"As much as"? 
Why can't Oregon local and state politicians deal in specifics.  I totally agree, if Mr. Keizer needs the property, make an offer.  The people will respond.  This package deal sucks!  Appears like the three half walnut shell  game - which shell is the pea under?  Keizer is the Sarah Winchester of golf.  Keep building and all will be well.  I fully understand Keizer's need to keep building courses so deep pockets golfers will come to play the "new" course.   Soon there will be other new and better courses across the US.  Then what.  I'm also surprised, based on past action, that when Keizer made an offer, our local politicians did not rush to be first to say we'll give you the property, we'll never tax you, provided you promise to hire somebody some day.
Fred

The Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission met in Coos Bay July 17 to hear public feedback, and comments from these August meetings will be reported to them for their consideration as well.  The earliest possible date it could act on the proposal is at their next meeting on September 24 in Condon, Oregon.

Comments on the proposal are also being taken by email (oprd.publiccomment@state.or.us),
  and by regular mail to: OPRD, ATTN: Bandon Proposal, 725 Summer St NE Suite C,  Salem OR 97301.
Comments received before September 16 will be delivered to the  Commission before their meeting in Condon.

Maps and text about the proposal are available online at http://www.oregon.gov/oprd/pages/commission-bandon.aspx, including audio of public testimony taken at the July 2013 Commission meeting in  Coos Bay.

Bandon Biota (a Michael Keiser company) and Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept. have reached an agreement for an exchange. The OPRD materials are attached. 

In brief: Bandon Biota will get 280 acres of non-oceanfront in Bandon State
Natural Area, so that Keiser may build a 27-hole golf course. In exchange, OPRD will get a 111-acre oceanfront parcel to the south of Bandon SNA, a 97-acre parcel on the Coquille River adjacent to Bullards Beach State Park, and will pay the full acquisition price of $2.5 million for the 6,100 acre Grouse Mountain Ranch in Grant County. Additionally, Bandon Biota will contribute money for purchase of an 11-acre parcel in Whale Cove, and provide at least $300,000 for gorse control services in Coos and Curry Counties.

State Parks also wishes to receive written testimony about this exchange any time between now and September 2013, which is the earliest date the Commission would act on the proposal. Please send letters to:
 
Oregon Parks and Recreation Dept.
Attn: Chris Havel
725 Summer St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
Email: chris.havel@state.or.us

Link to The World Article:
http://theworldlink.com/news/local/meeting-place-changes-for-bandon-land-swap/article_9bf6f406-eb48-11e2-bfc6-0019bb2963f4.html

Hey Folks,

 I want to make it very clear that I support the right of any business, such as Bandon Dunes, to buy land and set up business in our county.   The Dunes Golf Course has done its part to put Bandon on the map and provide jobs for people in the community.   Entrepreneurs like Michael Keiser are a real value to our economy through the production and generation of wealth that is rebounding locally, several times over.  
 
However,  I do not support the use of public tax dollars or public lands for the sole benefit of private industry.  I do not support the use of non-governmental agencies as a front for business, but I recognize that it is the government systems that dogmatic bureaucracies have created, which have caused these perversions in the natural market.   This is why we need to get government out of the business of owning property and let the free market dictate the situation.
 
Oregon Parks and Recreation Department has too much territory in its inventory and should just sell the property outright to The Dunes Gold Course and not turn this project into some kind of taxing scheme---all to the detriment of the taxpayer…..Sincerely, Rob Taylor

by Cascade Policy Institute Monday,
August 19. 2013
 
Date: September 5, 2013
Time: 7 PM
Place: Clark College’s CTC Building, Vancouver, WA
Price: $10 per person

On Thursday, September 5 Cascade Policy Institute will be partnering with the Freedom Foundation to host the Northwest Employee Freedom One Night Event.  National labor policy expert Vincent Vernuccio of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy will share the story of how Michigan passed historic labor reform last year, becoming the 24th right-to-work state. Join us with other labor experts to learn more about the local efforts to increase employee freedom in Washington and Oregon.

 In Oregon, signatures may soon be solicited to place Initiative Petition 9 (the Public Employee Choice Act) on the November 2014 General Election Ballot.  It would allow anyone to become or remain a public employee without being required to join a labor union or pay dues or “fair share” fees.

Click here to learn more and to get your tickets!

From Linda DePaolo---8/15/2013
I have been traveling to Bandon every summer for over 15 years...I have never been eaten alive like I was this past week.  It is awful. I had to leave early, dismiss many of the usual outdoor activities I have enjoyed in the  past.  I have 12 large welt bites still that are obnoxious...itching like crazy, ugly and of much discomfort.  I am 60....we are afraid of West Nile at my age.....
I will not return until the problem is solved....Bandon Dunes golf course is handing out mosquito kits to golfers. OMG...for an area that has no industry but tourism, this mosquito invasion is a disaster. 
Good luck !! 
Linda DePaolo
12409 W Morning Vista Ln
Peoria Az 85383 
My Warm Regards,
Linda D

From David Nevitt---8/6/2013
I live over on Prosper rd.  The Mosquitos are ridiculous.  Something has to be done now.  I hope it doesn't take a person to get deathly ill for something to be done.  There is no doubt this is because of the marsh expansion.  Why did we expand it in the first place.  Who is the responsible party?  They need to be held accountable.  They have ruined Bandon, and they need to correct the problem now, or we will file a class action law suit to reverse
the expansion.  This is serious matter.  We will not let a marsh ruin our town. Enough is enough.

From Linda Summers---8/8/2013
I am on Tom Smith Rd. off Prosper, past 2 months are absolutely outrageous with man eating monster mosquitos. They chase you, bite thru clothes, no spray works, no outside lite rids them, no bug spray, lawn spray we in this area have bought it all-----lots of $$$$.  I have lived in this house 20 yrs., in Bandon all life, never ever seen this breed of mosquito.  No problem until the unneeded marsh went in.  Company has came and went from out of town, we could not even be outside---bites all over, Chase you in house, car is smeared with mosquitos. 
If I can figure a way to bottle a bunch and bring to someone who thinks they are just a mosquito--and let them go--------------------------------!!!
Something needs to be done.  They quit the aerial spray 3 yrs ago--------------------why????? 

Mr. Lowe,

I'm writing to you becuse we live on the south side of the river and we are being swarmed by mosquitoes this year. We can not be outside or take a walk as the mosquitoes are so thick that as soon as you step outside they land and bite thru clothes and repellent doesn't faze them.  We have lived here 12 years and have never had this problem other years. As you know you flooded the bandon marsh last year and we live right across the river from it. and It is the only think that has changed in all these years. Dr. and mrs. Abbott, and Tom and Mary Duncanson are having the same problem. We need you to do something to solve this so we can enjoy our homes.
I feel that you have the power and resources to have planes fly over and spray this area. if you think it isn't bad I would like you to drive out here morning, noon or evening and walk in the grass.
I want to thank you in advance for your help in this matter and hope we can count on you. 

sincerely
Marjorie Borner 
 56269 Rusty Rd. 
Bandon, Or 97411

Related Posts:
Advisory Vote Meeting on the "NO Bandon Marsh Expansion" 11:00 AM Saturday September 8, 2012
Oregon  Water Resource Commission approved the Integrated Water Resource Strategy
Advisory Vote Meeting in Coquille "NO Bandon Marsh Expansion" 
Advisory Vote for The Bandon Marsh Expansion
STOP THE BANDON OUTDOOR LIGHTING ORDINANCE--1594
Bandon: The City of Ordinances
The  "NO BANDON MARSH" Signs are now Available
The Nature Conservancy--Ecotrust Study on Salmon Economics 
News of the Depot Bay Firework Ban Goes International
Bandon: The City of Ordinances
Urgent, Urgent, Urgent, House May Cave On LWCF. 
TIME IS RUNNING OUT to Contact the BLM
2010 Coastal Wetlands Grants
USFWS Extends Public Comment Period On Proposed Spotted Owl
A  Delicate but Important Balance for All

Mayor Schamehorn has called  a Special City Council meeting for Monday, August 19th, at 4:00 PM to
discuss  and possibly take action on a City Council Resolution regarding the mosquito problem in Bandon.  Copies of the proposed agenda and draft  language for a potential Resolution are pasted below.  To make sure we have  a quorum, please let me know if you will be able to attend.   Thanks. 
 
I have a couple of doctor's  appointments in Coos Bay tomorrow (Thursday), but I will check my e-mails to  determine whether or not we have a quorum, and should be back in the office late  in the afternoon.
   
Have a great evening!  
  Matt
 
Matt  Winkel
City Manager City of Bandon
P.O. Box 67
555 Highway  101
Bandon, OR 97411
541-347-2437
ext.229
FAX:  541-347-1415
citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us

RESOLUTION
2.1 Resolution 13-21: Demanding Federal Government Action to Abate the Mosquito Problem Caused by the United States Fish & Wildlife Service Development of the Ni-les’tun Unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

3. OTHER: COUNCIL/MAYOR/STAFF  REMARKS

 4. ADJOURN
Council Chamber is accessible to disabled. 
  For services contact City Hall at 347-2437 voice; 711 TTR; 
email: citymanager@ci.bandon.or.us;
City web  site: www.ci.bandon.or.us. 
EOE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
RESOLUTION NO. 13-21
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BANDON, OREGON,  DEMANDING IMMEDIATE AND MEANINGFUL ACTION BY THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL 
GOVERNMENT TO ABATE THE MOSQUITO INFESTATION WHICH IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF THE  RECENT TIDAL MARSH DEVELOPMENT BY THE UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE, 
AND WHICH IS CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL AND POTENTIALLY IRREPARABLE HARM TO THE PUBLIC 
HEALTH, SAFETY, WELFARE, AND ECONOMIC WELL BEING OF THE CITIZENS OF BANDON, AREA
  RESIDENTS, AND TOURIST VISITORS. 
 
WHEREAS, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service recently completed development of over 400 acres of additional marsh in the Ni-les’tun unit of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge; and 

WHEREAS, the actions of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service have resulted in significant increases in the amount of mosquito habitat and breeding area; and 

WHEREAS, the resulting increase in the number of mosquitoes has caused, and continues to cause, substantial harm to the public health, safety, welfare, and economic well being of the citizens, residents, and visitors in and around the City of Bandon; and

WHEREAS, the City of Bandon continues to receive complaints from its citizens, area residents, and tourist visitors regarding the harm being caused by the mosquito infestation which has resulted from the activities of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service in their development of the Bandon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge.

 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Mayor and City Council of the City of Bandon, Oregon, hereby demand that the United States Federal Government take immediate and meaningful action to abate the mosquito infestation which is the direct result of the recent tidal marsh development by the United States Fish 
and Wildlife Service, and which is causing substantial and potentially irreparable harm to the public health, safety, welfare, and economic well being of the citizens, residents, and visitors in and around the City of Bandon

 ADOPTED by the City Council of the City of Bandon, this 19th day  of August, 2013.

Mary Schamehorn, Mayor
Attest:
Juana Bell, City Recorder

August 20, 2013 @ 4:00 PM
 
Senator Merkley will update constituents on his work in Washington, DC and answer their questions and invite their suggestions about how to tackle the challenges facing Oregon and  America.
North Bend Library
1800 Sherman Ave.
North Bend, OR 97459
Get  Directions

Hey Folks,
The following message is from the Department of Interior.  In the memo below the Department explains how Tribal Nations can get money for more land aquisitions, like land here in the Coquille Valley.  The USFWS stated in a Press Release on Aug. 15, 2013 that they do not have money for the Bandon Marsh expansion, but they did not mention that their sister agency, The BIA, did have the funding to take more land off the tax rolls.......Rob T. 

08/15/2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior today announced the launch of a new, comprehensive resource for Indian landowners and tribal governments seeking information about the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (Buy-Back Program). The website, http://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram, will serve as a one-stop-shop for visitors interested in timely and regularly updated information about the Buy-Back Program.

As part of President Obama's commitment to help strengthen Indian communities, the Buy-Back Program was
created to implement the land consolidation component of the Cobell Settlement, which provided a $1.9 billion fund to purchase fractionated interests in trust or restricted land from willing sellers, at fair market value, within a 10 year period. The Buy-Back Program has the potential to unlock millions of acres of fractionated lands for the benefit of tribal communities. 

"We know that one of the keys to the success of this program will be timely and reliable information," said Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at Interior. "This website will be one important tool that we will use to communicate with tribes as we work collaboratively to implement a fair, effective and efficient process for individual owners of fractionated interests to participate in the Buy-Back Program."

The new website includes extensive "Frequently Asked Questions" and information to assist individual  landowners and tribes in gathering information about how they can participate in the Buy-Back Program and understand the valuation and sale process. 

Visitors can also get information about the Education Scholarship Fund for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Buy-Back Program will contribute up to $60 million from land sales to this fund, which will be controlled by a board of trustees nominated by tribal governments. The fund will be administered by the American Indian College Fund in Denver, with 20% allotted to the American Indian Graduate Center in Albuquerque, NM.

As part of today's launch, the Buy-Back Program is making available templates and guidance for the development of cooperative agreements that will allow for resources to be provided to individual tribal governments in order to facilitate their help with implementing the program, especially in key areas such as landowner outreach and education. Although these agreements will be tailored for each tribe, the templates will assist tribal governments with the development of an agreement that is responsive to the specific needs of the nation involved. Tribes may review and familiarize themselves with these documents and are encouraged to
contact Buy-Back staff to discuss the documents before preparing or submitting an application.

"We have already begun work with a diverse group of tribes and will be engaging with additional locations and tribes in the coming weeks and months," added Washburn. "To ensure that the Buy-Back Program reaches
as many locations as possible over the next 10 years, we are committed to using the funds wisely and have implemented flexible purchase ceilings on each reservation to avoid premature exhaustion of available funds."

The publication of these and other documents to assist tribal governments with outreach comes after months of government-to-government consultations and discussions with tribes to create agreements that underscore the sovereign and trust responsibilities of each party.

Interior holds about 56 million acres in trust for American Indians. More than 10 million acres are held for individual American Indians and nearly 46 million acres are held for Indian tribes. The Department holds this land in more than 200,000 tracts, of which about 92,000 (on approximately 150 reservations) contain fractional ownership interests subject to purchase by the Buy-Back Program. The Buy-Back Program plans to work with as many of the 150 tribes as possible over its 10-year period. Land research, valuation work, and outreach efforts are already underway at several locations. The Department's goal is to make offers at one or more initial locations by the end of the year.

August 14, 2013
Hey Folks, 
The US Fish & Wildlife Service has finally sent out the Press Release on the Bandon Marsh Expansion.  In the
memo, The Service does not state that they are going to “stop” with the expansion, but “suspend” the project due to lack of funding.   That means the study and the expansion will continue when the funding is available, so it is important to move forward with plans of a possible Class-Action lawsuit against the USFWS.
 
The advantage to taking this issue to court is that the people of Coos County can ask the judge for an injunction to stop the expansion or any further studies until the court adjudicates the case.  

Remember to attend the Bandon Marsh Meeting Friday August 30, 2013
Presented by Coos County Today
Subject:  Class Action Lawsuit over the Mosquito Problem
Friday, August 30, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the Owen Building, Coquille OR.  
http://goo.gl/maps/QgiU9

Click the link below for more information on the history of the marsh expansion project:
http://www.cooscountywatchdog.com/no-bandon-marsh-expansion.html
  
In the meantime, Coos County Today is asking members of the community to write your Representatives in Washington DC and in Salem and let them know how our county in under attack by an army of mosquitos.  In addition, tell them to defund any projects involving wetland  restoration or more land acquisitions for Coos County.  
 
We are asking that you continue to write letters to the editors of the local papers.  After you have completed
your letters, please forward them to me, either by mail or email, so I can present them to anyone who is in a position to help in our plight.  Please start the letter with, “To Whom it Concerns”  and make sure to add the date and your address with your story.  My email is CoosCountyWatchdog@hotmail.com and the groups address is Coos County Today, PO Box 2108 Bandon OR 97411.  “Coos County Today” is a non-profit organization and we are excepting donations to continue with the education on wetland projects.  Donations are tax deductible.  
 
The following is a link to the type of mosquito in the area.  
“Aedes dorsalis in New Jersey: Larval habitat and identification.”
 http://www-rci.rutgers.edu/~insects/sp14.htm
 
Here is a link to the article in The World:
http://theworldlink.com/bandon/news/proposed-expansion-of-bandon-marsh-suspended/article_326b7e8e-051b-11e3-8063-0019bb2963f4.html

August 13, 2013 
Early this morning Don Chance received a call from Senator Wyden’s Aide Mary Gautreaux claiming the USFWS had sent her office a press release.   In this memo, the USFWS had announced that The Service will no longer go through with the Bandon Marsh expansion, nor will they be doing a study for the expansion. I have not seen the press release to confirm this message.   However, Dave Ledig of the USFWS did confirm this information for me later in the afternoon, so I believe this is a victory for the people of Coos County.
 
If this information is true then we have succeeded in defeating this federal land grab and thwarted the efforts of the USFWS to turn the rest of the Coquille Valley into a mosquito farm.  
 
All of you deserve a huge Thank You for standing firm against the expansion.  Our sheer tenacity won the battle.  Unfortunately, the first phase of the expansion by the USFWS has caused the people of the Coquille Valley to become under attack by an overwhelming army of mosquitos.  
 
Like a villain in a horror movie, these bureaucratic projects seem to pop up again-and-again to return to kill, so we have decided that it would be in our best interest to look into filing a Class-Action lawsuit against The US Fish and Wildlife Service.  We believe the actions of the USFWS has led to the destruction of our quality of life, lowered our standard of living, and endangered our health and the health of future generations.  The Service has
  created an environment where the mosquito can and has flourished.   The Service is very well aware that the mosquito is a common pest native to the area, and the number one killer of man.  We also believe the Service did this intentionally, so it would devalue property within the valley and induce people to become “willing sellers”.  
 
We are asking everyone to attend a meeting on Friday, August 30, 2013 at 6:00 pm in the Owen Building, Coquille OR.  We will be celebrating our victory over The US Fish and Wildlife Service and laying out plans to take our battle to the next level, which may take place in the courts. Everyone is welcome, so please bring anyone concerned about the future of our county, and never let it be said that the little guy cannot win...Rob T. 

PLEASE MARK AUGUST 29TH FROM 6-8 P.M. ON YOUR CALENDAR AND ATTEND THIS COQUILLE VALLEY RESTORATION MEETING. 

+This may be the last effort to stop this Coquille Valley Restoration project.
 
+ Ask for the grant application, hydrology and geo-tech studies and see what this project will do to
our beautiful Coquille Valley.
 
+Ask where the NEPA or EIS study is on this project which has partial federal funding
 
+What will this project do to the best dabbling duck habitat (is it in the northwest?)
 
+What will it do to other habitat and agriculture in the Coquille Valley?
 
+Will the Coquille Restoration project end up like Bandon Marsh where mosquitos are controlling activities not only of locals but tourists in the Bandon area?  What about West Nile Virus?
 
+How will this restoration project affect adjacent landowners as well as those up Garden Valley?

OWEB to Host Public Meeting Focused on Winter Lake Restoration

 The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board will host a public meeting on August 29, 2013, from 6-8 pm at the Owens Building in Coquille, 201 N Adams Street, to discuss a request before the Board to fund a restoration project at Winter Lake. The Board will consider the funding request at its meeting in September. 
 
Restoration work proposed for Winter Lake includes reconnecting remnant stream channels to the Coquille River, planting native wetland vegetation, controlling and removing invasive species, removing interior dikes and drainage ditches, and placing large wood in streams. The proposal is being submitted to the OWEB Board for their consideration by The Nature Conservancy.
 
During the August 29, 2013 public meeting in Coquille, staff and local partners will be available to take comment and answer questions about the potential project. 
 
At their September 10-11 meeting, the OWEB board will consider a $720,000 grant request investment for Winter Lake restoration work.  A summary of public comment will be provided to the Board.  Interested parties can also provide written public comment, or comment directly to the OWEB Board at their September meeting.
 
The OWEB Board meeting is scheduled for September 10-11 in Burns, Oregon.   
For information about the Coquille public meeting, contact Meta
Loftsgaarden (meta.loftsgaarden@state.or.us).  For information about the September OWEB Board meeting,
contact Bonnie Ashford (bonnie.ashford@state.or.us). 
###