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September 10, 2012 updateWe have an important announcement to make about Save Helvetia and the reserves process. We urge you to take time to read it, along with Jason Miner's companion article referenced below.
Those of you who have been following this issue know we oppose this unnecessary urbanization of high value farmland. Those who are new to the topic, or want to learn more, can read our past testimony at www.SaveHelvetia.org, "Making our Case." Over the last couple of months, we participated in efforts to reach an agreement that would have kept us out of court. While we would have liked to see that happen, key Washington County Commissioners were not interested in negotiating. As a result, Save Helvetia has decided to challenge Metro's and Washington County's plan to urbanize the best agricultural land in Helvetia (and indeed, the state and the world). On September 5 we filed a notice of appeal, as did eight other groups or individuals from the tri-county area who are challenging various aspects of the plan. If you testified orally over the past few years, you probably received a huge pile of notices in the mail. Briefs are due on September 25. After that, Metro and LCDC will have an opportunity to rebut the briefs and there will be oral arguments by the attorneys. We are unable to discuss the legal basis for our appeal until after briefs are filed, so we'll let you know more details then. Jason Miner, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Oregon, has written an eloquent, well-reasoned, and evocative piece about why we fight so hard to protect farmland. That article is here: http://www.friends.org/about/profiles/urban-reserves-letter How can you help?While most of our efforts to date have been done by volunteers, we are now at the phase where our attorneys have to prepare the brief and present the oral arguments. Carrie Richter and Ed Sullivan of Garvey Schubert Barer have been with us from the beginning and their expertise has been invaluable. We will need to raise about $20,000 for the appeal. Donating or helping us raise this money is the best way for you to help at this time. Donate, please!You can donate to Save Helvetia by going to: www.SaveHelvetia.org. Tax-deductible donations can be directed to Helvetia Community Association at www.HelvetiaCommunity.org. We welcome home-made fundraisers; contact us if you'd like to plan one!
Attend the Helvetia Culture Fest!
And, by all means, please come to the Helvetia Culture Fest on September 23rd!
Helvetia's annual festival brings local food and beverages, Swiss and Native American culture, music, and FUN
for everyone! It's a great way to show your appreciation for Helvetia
and support us at the same time! A
portion of the proceeds from our celebration of Helvetia's
cultural traditions will be dedicated for appeal expenses, so why not spend an afternoon in beautiful Helvetia?
You may purchase admission and meal tickets and learn more at www.HelvetiaCultureFest.org.
If you can't attend, please visit www.HelvetiaCommunity.org
and donate.
Your contributions will help us defend Helvetia's treasured farmland.
Thank you for your unwavering commitment and support, |
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