I am pleased to report that my candidacy for re-election has been endorsed by the Oregon League of Conservation Voters.  I appreciate OLCV's support for my efforts.

Four years ago, I wrote:

"We have a duty to ourselves, as well as to the generations yet unborn, to be vigilant stewards of our natural environment. If we do, we not only preserve the beauty around us, we also protect and enhance our economy. All the main pillars the Lincoln County economy is built on--tourism, commercial fishing, timber--are vitally dependent on a healthy environment. People don't want to visit an endless line of strip malls. Fishermen can't earn a living and provide food to the world if there are no fish to catch.

"The county has shown wise stewardship through its support of recycling programs, local watershed councils, and allowing roadside property owners to opt out of pesticide spraying if they will use manual weed control techniques along their property.  But we need to maintain an even greater vigilance in the years ahead. As the transportation routes to our county become more convenient, more people will come to visit, and to live, seeking to share a slice of this paradise. We cannot lose the precious qualities--the sand beaches, the proud forests, the clean rivers, the abundant wildlife, the clear air--that draws them here in the first place.

"With its ocean beaches and lush forests, Lincoln County truly possesses some of the most beautiful scenery in all the world. We must be ever-vigilant to make sure we protect what Governor Oswald West, the first great protector of our beaches, called 'this great natural birthright.'"

Those words still sum up my feelings today. How have I translated those ideas into action? Some of the things I have been involved with on the environmental front include:

* A careful response to Ballot Measure 37 and advocacy for its replacement, Measure 49. I believe most Oregonians voted for 37 because they saw some small landowners being treated unfairly by the present land use system. I believe they voted for 49 because they wanted to rein in some of the excesses that were possible under 37. In Lincoln County, we faced a request (later withdrawn)  from an out-of-state forest land owner involving more than 12,000 acres of our forests. I supported Measure 49 and was pleased by its passage.

* The Lincoln Land Legacy Program was launched during my first term. We have set aside half-a-million dollars in federal funds to acquire conservation easements on properties of scenic and environmental value.

* The county acquired the Barbara and Walter F. Brown Memorial Park through the generous donation of Mr. Brown. This 185 acre tract more than doubled the size of our county park system. Mr. Brown's donation was a great vote of confidence in our ability to be good stewards of public land.

* I have been a vocal advocate for a system of Marine Reserves along the Oregon Coast. Marine reserves are a controversial topic, but I believe a carefully-designed network of reserves can enhance the environmental and economic health of our oceans.

* I was one of a handful of west coast elected officials to sign onto a letter to the Joint Ocean Commission Initative, requesting the initiative's guidance in helping local governments implement the recommendations of two major ocean study groups. This has led to a workshop for leaders, and a report with recommended actions is in the works.

* I joined with my fellow commissioners and the mayors of Depoe Bay and Lincoln City in supporting efforts by Concerned Citizens for Clean Air to limit roadside use of herbicides. The Oregon Department of Transportation agreed, and designed a stretch of Highway 101 in the county as a test zone for a policy modeled on the one we have had in effect for years on county roads, using spraying as a last, rather than first resort in control of noxious and invasive weeds.

* We have supported research and development of wave energy, a potential clean and renewable energy source that could also lead to new family wage jobs in our communities;

* We have launched a county Sustainability Action Committee. This committee will find ways for us to be more efficient in our own use of energy as well as conducting public education and outreach.

* We are planning to join "Cool Counties," a joint initative of the Sierra Club and the National Association of Counties. Cool Counties pledge to reduce global warming emissions 80 percent by 2050. So far, only two Oregon counties, Clackamas and Multnomah, have joined Cool Counites. We would be the first rural county in Oregon to do so.

* We are expanding our bus service and launching an effort to better market the bus, carpooling, and other alternatives to private vehicles.