There have been a number of letters expressing the desire to prohibit the Metolian resort proposal based on various concerns. One characteristic shared by these letters is the simplistic view that development of the Metolian will result in further degradation of the basin and prohibiting development is a “victory” for the Metolius River and surrounding environment.

The editorial page is not the venue for debate of the Metolian project. The debate should be held in front of Jefferson County through review of our conditional use application, which is online at www.metolian.com. The Bulletin doesn’t provide the opportunity to describe the holistic approach to development proposed by Metolian or address all issues raised in previous letters. Please review our Web site. We are willing to engage in informed discussions about our specific approach.

Metolian seeks to define the concept of sustainable- and stewardship-based development, and we have chosen strategies to accomplish our goals. The Metolian Natural Capital Fund is planned to provide hundreds of thousands of dollars annually for environmental and recreational projects. We are committed to conservation of water and energy through innovative design, focus on low-impact recreation, provide on-site employee housing, provide educational outreach to the community, cap unit sizes and other strategies to redefine our interaction with the natural environment and what a resort experience can be. We aren’t your father’s resort — leave your golf clubs at home, grab your hiking boots and prepare to contribute to the restoration of the basin.

The area forest is not pristine or particularly healthy. There is no money from federal, state or local government for needed stewardship. We must evolve from the obsolete notion that environmentalism works to prohibit development in the name of conservation. It is increasingly necessary to combine the two.

Metolian provides an economically feasible model of how carefully planned development and conservation can be achieved through privately funded stewardship. A good example of this model is the Santa Lucia Preserve in Northern California. It converted 20,000 acres of overgrazed land into a 19,000-acre public wildlife/wetland sanctuary funded by $25 million created by the community that was planned on the remaining 1,000 acres.

Water use: Our opposition argues that Metolian’s water use will adversely impact the Metolius, its tributaries and the head of the Metolius. Metolian’s water will be collected from March-June from an intermittent stream that flows across the property in a manner that won’t diminish the scenic or ecological value of the river or tributaries.

A key issue in understanding water use is that not all water used will be “taken” from the hydrologic system. Approximately 60 percent of the water returns to the system through evaporation/transpiration, percolation and irrigation. Although we will collect water only four months of the year, water will return to the system year-round. Further, approximately 98 percent of the peak flows during the months water is stored on-site will be bypassed, not diverted. The amount of water that will be stored annually on site is approximately 0.17 percent of the average annual flow of the river at the Allingham Gauge.

We aren’t proposing groundwater wells and won’t impact the head of the Metolius. Please see the water study on our Web site (exhibit 20A).

Area of State Critical Concern: Oregon’s land use system is a model across the nation. The respect stems from its ambitious goals and the certainty of the system and review process. The development of the ACSC Management Plan was a complete departure from the process that sets land use policy throughout Oregon. The director of DLCD stated that the process was not subject to the statewide planning goals including providing notice to affected property owners or the need to have a factual basis supporting findings and plan policies. This is untrue. Oregon Revised Statute 197.180 reads in part “state agencies shall carry out their planning duties and take actions that are authorized by law with respect to programs affecting land use in compliance with [planning] goals.” Yes, the ACSC legislation has been on the books for many years as previous letters cite. No, it has never been implemented.

Our state is actively promoting its commitment to sustainable and green economic development. Metolian will implement a large number of such technologies. It will be a showcase for the state in terms of its commitment to sustainable development and an example of innovation in environmental policy.

All involved in this debate want to see the health of the Metolius River Basin improved and sustained. We differ in terms of how we envision such improvement to occur. Government does not have the means to protect and enhance special places like the Metolius basin. Conservation and development can occur simultaneously if carefully planned. Metolian will combine the efforts and financial resources of a relative few to enhance the basin for us all.