Coos County Watchdog


  • Home >>>
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Links
    • Whistle-Blower’s Page
  • Blog >>>
    • Info Blogs
  • Issues >>>
    • Johnson Creek Dam
    • Jury Nullification >
      • Jury Nullification on Facebook
    • More Choices in Bandon
    • NO Bandon Marsh Expansion >
      • Bandon Marsh Expansion on Facebook
    • Second Amendment Sanctuary Ordinance >
      • S.A.S.O on FB
    • State of Jefferson >
      • State of Jefferson on Facebook
    • The Coos County Charter
    • Urban Renewal Information

Ousted scientist slams Salazar - Chico Enterprise Record

2/29/2012

Comments

 
Ousted scientist slams  Salazar - Chico Enterprise Record
http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_20068477
Ousted  scientist slams Salazar By RYAN SABALOW-Redding Record Searchlight
February 29,  2012
 
A federal scientific integrity adviser  studying dam removal on the Klamath River has filed a whistleblower complaint,  saying he was fired from his job after he began questioning top officials  "spinning" the benefits of
removing the dams while downplaying the negatives of  the project. "The bottom line is they need to be honest about the science and  the decision-making,"  Paul R. Houser, an associate hydrology professor at George
Mason University, told the Record Searchlight Tuesday in his first remarks to  the media about his whistleblower complaint. 

Houser's complaint, filed last week with
Department of the  Interior's
Office of Executive Secretariat and
Regulatory Affairs, is already  having a
ripple effect in the
contentious debate over removing the four dams,  three
of which are in
Siskiyou County.
Siskiyou County Supervisor Jim Cook, who traveled to
Washington,  D.C. this
week to lobby federal officials against dam
removal, said today the
complaint is currently being investigated by staff
members of north state
U.S.  Reps. Wally Herger, R-Chico and Tom
McClintock, R-Fair Oaks.
Supervisors and other dam-removal opponents have
complained  about the
scientific integrity of the process. The
supervisors already have
threatened to sue, saying Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar isn't being genuine
when he says officials are thoroughly reviewing
the proposal before making a
decision. The supervisors complain dam removal
is a foregone conclusion,
with  federal regulators "cherrypicking"
science to support their  views.
Department of the Interior spokeswoman
Kate Kelly said in a  statement
officials are reviewing Houser's
complaint. The statement didn't  address
any of the allegations. Houser
said he was hired last spring to be the
Bureau of Reclamation's scientific
integrity adviser. His duties included
the  Klamath dams studies.
He
said in September he began growing concerned about federal  officials

issuing reports and press releases that "intentionally distort" the

negatives of the project, something he calls "intentional
falsification."
He says there have been a number of scientific studies
that  showed dam
removal comes with some risks or wouldn't be nearly as
beneficial to
threatened coho salmon habitat as Salazar's staff made it
seem.
He said he was told by one of his supervisors that Salazar  "wants
to remove
those dams" and he'd violated "unwritten rules" when he
began  sending
emails to his superiors questioning what appeared to him
to be a  deliberate
spin. "That was my goal as scientific integrity
officer, the kind of
obligations I was hired to do," Houser, 41, said today
in an interview.
He said he was reprimanded, placed on probation and
eventually  fired this
month.
Last week, he filed a whistleblower
complaint challenging  violations of the
government's scientific code
of conduct. He said he's not that  interested
in getting his job back
considering what happened to him. He's since
returned to teaching full time
at George Mason, he said.
"My motivation is to get the scientific integrity
and get the  science
honored in the process," he said. "É I really hope
this doesn't happen  to
somebody else."
Rep. Herger described
Houser's allegations as "troubling  concerns."
"An independent entity at
Interior should thoroughly and  objectively vet
these concerns, and the
results should be shared openly with the  public,"
Herger said in a
statement. "Interior's promotion of sound science in  this
process is
of paramount importance."
Houser's allegations come as Salazar announced
Monday he was  putting off
making a decision on dynamiting the Klamath
River dams because  Congress has
not yet given him the go-ahead. A
Democrat-backed bill authored  this fall
that authorizes the removal
plus $800 million in environmental  restorations
hasn't yet made it to
a committee hearing in the  Republican-controlled
House.
 
Comments

BME Article by Mary Schamehorn

2/29/2012

Comments

 
By Mary Schamehorn
 Herald Editor
 A large group of people in Coos County, including several from Myrtle Point, attended a meeting last Friday night in Coquille to protest a proposal by  the US Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

 Many of those who spoke said the federal government already owns enough land in Oregon and they could see no reason to spend millions of dollars to purchase more.

 A map that has been widely circulated shows that all of the land on both sides of the Coquille River up to river mile 10.2 are being considered for expansion.

 One concern expressed repeatedly in the Coquille meeting and in a subsequent meeting with Congressman Ron Wyden was removing land from the tax rolls.


Assessor's info
The latest proposal to purchase land involves 154 distinct parcels comprising  4,567 acres,  according to information provided by Coos County Assessor Steve Jansen.

 Those parcels have a real market value of $24,524,243 and a total assessed value of just under $10 million.

 The gross property taxes off those lands is over $100,000 a year.

Port won't sell
 One group that has made it clear that they will not sell their land to USFWS is the Port of Bandon.


The Port voted unanimously at its December meeting not to sell its 80-acre parcel on the north spit of the Coquille River to become part of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge (NWR).

 Several of the same landowners who spoke in Coquille attended the port meeting, urging commissioners not to sell their land.

 One of the major opponents was port commissioner Reg Pullen, an archaeologist, who said it's a matter of freedom.

 "There would be fewer opportunities for people to do things there if it was refuge property versus land owned by someone else," Pullen said.


"People use it to run their dogs, dig gravel, go rock hounding, hunting, fishing,  cutting firewood, picnicking on the river beach and so forth. They can drive right down to the water. We need to keep some places like that where  people can have that freedom.


"I love wildlife refuges, but I want to make sure there's a balance. I think  a mix of ownerships along the river is a healthy thing  — some lands  protected for the USFWS, and some lands protected for people to do what      
they want to do," Pullen said.


Fireworks targeted

He added that Bandon's annual Fourth of July fireworks display has been set off from the north spit for many years, and from the port's land for the past several years.


Referring to a study funded by USFWS on the impact of fireworks on offshore birds,   Pullen said the government "would probably like to see the fireworks  minimized or stopped. I'm a traditionalist and I know people love the  fireworks. I wouldn't want that to be lost."


Gina Dearth, port general manager, said staff recommended against selling the north spit parcel "now or at any time in the future."


USFWS officials are quick to point out that they will not condemn land or take it through eminent domain. They will only deal with willing sellers.


Expanded in 1999


In November 1999, USFWS announced that the approved boundary for the NWR had  been officially expanded by an additional 577 acres.


Established in 1983, Bandon marsh NWR included 304 acres of tidal wetlands and adjacent uplands in the lower Coquille River Estuary in and adjacent to the City of Bandon.


The refuge expansion area, east of Highway 101 (can be seen from Bullards Bridge) along the north bank of the Coquille River, included tidal wetlands, forested wetlands, lowland pastures, riparian corridors and      
upland habitats.


At  that time, USFWS spokesman Roy Lowe said the restoration of up to 400 acres of tidal wetlands .... would provide for compatible types of wildlife dependent recreation.


Never happened


But critics of the latest expansion say that never happened.


"We were told that they would allow duck and skeet shooting on that property,  but they won't allow any hunting," said Bandon city councilor Brian Vick.

He said hunting is allowed on the original refuge, but not on the 1999 expansion, which saw USFWS pay about a million dollars for the former Dave Philpott ranch, owned at that time by the Bussmann family.


And that's one reason he is adamantly opposing any further expansion.


Receives letter


Jill Halliburton, the former Jill Coffman who grew up in Myrtle Point, is one of the property owners who received a letter in November about the latest expansion


The letter points out that the USFWS (commonly referred to as the Service) is  developing a Comprehensive Conservation Plan (CCP) for the refuge.


"I want to emphasize two key points. First, the Service has initiated a study
       to possibly expand the boundary of the Refuge," said Roy Lowe, who works  
     out of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Newport.


"The second key point is that you and other private landowners would not be    
   required to participate in any aspect of our land protection proposal      
(e.g. fee title purchase, conservation easement or agreement) regardless      
of where your land is located.


"Landowners within the expanded boundary would be under no obligation to sell their   
    property to the Service."


Some say that is all well and good, but if the government offers people enough 
      money, they undoubtedly will sell their property, effectively removing it  
     from the tax rolls.


"More than 4,500 acres is being requested, and you can see the writing on the   
    wall that more acreage up river is in the next phase," said Halliburton.     
  "Roy Lowe is quoted as saying 'when you restore a marsh, it's forever.'      
You can say the same thing about removing taxable property: once sold to      
any federal entity, it is forever off the tax rolls. It also will be      
forever unable to contribute to the county economy in anywhere near the      
previous volume.


"I can't fathom how the federal and state governments (our money) can justify
       removing that value from our taxable property in Coos county, much less   
    come up with funds to help 'restore' it, and still look us in the eye and    
   say they cannot come up with timber replacement money that was promised      
decades ago," she said.


$19 million in grants


In January 2011, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar  announced the award of      
more than $19 million to support 24 conservation projects benefiting fish      
and wildlife on more than 5,900 acres of coastal habitats in 12  states.


The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board was awarded $1 million to help acquire 
      and restore approximately 622 acres of coastal wetlands in the Coquille  Valley ... for permanent conservation, protection and restoration by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.


"This project is the first phase of a larger initiative by ODFW to conserve and  restore approximately 3,000 acres in the lowlands along the lower Coquille River encompassing some of the most productive wetland habitats on the Oregon Coast. The total cost of the first phase is $2.506,000," according to the release from the Interior department.


"Protection and restoration of freshwater wetlands would complement downstream      
estuarine restoration efforts on Bandon National Wildlife Refuge.


About control


"Do not be mistaken: this effort to expand the marsh is not about the ecology.
       It's about control," said Halliburton. "As I look back on the last 30-40  
     years I can clearly see how we have very gradually lost control and      
therefore the choice to be able to make a living here in this beautiful      
corner of the state.


"Already over 60 percent of Coos County is in public ownership. Do we really want  
     to allow that number to grow?" asked Halliburton.

Comments

NO BME

2/29/2012

Comments

 
THE TEA PARTYER
 February 27, 2012
 
At the last County Board of Commissioners meeting, the commissioners failed to pass the resolution to stop The Bandon Marsh Expansion.  There were only two commissioners present, Main and Messerle.  Commissioner Main stated the resolution was not restrictive enough on the non-governmental organizations involved in the expansion, and therefore, he could not vote for it.  
 
They decided to rewrite the Resolution to be more specific to the situation and palatable enough to pass the Board.  The commissioners will bring up the expansion at the next regularly scheduled BOC meeting on March 6th.  Let us hope Commissioner Main keeps his word and is not playing politics with this very important subject.  
 
Here is some History of “The Bandon Marsh”
 It was the American Indian who had the first pleasure of enjoying the beauty and bounty of one of America’s natural treasures known as the Bandon Marsh.  The ancestors of the Coquille Indian Tribe subsisted for centuries on the marsh's riches for survival.  
  
The first homestead was established when Thompson Lowe took up a donation land claim of one square mile on the south side of the Coquille River in 1853.  By 1890 the City of Bandon had a population of 219, according to the census.  There was a large mill built after the first major fire of 1914 by The Dollar Steamship Company on the south bank of the river, just east of the bridge on highway 101.   
 
In 1983, Congress established The Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge with the acquisition of 304 acres of salt marsh, mudflats, and tidal sloughs. The Bandon Marsh Unit, as it is now known, is located near the mouth of the Coquille River, with approximately 75 percent of the Unit within the city limits of Bandon, Oregon. 
  
Congress in 1999 approved expanding the refuge by 577 acres. The next year, The US Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS) used federal funds to buy the 408-acre Dave Philpott Ranch, among other parcels of property. 
  
The (USFWS) purchased the ranch from the Bussmann family.  It was renamed the Ni-les'tun Unit and added to the refuge in order to protect and restore the intertidal marsh.  People can see  this area from Bullard’s Bridge looking east of Highway 101 on the north bank of the Coquille River.
 
The total land mass of The Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge consists of 889 acres, and in September of 2011 the largest salt marsh restoration project in Oregon History was finally completed.
 
The purpose for establishing the marsh as a National Wildlife Refuge was for the preservation and enhancement of the highly significant wildlife habitat.  Unfortunately, The Service closed off The Ni-les’tun Unit soon after it
was established. There is no public access allowed in the area’s fertile hunting ground, with few notable exceptions.
 
What is a Comprehensive Conservation Plan?
 In 1997, the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act amended The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966.  These changes required that (USFWS) develop a Comprehensive Conservation
Plan (CCP) for each national wildlife refuge. 
 
The reason for developing a (CCP) is to provide refuge managers with a 15-year plan for achieving refuge purposes and contributing toward the mission of the National Wildlife Refuge System, consistent with sound principles of fish and wildlife management, conservation, legal mandates, and policies.
 
Subsequently, The (USFWS) has to implement an environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential effects of various (CCP) alternatives.   These studies can lead to new rules and regulations for the area that can have adverse and costly effects to adjacent property owners.  
  
Expanding The Marsh  
January of 2011, The Dept of Interior under Secretary Ken Salazar sent out a press release explaining their plans to give more than $19 million in our tax dollars to the National Coastal Wetlands Grant Program to fund 24 conservation projects covering over 5900 acres of coastal habitat in 12 different states.  The (USFWS) administers this grant program, and there is another $21 million in matching funds in partner contributions from state and local governments, private landowners and conservation groups. 
  
In March of 2011, The Service proposed designating 30,497 acres of critical habitat in 68 units in Washington, Oregon and California.  And, as recently as Jan. 17th of this year, U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-LA secured more than $34.5 million for the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund.   
 
Currently, the (USFWS) is expecting to get congressional approval sometime in the late part of 2012 to add up to 4500 acres to the Bandon Marsh Refuge.  The Service plans on achieving this goal by acquiring more land from willing sellers along the banks of The Coquille River. This expansion will go up North Bank Lane almost to the 11th mile marker continuing further southeast into the Coquille Valley.   Subsequently, there is another 3000 acres under consideration for acquisition, which was not detailed in The Bandon Marsh Expansion, but comes from the Coquille Valley Wetland Conservation and Restoration Proposal dated June of 2010. 
  
There were three preliminary drafts to come out of the (CCP) for The Bandon Marsh Refuge and the (USFWS) is propagating Preliminary Draft Land Protection Alternative C, which coincidently is the largest in land mass of all the drafts.  
  
There are 154 distinct parcels covering over 4500 acres of land included in Alternative C. The Total Real Market Value would be around $24,524,243, with a total Assessed Value of $9,729,043.  Besides the listed properties in the perspective area, the (USFWS) has been working with The Nature Conservancy to obtain even more property in other areas of Coos County and the state.  
 
The Consequences of Allowing This Federal Land Grab
If the (USFWS) acquires all the property it is requesting, then Coos County stands to lose $101,508 in gross property taxes per year, and that amount increases with every piece of land The Service takes off the tax roll.  
  
There is an estimated 20 children living within the area that attend school in the Bandon School District.  Each child is worth $6000 to the district, which will equate to a loss of $120,000 to the Bandon school system.  The county also loses future generations of farmers and ranchers that produce the meats and vegetables for locals and many others throughout the country.  Developing a working farm and/or ranch takes generations of learning the soil conditions, weather and growth patterns of the local environment and we stand to lose that experience and wisdom.      
 
The families who live in the proposed expansion area will not be here to go shopping in the community, or to eat in the restaurants, or go the local theater.  They will not be buying gas, tools, food, shoes, medicine and all the
amenities needed to live.  The businesses lost in the expansion area will not be generating income, which means there will be less money rebounding in the local economy. There will be an increase in unemployment due to the loss of the jobs in the agricultural industry. 
 
The purchases of these properties could cause serious aberrations in the local real estate market.  
  
Properties adjacent to The Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge could see a devaluation in their worth, while properties a little further away from the Refuge could have the prices of their properties become  artificially inflated.  The land will never be able to be bought or sold again once purchased by The Service and this
eliminates even more money from flowing back and forth, through the financial system.  All of this, in total, will cause a more restrictive real estate market to be created. 
  
Then take into consideration the amount of Federal money that it will take to restore these properties back into a natural intertidal marsh.  The first two units of the Bandon Marsh were only going to consume $4,000,000 of public money, but that project has increased to about $14,000,000.   Up to $50,000,000 is what the estimated cost will be to restore the desired expansion area. 
  
Nationally, these expenditures will all contribute to the Federal Debt, which is about $15 trillion and climbing.  Feeling a little insignificant?
 
What  can The Citizens of Coos County Do?  
First we have to stay informed and keep others informed, because knowledge is power.  
 
Then you have to contact your representatives in the government, and tell them that you will not stand for the intrusive nature of the US Fish & Wildlife Service or any other federal agency with the intentions of taking more property from public domain.  
  
We have to organize an opposition, band together and fight against this invasion of our county.  There are people organizing now and you can be a part of the effort by going to www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com . 
Sign up for the newsletter and lets us know if you are willing to volunteer.
 
We need people to monitor the different organizations that capitulate and work with the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  We need people to monitor the (USFWS) itself.  We need people who can help maintain the social websites that are being set up to stop the Bandon Marsh Expansion, such as on the one on Facebook.   We need people who are willing to travel to Salem and Washington to meet with representatives and lobby against
the expansion.  We need people to write letters to the representatives on the Public Lands committees in both
houses of the US government and Letters to the Editors of every publication in the state.  We need people to hand out flyers and possibly get petition signatures.   We need people to PROTEST.

A Place to Start
Please show up a little early to the next BOC meeting with a “No Bandon Marsh Expansion” sign and an American flag, so we can demonstrate to the commissioners that we are very serious about this issue.  
  
Also, there is another meeting on this issueto be held Saturday, March 3rd, at the Owens Building in Coquille. 
The meeting will begin at 11:00 am.

And, if all of this is not enough, then maybe it is time to OCCUPY the Bandon Marsh and reclaim
that which is already ours.

“Rob Taylor was the original organizer of the TEA Parties in Coos County and is currently an independent activist working to promote the rights of the individual.”
Comments

Change in the Ron Paul Campaign Kick-Off in Coos County

2/29/2012

Comments

 
I was just writing to let you know we changed the meeting place for the Coos County kick off. I had seen that you placed an email of mine on your site and I was hoping that you could place this one there as a replacement as I would hate it if people showed up at the wrong place.  Thanks for you time, and keep up the good fight. 


Hello all,

I am writing to confirm that I have indeed reserved a meeting place this Thursday.  In the previous email I stated it would most likely be at the Coach House.  However, I booked a room at The Coney Station instead.  Sorry for any confusions this may have caused you.

The meeting will be at The Coney Station this Thursday, March 1st., at 6:30 PM.


I have attached a flyer that I made to promote the even.  Sorry for the late notice, but I got a really late start on all of this.  Most other coordinators have been at it for months.  I have been at it for about a week now. 

I will be putting the flyers up at the libraries tomorrow and anywhere else I can think of.  Feel free to do so as well. 


Thank for your effort, your time and your support thus far.


For
Liberty,

Jason
Payne
Coos
County Coordinator
Ron
Paul for President 2012


P.S.

I am also looking for someone that can help with calling potential supporters to
invite them to the meeting.  If you think you can help out with that please let
me know.  
 

Comments

Your daily cup of Oregon political news.

2/28/2012

Comments

 
Your daily cup of Oregon political news.
All
original Oregon Capitol News stories are available copyright free for your use
and distribution
  
Portland Housing Bureau has lent $350 million at
an average interest rate of less than 1%

PORTLAND,
Ore. – Developers have received almost $350 million in assistance over the years
in the form of low-interest or free loans from the Portland Housing Bureau for
affordable housing units.


Budget committee approves more bills in final days of
session

SALEM,
Ore.- Bills involving teen dating violence, elder abuse, college textbooks and
other subjects have cleared the Joint Ways and Means Committee and are one step
closer to becoming law.


House approves addition of three Court of Appeals
judges

SALEM,
Ore.- With approval from the House of Representatives, the Oregon Court of
Appeals is one step closer to adding three additional judges next
year.

Comments

ATTENTION PEOPLE OF BANDON:

2/28/2012

Comments

 
Here is an email I recently sent out to the people living in Bandon.  Contact me, if you are a resident and want to get involved in stopping the increase in Urban Renewal debt.


Hello,

I'm sending this info to you, because the City of Bandon is getting ready to pass more restrictive zoning laws and we need to stop them from taking more of our property.   Remember, it can be measured vertically as well as
horizontally.   

Please, show up to the city council meeting this coming Monday, March 5th, at 7 pm at City Hall and really let them know we are upset with these new laws.   We have to do this, it is our Civic Duty.   Bandon already has some of the most restrictive zoning laws on the coast.  Technically, we are breaking the law by parking in our own driveways, so let them fix that law, but lets not have anymore restrictions passed.   
 
Here is a link to more information:
http://www.cooscountywatchdog.com/1/post/2012/02/very-important-bandon-city-council-meeting.html
 
Here is a link to the Minutes of the meeting for the Planning Committee and it is not pretty. 
http://www.ci.bandon.or.us/council/planning-02-23-2012/4-2.pdf
It is a shopping list of disaster. 

Here is a link to the story in the paper:
http://www.bandonwesternworld.com/articles/2012/02/28/news/doc4f46b6f911daa960840155.txt

Also, I’m going to be starting a Referendum Petition in Bandon on March 6th, 2012.This will happen the day after the City Council votes on The Bandon Resolution to increase and extend the city’s Urban
Renewal debt in area # 1.If you live in Bandon and want to help us stop this debt increase, then send me an email and let me know you want to volunteer to get petition signatures.I will need all the help I can get……


Feel Free to forward this message.....

I'm now thinking of doing a Referendum on the zoning laws too, if they pass them.... it's time to fight back, please, will you  join me? 


Sincerely,
Rob Taylor
PO Box 973
Bandon,
OR 97411
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 541-347-9942

Comments

Very Important Bandon City Council Meeting

2/27/2012

Comments

 
Important Bandon City Council Meeting
Date:  Monday, March 5, 7pm – 9pm 

Where:  City Council Chambers (map)

The council is going to make more restrictive zoning laws and take more of our right to property.  These are some of the same regulations they wanted to pass last year.  More of the same.  

They are also going to finally vote on the Bandon Resolution to increase the "Maximum Indebtedness" of Urban Renewal area #1 from 5 million to 12 million and extend it out to 2033. 

Check out the Planning Commission Agenda.  Pay close attention to the environmental BS that is throughout the document.  
http://www.ci.bandon.or.us/council/planning-02-23-2012/4-2.pdf
Comments

critique of the Jim Bice show

2/27/2012

Comments

 
Here is a critique of the Jim Bice show today
http://mgx.com/blogs/2012/02/27/real-reason-for-county-administrator-revealed-today/ 
Comments

the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA).

2/27/2012

Comments

 
 On January 1, 2011, President Obama signed into law the National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2012 (NDAA).


The National Defense Authorization Act is a bill passed into law each year. It allows the government to continue funding national  security interests and the military for the next fiscal year. This year's bill, however, was different.


The 2012 NDAA greatly expands the power and scope of the federal government to fight the so-called "War on Terror". The law authorizes the US military, for the first time in more than 200 years, to
carry out domestic policing.


 The language of this law is dangerously vague. It grants      dictatorial powers to the federal government to arrest any      American citizen without warrant and indefinitely detain them for      life anywhere in the world without any charge.


Suspects can be shipped by the military to our offshore prisons      and kept  there until "the end of hostilities". It is a      catastrophic blow to civil  liberties.


In a nation where the definition of "terrorist" seems to        be  ever-expanding, and where a series of laws passed since 9/11        have  severely undermined Constitutional protections, the NDAA        has gone too  far.


It is time to unite and stand up to this assault on our      fundamental  rights and freedoms.

Comments

"Bandon Marsh Expansion Meeting"

2/27/2012

Comments

 
"Bandon Marsh Expansion Meeting"

To be held Saturday, March 3 at the Owens Building in Coquille.  The meeting will begin at 11:00 am.  There will be updated information to share regarding the US Fish and Wildlife Service's plan to expand the Bandon Marsh by over 4,500 acres.  More information?  Don Chance, 541.297.2667 or Rob Taylor, 541.347.9942.

Please bring a pen, pencil and paper.  We will be looking for more volunteers from several area's.  

We hope those who have signed up to be a volunteer can attend this meeting.   



 
Comments

STOP THEM FROM REVERSING THE LAW TO DESTROY UNUSED BALLOTS

2/27/2012

Comments

 
STOP THEM FROM REVERSING THE LAW TO DESTROY UNUSED BALLOTS

Friday, with just 2 hours notice, the Senate Rules Committee scheduled a hearing and passed an amendment to SB 1517 with the wording of HB 4174, which will repeal the law that requires unused ballots be destroyed in a timely manner.

We still have a chance to STOP SB 1517A.

Monday the bill will return to the House and House Rules Committee for discussion, hearing and work session. FLOOD the House and House Rules Committee NOW.  Tell them to protect the integrity of our election process TELL  THEM TO VOTE NO ON SB 1517.

Come to the Capitol and join the War room effort - go to
the hearing and testify! Tell them NO!

Read the attached letter from the Rich Hobernicht, Washington County Election director. He states that per advice from Secretary of State unused ballots were NOT destroyed in November, 2011 until the vote was certified. THEY'RE ALREADY in violation of the law!

READ BILL HERE:  SB1517A
 
 
SB 1517 will:--Increase the chance of voter fraud, by removing the requirement to destroy unused ballots
at 8 pm on election night

--Make
it very difficult for election observers to monitor and verify the location and
safety of ballots

--Add
new requirements for county security procedures, but will retain the stipulation
that the details not be released to the public, eliminating public
oversight.


SB 1517 amends ORS 254.483 by omitting the law requiring the county clerk to destroy all
unused ballots after 8:00 p.m. on the day of the election. There
is a good reason why unused ballots are destroyed in a timely manner. Blank
ballots sitting around are an invitation for voter fraud.


·If this bill is passed, it will allow boxes of unused ballots to sit in election offices after
the election is over until the county clerk deems it “practicable” to destroy
them. Some counties currently keep them until the election is certified—weeks
after the election.


·Destroying
unused ballots is an important safeguard to elections. Hoarding boxes of ballots
that can be brought out of election closets “when needed” is unacceptable and
must not be permitted.


·Elections must be subject to public oversight.
Election observers cannot reasonably monitor boxes of unused ballots for weeks
on end.


·Some counties have video surveillance, but unused
ballots are kept for weeks. It is not realistic for volunteer election observers
to watch hours of surveillance video recordings. Another prohibitive factor that
prevents public oversight is the costly fee that is charged to access the
recordings. One volunteer was given a quote of over 300 dollars from her county
elections supervisor. 


SB 1517A amends ORS 254.074 by introducing new security
procedures. However, it states that “a record or security plan developed and
filed under this section is confidential and not subject to disclosure under ORS
192.410 to 192.505”. What good are security
procedures if they are not subject to public
oversight?


·Thesecurity procedures listed in the bill
are not subject to public review, so they are not credible and only produce
added suspicion. It is like a car salesman, telling a customer, “You don’t need
to look under the hood, just trust me.”


·The public does not have confidence in a system
that keeps them in the dark, public oversight is necessary for all aspects of
government and especially elections.


There are alternatives that will protect vote integrity and save
taxpayer funds.


·Audit voting lists so that county clerks are not
wasting limited tax-payer funds printing and paying postage for thousands of
ballots that are returned undeliverable.


·Undeliverable ballots should be shredded
immediately as they return to the election office. The voter should be noted as
inactive, until he or she updates their voter registration. 
Returned envelopes with forwarding information should not be used to
update voter rolls, as is the practice in some counties. This is unreliable
information that threatens ballot security. 


·A minimum number of ballots may be printed for
legitimate purposes, but should be printed on paper of a different color that is
absolutely distinguishable to an election observer.Watermarks are
not adequate. Election observers typically have to be several feet away and
sometimes behind a glass window.


·Ballots that are unreadable by the vote counting
machine should not be duplicated on a substitute ballot. The votes should be
hand tallied.The results from the tally sheets can be added to the
counting machine results when the election staff do the “Reconciliation Process”
prior to certifying election results.


Elections are the cornerstone of our representative form of
government. If they are faulty, the entire system is faulty. There should be no
compromise in guaranteeing the integrity of the vote.


The state law to protect our vote, by destroying unused ballots
in a timely manner, is in place for a very good reason. The issue that needs to
be addressed is why it is not being enforced. Penalties should be imposed on
election officials that violate state law.


Demand that the House AND House Rules
Committee vote NO on SB
1517



--


Wendy
Frome
State Coordinator, Abigail Adams Project
(541) 497-1559

http://OregonAbigailAdams.org/
http://twitter.com/OR_AbbyAProject
http://www.facebook.com/OregonAbigailAdamsProject
Comments

Next AFP meeting is Thursday, Mar. 8‏

2/25/2012

Comments

 
Hi--

This is a ways out but will give you a heads up on our next AFP--Coos County meeting.  The date is set
for March 8.  That's the 2nd Thursday of the month.  We have scheduled former Alaska  Legislator Mark Hodgins as our featured speaker.  Randy Hoffine, broker  for Pacific Properties and has had the opportunity to be the State Director for the local real estate board, will speak on the Real Estate 
Transfer Tax. 

We'll meet 5:30 PM at 1350 Teakwood Avenue, Coos Bay and kick things off with "Big Daddy's Nationally Famous BBQ" and Potluck meal---store  bought or homemade, it's up to you.  It's been said folks show up  just for the BBQ!!  And, then listen to the educating second!  It's OK....we aren't keeping track why you're here!  The ESD building is located a half block up from Koos Bay Blvd on Teakwood. 

Hark Hodgins lived  in Alaska for 34 years, was a bush pilot for 26 years, owned and  operated 14 different businesses (some from start-up) some became  hobbies (that's a business that doesn't make any money!) two of them he owned and/or operated for over 25 years.  He was a Borough Assemblyman (same as county commissioner in Oregon) for 5  years, an Alaska State Legislator (including Chairman of the Oil and Gas Committee.)  The Director of Political Affairs for the Oregon  Association of Realtors for two years; Currently a real estate  broker for E.L Edwards Realty and marketing director for a privately  held business that supplies highway products to states, counties and  cities across
the US including Canada, New Zealand and Australia.

Program:

Hodgins--Initiating
Grassroots Organizational Campaigns and Developing Community Alliances (Power
Point Presentation)

Hoffine--Education
and Petition Signatures to prevent Real Estate Transfer Tax
imposed.



Regards,

Rick Hoffine
Coos Co. AFP
Asst Chapter Leader

PS,
Our 3rd Wednesday of the Month (MARCH 21ST)
AFP Mtg will feature a Coos Co. Commissioner Candidate Forum.  Don't miss
it!
Comments

States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact

2/25/2012

Comments

 
States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact
Comments

Over-Regulation Is Killing A Colorado Town

2/25/2012

Comments

 

Over-Regulation Is Killing A Colorado Town
http://epaabuse.com/5336/news/over-regulation-is-killing-a-colorado-town/?utm_source=EPA+Abuse&utm_campaign=3c096bd8e6-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email

Related posts:

  1. ‘Green Jobs’ Farm In Colorado Sheds Jobs
    After Receiving $200M In Stimulus Funds

  2. EPA Confirms Hydraulic Fracturing Hasn’t
    Contaminated Drinking Water In PA Town

  3. Arizona Power Station May Close – Thanks
    To The EPA

  4. Pennsylvania Power Plant May Close –
    Thanks To EPA

  5. Wind Farm Grave
    Yards
Comments

Great News: Farmers and ranchers prevailed this week

2/25/2012

Comments

 
Picture
Posted on February 24, 2012 by Cowboy Byte
 
 Farmers and ranchers prevailed this week when the U.S. Supreme Court 
unanimously ruled in favor of landowner property rights in the case of  PPL v.
Montana. This decision puts ownership of streambeds and stream  banks in the
hands of their rightful owners.

 “This decision also  helps ensure that farmers and ranchers will not have to
pay government  for the use of land or water from streambeds that run alongside
or  through their property. This week’s decision is a win for Farm Bureau 
members, farmers and ranchers nationwide and all private property  owners.”

 The American Farm Bureau Federation filed a  friend-of-the-court brief along
with the Montana Farm Bureau in the  case. Colorado Farm Bureau and Utah Farm
Bureau also filed briefs in the case in support of the petitioning
landowners.

Comments

Commissioner Main's Response to a voter concerning O&C Trust

2/22/2012

Comments

 
To Bob Main:
Sorry to say that you and a lot of others just don't get it! This O&C Trust is just more of the take over by the Federal Government and the UN "Agenda 21". Not only does this document not make me feel better
about anything the government wishes to do, but it demonstrates the outright disregard of the Constitution and what the government is supposed to be doing. 

We don't need the Federal Government to regulate what we can or can't do! We don't need the State to regulate what we can or can't do! We the People need them to get the hell out of the way and leave us alone! I have to tell you now that with the Federal Government and the Trillions of dollars of debit that is being laid upon the people things are not going to be good. You can not tell me that these Federal Grants and Monies don't have attachments and strict instructions as to how, when and where they will be used.

I will not encourage Senators Merkley and Wyden to pass this BILL! Fact is I will be writing them to ask them not to support such a bill.
Thanks
Chris  
 
On Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 3:38 PM, Bob Main <[email protected]> wrote:
Christopher 
 Maybe the above attachment will make you feel better!  Look at pgs 55 thru 58.  Please thank Reps Walden, DeFazio and Schrader for their hard work.  Also, please encourage Senators Merkley and Wyden to push hard in the Senate for passage of this bill.

Thank
you for the letter and good to hear from you.  Please don’t hesitate to call or email.  
Bob


541-396-3121 
770

541-404-5382 
c

Good morning,


             Attached you
will find the proposed O&C Trust, Conservation and Jobs Act.  Below you will
find the announcement of the bill and a press conference scheduled for 11:00 am
PST this morning.  Please review the proposed bill and join the conference this
morning.  The conference line is 800-857-9756 and enter the
passcode 54439.  If you have questions
feel free to contact me.  Thanks,


 



Rocky


541-412-1624


Fourth Congressional District, Oregon                                                  
         February 15, 2012
Contact:
Jen Gilbreath (DeFazio)--(202)
225-6416

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 Cody Tucker (Schrader)- (202)
225-5711
Andrew Whelan (Walden)- (202)
225-6730
 ** MEDIA ADVISORY **
 DEFAZIO, WALDEN, SCHRADER TO RELEASE DRAFT OF
BIPARTISAN O&C JOBS AGREEMENT

WASHINGTON, DC- Representatives Peter DeFazio
(D-Springfield), Greg Walden (R-Hood River), and Kurt Schrader (D-Canby) will
release a discussion draft of their bipartisan O&C Trust proposal for public
comment tomorrow afternoon. DeFazio and Schrader will also hold a media
availability in the afternoon to provide an update on the status of the
bipartisan effort.


Last fall, DeFazio, Walden, and Schrader worked with
stakeholders to reach a bipartisan agreement on a long-term plan for the O&C
counties. Since then, they’ve been working with the House Resources Committee to
integrate the provisions of their proposal into committee legislation. The
discussion draft will be posted to the member’s websites, where constituents can
send feedback and suggest changes to the draft.


“Time is running short for our rural counties, and they
deserve a long-term solution. We have finalized a discussion draft of our unique
plan for the O&C lands and intend to release it tomorrow. The plan is
separate from HR 4019, which will be marked up in the Natural Resources
Committee tomorrow. We still have outstanding issues that we are working out
with committee and will continue to work with them as we move through the
legislative process,” DeFazio, Walden, and Schrader said.


 


WHO:                  
Reps. Peter DeFazio and Kurt Schrader


WHAT:                
Press conference on OCTCJA


DATE:                   
Thursday, February 16


TIME:                   
11:00 am Pacific time


WHERE:              
Satellite feed and conference call from Washington, D.C.





TV STATIONS:


Satellite coordinates


Galaxy
19


C-band
analog @ 97 degrees west


Transponder
8


Downlink
@ 3860 Horizontal


Audio
@ 6.2 or 6.8
*To ask questions, stations must dial into the
conference line at 800-857-9756 and enter the passcode
54439.

 NEWSPAPER:*To patch into the conference call, dial 800-857-9756 and enter the
passcode 54439 to listen and ask questions of the
Congressmen.
Comments

The Unsung Hero

2/22/2012

Comments

 
THE TEA PARTYER
February 12, 2012
It was a little before 3:00 am on Saturday when I received the Power Point Presentation, which was going to be shown at an important meeting that day concerning the Bandon Marsh Expansion.

Everyone in the group worked diligently to get all of the information and material compiled.We had to present the immense amount of material in a way that could be coherent to the public.It is a very detailed subject, which encompasses several issues.The information has to be linked together with verifiable data, using many different sources.

All of this would be fruitless if it were not for those unsung heroes, many of whom we call neighbors.They work with no reward, nor a thank you, but act on a keen sense of principle.Bonnie, the talented lady who has
put together the map we use to identify property owners, has been absolutely professional in organizing our meetings. She designed our signs and bumper stickers with the highest of quality.

The good people at The Farm Bureau have gotten the word out all over the county.Beau Allen and Kevin Westfall have used their expertise and wealth of contacts to further tell the story.Their work has helped
propel this issue into the public eye.They have been trying to get our representatives to take notice, but it is a daunting task that takes the skill of diplomacy and the patience of steel to deal with the political arrogance.

Sharon Waterman has become a citizen lobbyist over the last couple of years, proving that fighting for ones property rights is an equal opportunity battle.She found the report published by the Oregon Watershed
Enhancement Board titled Coquille Valley Wetland Conservation and Restoration Proposal dated June of 2010.

This article links The Bandon Marsh Expansion and The Winter Lake Project, plus it exposes another 3000 acres that is under consideration for possible acquisition.The Bandon Marsh Expansion combined with this proposal would eliminate 7500 acres of prime real-estate right off the books.It seems Coos County is under attack by government bureaucrats.

One rancher, Ken Hershey, has been able to give us a direct history of the place.He tracked down the parcels as we toured the expansion area.We went out last week to see the marsh with local biologist, Daniel Varoujean, who was able to build the scientific case against this ecological and environmental disaster, which will come in handy when we have to face off against the experts on the other side.

These people are the real treasure of Coos County and it shows there is more than just the dollar value of the property. They represent an intrinsic value, the wisdom, talent and experience we have cultivated in our little
community. We may never be able to replace these folks once we lose them and that could be the real tragedy here and it is one of the most important reasons to stop this federal land grab.

The meeting in The Barn was a success. There were over 150 people in attendance, with the majority opposed to the marsh expansion.We had two county commissioners, the Mayor of Bandon, two city councilors and several candidates in attendance.If the US Fish &Wildlife Service did not know there was an opposition to this expansion, they do now.

We are still asking for people to contact Senator Wyden and Merkley and Congressman DeFazio.It is important to keep up the pressure with relentless determination.Keep writing those letters to The Public Lands
Committees in both houses, because we have to keep fighting the good fight.

On Friday we are having a Potluck and a forum on Property Rights will be presented by The Coos County Tea Party with keynote speaker, Randal O’Toole, a Senior Fellow from the CATO Institute.He will be in Coos Bay at the ESD Building, 1350 Teakwood Ave, starting at 5:00 PM and everyone is welcome.Please bring your favorite dish, whoever that might be.Big Daddy Steve Noorlander will be serving his world famous tacos.

Then on the 20th of February we are going to have a protest for Senator Merkley’s Town Hall Meeting at Marshfield High school on Ingersoll.This will start at 1:00 PM and we should show up a little early with some, “NO Bandon Marsh Expansion” signs.VIVA LA FIRST AMENDMENT.

To find out more information go to www.CoosCountyWatchdog.com. 
 
“RobTaylor was the original organizer of the TEA Parties in Coos County and is currently an independent activist working to promote the rights of the individual.”

Related Posts:
me·a cul·pa
The Six Degrees of Separation
Three Campaign Issues for 2012

Comments

Board of Commissioners Meeting

2/22/2012

Comments

 
Board of Commissioners Meeting
 Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 

At  the last meeting, The BOC did not pass a resolution on the O&C Lands/Wagon Train Road and the commissioners did not pass the resolution against The Bandon Marsh Expansion.
 
There were only two commissioners present, Main and Messerle, and Main said the resolution was not restrictive enough and it will have to be brought up as an Agenda Item at the next meeting.  
 
Everyone is requested to show up with the “No Bandon Marsh Expansion” signs, or your own
protest sign and an American Flag.
 
Board of Commissioners Meeting
Date: Tuesday, March 6th, 2012
9:00 AM for the Protest 
9:30 AM for the regular BOC Meeting
 The Owen Building
 201  N Adams St,
Coquille, OR 97423

Google Map
Give them a call:
 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
 Phone: 541-396-3121
  ext. 225 

Commissioner Bob Main
[email protected]  
Phone: 541-396-3121
  ext 770

Commissioner Fred Messerle
 [email protected]  
Phone: 541-396-3121
  ext 247

 Commissioner Cam Parry
 [email protected]  
Phone: 541-396-3121
  ext 281


Comments

Urban Renewal-Fresno-Hitler?

2/21/2012

Comments

 
Here is a sample of the article.
www.bulldognews.net/issues-redevelop.html
The areas that will make up the new downtown Fresno of the 21st Century are surprisingly dense with powerful reminders of the muddle of the 20th Century. In Berlin, for example, along the street called Wilhelmstrasse, just a few steps from the chaos of Potsdamer Platz, there is a grassy mound surrounded by a parking lot. Underneath it are the remains of the bunker where Adolf Hitler spent the last days of World War II, and where he committed suicide  in April of 1945. Berliners argue about what to do with Potsdamer Platz,  and the restoration of buildings. Fresnans can quarrel over what the history of Fresno means to its future. But, unless Fresno City Hall has the courage and determination to face-down its ghosts of the past, whatever they want to build, whatever they want to tear down, whatever they want to call any public space, Fresno will find history
  slapping them in the face.  In Fresno and in Berlin you just cannot argue about a redevelopment project
  without someone bringing up the name of Adolf Hitler or that of Hitler's propagandist, Karl Falk.


Comments

Council to re-examine Empire, downtown Coos Bay

2/21/2012

Comments

 
Coos Bay People check this out.
Councilors also will discuss interim improvement options for the Lockhart
and  old fire station lot sites when they reconvene in their dual capacity as
Urban  Renewal Agency members immediately after the council meeting.

Read
more: http://theworldlink.com/news/local/council-to-re-examine-empire-downtown-coos-bay/article_73cb9fd1-602a-545f-960b-a170e4ec9d30.html#ixzz1n2F9DVSi
Comments

Never Humble Opinion‏

2/20/2012

Comments

 
What do you think?  Pass it along to anyone you'd like.  I'd 

appreciate suggestions for improvement.

Steve


-------------------

Steve’s NHO
March 2012


A couple years back, I wrote a ‘Never Humble Opinion’ column, in which 
you may recall (hopefully) my never-humble guidance for choosing the 
correct candidate for whom to vote. To briefly recap:

Step #1) Register to
vote!  NOW. You must do that first.

Step #2) Disregard party
labels.  The best candidate for you may be 
registered in another
party.

Step #3) Make a concerted effort to read campaign literature from
all 
candidates.  Listen to their speeches.  Listen to them
when they’re 
interviewed on the radio and TV.  Go to their
websites.  For 
incumbents, review their accomplishments.


Step #4) When you hear trash-talking from one candidate (or his/her 

surrogates) against another candidate, move that person TO THE BOTTOM 

OF YOUR LIST.

Step #5) Make sure you actually VOTE!

That was written in March, 2010.  Now, in 2012; My advice is exactly 
the same:

Which candidates/positions are important for the future of
Coos County?  Look around.  Around where you live, where you
work, where you used to work, where your family and friends live and
work (or used  to work).  What’s missing?  What needs
changing?  What needs to go away?

Here’s what your humble columnist
thinks is important:  jobs; small, 
efficient and economical
government; jobs; utilization of our God-
given natural resources (remember:
everything –EVERYTHING- we consume 
is either GROWN, or it’s MINED);
jobs; lower taxes; jobs; and less 
governmental interference in our
lives.

Boil all these down into a couple simple points. Government
should:
• Get out of the way of businesses trying to get started
here.
• Get out of the way of businesses already ongoing here.
• Stop
increasing taxes, fees, and regulations on businesses and 

individuals.
• Lower or remove taxes, fees, and regulations on
businesses and 
individuals.

Good government does NOT penalize
individual effort and 
accomplishment.  Good government leaders do
NOT discourage and 
maliciously hinder business development and
individual effort.  I’m an 
unapologetic Ronald Reagan
Conservative who likewise believes 
“Government ISN’T THE SOLUTION TO
THE PROBLEM, Government IS THE 
PROBLEM”!

Ask anyone who’s
tried to build a new commercial business operation 
lately.  In
Coos Bay.  In North Bend.  Anywhere in Coos County.  Has 

it been an easy road for them, or an endless quagmire of red tape and 

roadblocks?

The Oregon and Federal government do-gooders and
mindless bureaucratic 
minions are a HUGE part of the problem. 
(How do you like that new 
hands-free-cell-phone law? The Bandon Marsh
land grab? Measure 66 & 
67? Mandatory Health-Care reform?) Such
politicos are usually self-
serving and interested in little more than
protecting their careers, 
expanding their fiefdoms, and getting
re-elected, they hinder more 
than they help.  ALWAYS.


Unfortunately, it’s difficult to weed out the SOB’s who hide behind 

‘office staff’ and the anonymity of being one of 90 in Salem or 535 in 

Washington DC, and a conveniently long distance from here where we 

live on the southern Oregon coast.  Like ‘picking fly poop out of
the 
pepper’, if you know what I mean…

When it’s Coos County
and local city officials doing the same, it 
becomes much easier to
pick out the SOB’s from the crowd.

• Local knuckleheads who want to
restrict our rights because of their 
own narcissism and self-righteous
demands (like PROHIBITING your right 
to smoke on city property) ARE
THE PROBLEM.

• Local knuckleheads who would prohibit business startups
for fear 
that a slug, snail mouse, gnat, or imported bird would
be 
inconvenienced ARE THE PROBLEM.

• Local knuckleheads who
demand that willing business partners be 
PROHIBITED from creating new
jobs because of ceaseless fears of being 
inconvenienced (like imagined
traffic congestion from Chromite trucks, 
for example) ARE THE
PROBLEM.

• Remember how many log trucks and chip trucks USED TO travel
our 
roads and highways a mere 10 years ago?  ORC’s use of a small
fraction 
of those trucks that immediately produced anywhere from 75 to
150 GOOD 
LOCAL JOBS is one of the GOOD ANSWERS.

• The planned
Jordan Point LNG plant /pipeline is one of the GOOD 
ANSWERS.


• The concurrent construction of a container shipping facility is one 

of the GOOD ANSWERS.

• Construction of a coal shipping facility is
one of the GOOD ANSWERS.

• These four will all use the rail line being
reconditioned and re-
established by our forward-looking Port
Commissioners.  They will use 
the modernized airport facilities
recently developed by our forward-
looking Airport Commissioners.


• Shop locally, and (if at all possible) shop SMALL BUSINESSES. 
I 
have no problem patronizing WalMart, but I always first try
BiMart.  
Staples does a fine job, but for the same price, South
Coast Office 
Supply and Butler’s offer the same products and services
just as good 
or BETTER.  Safeway is great, but McKay’s is LOCAL
and has as good or 
better meats and specials.  (There is no Mr.
Safeway, but THERE IS a 
Mr. McKay.  And he’s from HERE!). 
Save your trip to Lowe’s or Home 
Depot.  Hennick’s and Bandon
Supply are LOCAL.  You get the idea…

Bottom line:

Want to
make something happen?  Remove restrictions and taxes on it.

Want
to stop something from happening?  Tax it and encumber it with 

minutiae and endless red tape.  Same goes for confusing,
conflicting 
local/state/federal regulations.  Change the rules
mid-stream and 
allow endless challenges by parties with ‘no skin in
the game’.

Be a good LOCAL citizen.  Shop LOCAL and watch your
dollars turn over 
6x or 7x in the LOCAL ECONOMY.

Want another
humble suggestion?  Ask the Commissioners, Oregon 
Senators and
Representatives and the Governor to make the ENTIRE STATE 
OF OREGON a
Business Enterprise Zone. If they say “NO”, ask them to 
publicly
explain “WHY NOT”!  Get them on the record. Maybe it isn’t a 
good
idea; but maybe it’s the missing link, the key to the door of 

opportunity for decades of Oregon economic growth.

Just an
idea.  A GOOD ONE, in my never-humble opinion…

Steve
 
Comments

The Connection between The Bandon Ecotourism and The Bandon Marsh Expasion

2/20/2012

Comments

 
CITY COUNCIL EXPRESSES SUPPORT FOR ONLY ONE ITEM IN THE USF&W PLAN FOR THE BANDON MARSH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
        At their December 5, 2011, meeting, the City Council reviewed, discussed, and heard public input regarding
the proposed U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Comprehensive Conservation Plan & Environmental Assessment for the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.
        The City Council decided to express support for only one item in the proposed plan. That item is "Facilities - Alternative B," which reads, "Place emphasis on partner-oriented facilities and distribution of information.
Participate in a community-based visitor information center off the Refuge." The City believes the proposed visitor information center should be constructed in partnership with Bandon Urban Renewal on the recently purchased former cheese factory property, adjacent to the proposed new cheese factory. This would provide a very visible, centrally located site on Highway 101, and would be the most efficient, effective, and economical means of advising and educating the public regarding the National Wildlife Refuges. This alternative will provide information to the largest possible number of people, will aid the United States Fish & Wildlife Service in recruiting volunteers, and will have very positive economic impacts on the operating and maintenance budgets for both the City and Bandon Marsh. The comment letter submitted by the City strongly recommended that this item be included as the "Preferred Alternative" in the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge Plan.
http://www.ci.bandon.or.us/newsletter.htm 

Comments

Good Article on City Planning

2/20/2012

Comments

 
 
 
Local Governments Also To Blame For Housing Crisis
http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/markcalabria/2012/02/20/local_governments_also_to_blame_for_housing_crisis
 


Comments

Taking Libery by Taking Land

2/20/2012

Comments

 
Subject: Resource material for the Bandon Marsh
Expansion
   
This is a
great perspective in what will be happening to the Marsh.

den

http://www.takingliberty.us/Narrations/introduction/player.html
Comments

Stop S. 2125: Introduced by Wyden,

2/19/2012

Comments

 
Wyden is pushing for more regulation.  These bills are destroying competition in this country and costing small business billions.  

Feb 17, 2012 - Bill Action     
Introduced: S. 2125: A bill to amend title
XVIII of the Social Security Act to modify the designation of accreditation
organizations for orthotics and prosthetics, to apply accreditation and
licensure...

Sen. Ron Wyden [D-OR] introduced  S. 2125: A bill to amend title XVIII of
the Social Security Act to modify the designation of accreditation organizations
for orthotics and prosthetics, to apply accreditation and licensure requirements
to suppliers of such devices and items for purposes of payment under the
Medicare program, and to modify the payment rules for such devices and items
under such program to account for practitioner qualifications and complexity of
care.       
Comments
<<Previous

    Categories

    All
    A.F.P.
    Agenda 21
    Bandon
    B.I.A.
    B.L.M.
    Coos Bay
    Coos County
    Coos County
    Coquille
    County Charter
    Curry County
    C.W.A.
    Democratic Party
    D.E.Q.
    Eco Devo
    Eco Devo
    Economic Development
    Educational
    Elections
    E.P.A.
    F.D.A.
    F.E.M.A.
    Individual Rights
    I Spy Radio
    Jury Nullification
    Legislation
    Letter To Editor
    Mary Geddry
    N.D.A.A.
    News Wave
    N.O.A.A.
    North Bend
    O&C Land
    O.D.F.W.
    O.D.O.T.
    O.F.F.
    O.H.A.
    O.P.R.D.
    O.R.C. Mining
    O.W.E.B.
    P.E.R.S.
    Petitions
    Port Of Coos Bay
    Public Comments
    Public Events
    Regulation
    Republican Party
    S.A.O.V.A.
    State Of Jefferson
    The Bandon Marsh
    The Economy
    The Rob Taylor Report
    The Supreme Court
    The Tea Party
    Urban Renewal
    U.S.A.C.E.
    U.S.D.A.
    U.S.F.S
    U.S.F.W.S.

    Sign-Up Now to Stay Informed

    * indicates required

    View previous campaigns.

    Send Letters to:
    ​[email protected]​

    Disclaimer: Letters to the Editor and other opinions published in The Coos County Watchdog blog are not necessarily the views of the Editor, Publisher, or possible anyone else in their right mind.  The Watchdog reserves the right to edit, omit, or copy any and all submissions. 
    Letters to the Editor must be attributed with a name, address, and contact phone number. 

    WARNING:
    Political correctness is not practiced on this
    page & some content is inappropriate

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo from DieselDemon