Step right up folks! Time for some high-stakes testing!
(1) WRG is an acronym for:
A. Woefully Rotten Greed
B. Willamette River Giveaway
C. Willamette River Greenway
D. Wild River Grazing
Answer: (C) The Willamette River is the 13th-largest river by volume within the U.S. and claims the second largest waterfall by volume in Oregon City (second only to Niagra Falls!). Go to the Willamette Riverkeepers website for more incredible facts about our gem of a river.
(2) Those who may be compromising the integrity of the WRG are:
A. Some local land-use attorneys representing homebuilders
B. Out-of-state, pave-and-run developers
C. Lane County Housing Authority’s land acquisition and disposable policy
D. All of the above
Answer: (D) Sad but true.
(3) The Willamette River Greenway, protecting nearly 200 miles of riparian habitat, is vital to:
A. Tourism and local economy
B. Numerous species of flora and fauna
C. Recreation and community wellbeing
D. All of the above
Answer: (D) It is an Oregon treasure!
(4) True or False? The Willamette River Greenway is Goal 15 of Oregon State-wide Planning Goals.
Answer: True! It is No. 15 out of Oregon’s 19 statewide planning goals.
(5) The late Mel Jackson took soon-to-be Oregon Governor Bob Straub out on the Willamette River in the 1960s to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and issues facing the river in a:
A. Submarine
B. Inner tube
C. Canoe
D. Jet boat
Answer: (C) Mel Jackson taught many Lane County residents their outdoor skills and reverence for our local natural wonders. Straub, a Pleasant Hill farmer and former Lane County commissioner, campaigned throughout the state with a canoe on top of his vehicle!
(6) Former Oregon gubernatorial candidates Tom McCall (a Republican) and Straub (a Democrat) agreed about the importance of:
A. Nuclear weapons
B. The Willamette River Greenway
C. Tater tots
D. Putting a man on the moon
Answer: (B) Both McCall and Straub went on to become Oregon governors who worked to preserve the precious Willamette River Greenway.
(7) Evergreen Housing Development Group (an out-of-state developer) built the market-rate ECCO apartment complex on River Road for $17 million and sold it to out-of-state investors for:
A. $20 million
B. $23 million
C. $27 million
D. $31 million
Answer: (D) Amazing but true! (Reported in The Register Guard in August 2016). What a loss to our local economy.
(8) True or False? Lane County has a severe housing shortage.
Answer: True and False! Lane County has a glut of market-rate (expensive) housing and an acute shortage of affordable housing.
(9) Homes for Good (formerly HACSA) needs a Good Neighbor Policy. A Good Neighbor Policy is based upon:
A. Strong fences and tall hedges
B. Graft and corruption
C. Collaboration and transparency
D. Us-and-them mentality
Answer: (C) Public lands need a public process!
Concerned? Curious? Confounded? To get clarity, please visit the Greenway Guardians website at greenwayguardians.org for more information about how our precious Willamette River Greenway is being compromised by an out-of-state developer’s proposal instead of allowing a public process for our public lands.
Julie Hulme and former Lane County Commissioner Rob Handy are Greenway Guardians, a local advocacy group committed to protecting the Willamette River Greenway.
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