Preserving Natural Features
Conservation easements to protect the land
Six years ago, a woman who owns 18 acres southeast of Cottage Grove called me as president of LandWatch Lane County, a nonprofit land use … Continue reading
Robert (Bob) Emmons
Author: Robert (Bob) Emmons
Land Use Law Isn’t Stopping the Brewery
A longtime land-use-regulation advocate argues that Hentze Family Farm wants much more than a simple brew pub on its rural property
The article about the Hentze Family Farm (“From Agro-tourism to Micro-brewery,” Nov. 20), sketches a woeful tale of a heritage farm beleaguered by petty land … Continue reading
Antithetical to the Ideal
Lane County commissioners waste taxpayer money on sham process
In 1973, the Oregon Legislature ratified the hard-fought victory of visionary governor Tom McCall to protect his state’s farms, forests, natural areas and open spaces … Continue reading
The Failure of COP26
The 2021 climate conference in Glasgow ignored overpopulation
As the November climate conference in Glasgow sought agreement among nations to reduce the amount of carbon and methane in the atmosphere and in the … Continue reading
Remembering Jim Weaver
Memories of the former congressman who fought for the environment
In 1986, or thereabouts, Jim Weaver and I walked around Waldo Lake together for an Oregon Natural Resources Council fundraiser. There, as always, Jim was … Continue reading
Oregon’s Land Use Program on a Slippery Slope
Bills would promote special interests
More than 50 years ago it was evident to those concerned about the loss of Oregon’s farm and forestland, natural areas and open space that … Continue reading
Nearby Clearcuts
Fighting against the logging and the aerial spraying of our forests
To clear the land for settlement, early pioneers grabbed an axe and did work that demanded time and energy enough to break a sweat. Later, … Continue reading
Muting Goal One Goal
Citizens fight aerial sprays
One goal of Oregon’s statewide land use program is “citizen involvement,” providing opportunities for public participation in all phases of the regulatory system. Public awareness … Continue reading