that. I’m not trying to be insensitive here, but am trying to make a few points about how looking down the road a few years, we might do things differently.

We seem to be on a very “live for today” diet in this country. If we were looking further down the road how might we do things differently? Portland Mayor, Sam Adams wants to plant 80,000 trees in a year. If we were envisioning a future where we had to grow more of our food (I do), might we want to plant 80,000 fruit and nut trees a year, starting now? How about policies that make it really simple to grow food in your yard and sell or share that with your neighbors – how about a City Urban Ag department – helping Portland transition into a city that grows more of its own food?

What kinds of changes would you suggest as you consider Portland 100, 200 or 1,000 years from now? And, fill in your City/State here: Bend 3000? Oregon 3000?

We can do better.

Portland

Oregonian Voting Party

Voting Party 2008Voting Party 2008

Host a Voting Party!

We got great coverage of our voting party in Sunday’s Oregonian.  And when it rains, of course it pours – a LTE of mine made it into the paper today vis voting no on Measure 64.

Text of the voting party article:

Oregon leads the way in loving vote-by-mail

by Michelle Cole, The Oregonian

Saturday October 25, 2008, 7:26 PM
dance
Eecole Copen (center) does the “voter dance” at a Portland voting party. About two dozen people attended the house party, where they drank wine, sang, debated the issues and marked their ballots.

The host wore an Obama T-shirt and played “So Happy Together” on his guitar. His guests sang along, drank wine and ate homemade pie bursting with elderberries and apples picked in the Columbia River Gorge.

Forget about stuffy polling booths, hanging chads and long lines — this is how Oregon votes. We throw parties where people mark their ballots. Or we sit with family at the kitchen table and discuss our choices.

“We have a social responsibility to vote, and it should be a community effort, not just a solo effort,” said Jef Murphy, who joined two dozen others at a voting party in Portland on Wednesday night.Ten years ago, Oregon became the first and only state to agree to vote by mail exclusively. Just as with our bottle and beach bills, Oregon is proud of being first.

The trend is catching on. This year, an estimated 30 percent of the nation’s voters will cast ballots either by mail or by visiting the polls ahead of Election Day.

So what might Oregon’s experiment with vote by mail teach the nation?

First, it’s a different way of voting, but it hasn’t proved to be as “un-American” as some people claimed.

In the 1980s, when the Oregon Legislature first approved voting by mail on a limited basis, critics warned that the integrity of the process would be undermined.

“There was always this accusation of fraud, of voting under duress, people taking your ballot and somehow tampering with it,” said Senate President Peter Courtney, a Salem Democrat who sponsored a vote-by-mail bill in 1981, his first year in the Legislature.

Voting Q & A

Voters across the country are rightly concerned about the security of their ballots. To answer those questions about Oregon, The Oregonian talked to Secretary of State Bill Bradbury, State Elections Director John Lindback, and Multnomah County Elections Director Tim Scott.

Q: What’s all this about some group called Acorn registering fake names and fake addresses, including the starting lineup of the Dallas Cowboys football team? Is that happening in Oregon?

A: Acorn, or the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, is a national nonpartisan group that registers voters. The group is being investigated in Nevada and several other states for turning in duplicate or fraudulent cards. There have been a handful of complaints regarding out-of-state registration groups in Oregon, but none related to Acorn. Oregon prohibits paying registration canvassers for each registration they collect, which has been a problem with Acorn.

Q: So let’s say I register to vote for the first time. How do you know it’s actually me?

A: Your registration card goes to the local county elections office, which inputs the information into a centralized database. If you’ve listed a driver’s license or identification number, the system automatically checks the DMV database for a match. If you don’t have a driver’s license and have provided the last four digits of your Social Security number, the system checks against the federal SSA database. If there’s no match, the county elections office will contact you to get further documentation.

Q: What happens if I never send the requested documentation?

A: You still get a ballot and you can cast that ballot, but none of your votes for federal races will count. Your votes in local and state contests still count.

Q: How many people are out there who haven’t provided documentation?

A: Very few, say elections officials. For example, there are 3,100 cases pending in Multnomah County where people have not met federal identification requirements. That’s 0.7 percent of 435,000 registered voters.

Q: How often do counties purge voter registration rolls?

A: National law requires voters to be notified before they’re purged. In Oregon, voters move to the “inactive” list if they haven’t voted in five years. At that point, the county sends a card asking to verify their registration. Voters stay on the inactive list through two more federal election cycles, though they won’t get ballots, and then they’re canceled.

Q: What happens to ballots after they’re mailed in?

A: Each county has its own system, but the basics are the same. In Multnomah County, elections staff check signatures and sort ballots by precinct as soon as they arrive. One week before Election Day, citizen boards open the ballots and check for erasures and stray marks that might mess up the scanner. The ballots aren’t counted until Election Day.

Q: How do I know I’m registered?

A: Go online and plug in your name and birth date: www.sos.state.or.us/elections

Q: I’ve moved. What should I do?

A: Call or stop by your county elections office to update your information. You can do that until 8 p.m. on Nov. 4, which is when voting ends.

— Janie Har

Courtney said he and his colleagues had no “grand design” in mind. They simply wanted to improve voter turnout. But they were lambasted by critics, he remembers.

“People said: ‘If you respected the right to vote, you ought to be willing to go to the voting booth. It’s your duty.'”

Oregon officials cautiously waded into vote by mail by allowing it only in some local elections. People still had to go to the polls to vote in primary and general elections until 1998, when voters overwhelming approved Measure 60, which made every Oregon election vote by mail.

Few fraud issues

Phil Keisling, the former secretary of state who championed Measure 60, said there have been “scattered examples” of voter fraud involving mail balloting.”No system is failsafe,” he said. “I prosecuted a county commissioner in Curry County who forged his wife’s signature on a ballot involving his own recall election. He handily won the recall attempt, but he lost his office because he was convicted of a felony.”

The voter’s signature on the back of the return envelope is a key component in ensuring the system’s integrity.

Voters’ signatures are scanned into a computer database and then examined by elections workers who have been trained by an Oregon State Police handwriting expert. Those that don’t match get a letter with a new registration card asking them to complete and return the new card. If a new card is returned and the signature is matched, the ballot can be counted.

All that is fine, said Curtis Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate at American University and a critic of vote by mail. Oregon doesn’t have a history of fraud, he concedes. But Gans still worries about the trend toward mail balloting in other states.

“There are places where we know votes have been bought,” he said. “We established the secret ballot to eliminate the pressure of party bosses.”

James Hicks, research director of the Early Voting Information Center at Reed College, said Oregon remains the only state to use mail balloting exclusively, though Washington is close to it.

Twenty-eight states allow what’s called “no excuse” absentee mail balloting. Thirty-one states allow voters to cast ballots ahead of Election Day.

Based on early voting so far, Hicks said, this year may see a record number of people voting ahead of Nov. 4.

Oregon officials learned early on that voters liked casting ballots by mail.

Even before Measure 60 passed, Vicki Paulk, director of Multnomah County Elections from 1984 to 2002, encouraged voters to take advantage of loosening restrictions on absentee voting.

Was Paulk, who used the name Vicki Ervin back then, forging ahead of the change?

Not quite, she said, laughing. “I’m all for public education. … Let’s just say I made it easy for them to take advantage of (mail voting).”

Counties have seen their postage costs increase with all-mail balloting. At the same time, elections officials say, the overall cost of running a mail election is far lower than a poll election.

At one time, Multnomah County had 2,000 people working at hundreds of polling places. This election, there will be 200 to 300 people working at a single office, said elections director Tim Scott.

Promises fall short

A few promises made about vote by mail haven’t proved exactly true.For example, political scientists say vote by mail hasn’t translated into a huge increase in voter turnout in national elections, though local and off-year elections have seen a boost.

A study by Gans’ Center for the Study of the American Electorate showed Oregon had the fifth-highest turnout of eligible voters in the 2004 presidential election. But nine states and the District of Columbia recorded greater increases in turnout than Oregon.

Proponents of all-mail voting once suggested that Oregon would see fewer negative ads or last-minute attack ads. And critics, including Gans, said early balloting takes away a voters’ choice if circumstances change.

Statistics indicate, however, that Oregon voters are waiting longer to return their ballots. And it doesn’t take a political scientist to debunk the myth about fewer negative ads.

“The dynamics that have encouraged negative advertising have been even fiercer in the last decade than even I suspected,” Keisling said.

Still, in the decade since Measure 60, he said, one of his biggest surprises is just how much Oregonians love voting by mail.

That sentiment was echoed at Wednesday night’s voting party in Portland.

“I’m glad we’re here as a group, trying to figure out these things together,” Tuolovme Levenstein said.

Albert Kaufman (center) leads celebratory voters, including Danielle Lavario, to the mailbox after a party to discuss issues and mark ballots. Kaufman threw the voting party after attending one in a previous election.

Led by their host, Albert Kaufman, partygoers spent more than two hours working their way down their ballots. They spent only 30 seconds talking about the presidential candidates and a minute or two on the U.S. Senate race. But the group carefully considered candidates for the Soil and Water Conservation District and spent several minutes debating the state treasurer, teacher merit pay, open primaries and a proposed zoo bond.

About 9:30 p.m., Kaufman offered stamps to those who wanted them, and then he and several others walked to the mailbox.

Levenstein decided to hold her ballot a little while longer. She enjoyed the debate, the give and take, she said. But she hadn’t made up her mind on a couple of things.

After all, vote by mail not only allows voters to gather. It also gives a voter time to think.

— Michelle Cole

Here are tips on how to vote together!