The fate of Oregon is on the ballot in less than nine weeks. Measure 49 is the upcoming ballot measure to protect our home — to safeguard those things that make Oregon Oregon. M 49 will fix Measure 37 and protect Oregon from unchecked growth. The work in the next couple of months to pass Measure 49 will determine whether hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland, forestland, mountains, coastal areas and special places in Oregon will be safe, or whether land speculators will turn Oregon into a land of strip malls, sprawling subdivisions, open pit mines and traffic jams.

The passage of Measure 49 is the only way to prevent the destruction of the Oregon we love and the stakes couldn’t be higher…

Measure 37 passed in the 2004 election and not only threatens farms, forest land and open spaces, but has opened up Portland, Bend and other Oregon towns and cities to dangerous, unchecked development such as more Wal-Marts, huge billboards, and buildings without height limits. There are already about 8,000 claims for developments including 6,000 housing subdivisions in the works.

The question is whether or not citizens like you and me will step up to the plate and provide the resources and volunteer hours needed to pass Measure 49. Fighting the misleading campaigns that big land speculators are launching is going to be a challenge, but it’s better than the alternative — unchecked sprawl and the destruction of Oregon’s farms, forests, waterways and open spaces.

I encourage you to visit the Yes on Measure 49 website to learn how you can help.