Liability laws hurt recreational businesses

As the owners of Tall Town Bike & Camp, we’ve experienced firsthand how current liability laws are hurting small businesses in rural areas. Nestled near Warner Canyon Ski Area and the Oregon Timber Trail, we rent and sell gear for hiking, fishing, skiing and camping for visitors year-round. Yet, rising insurance premiums and the inability to find affordable coverage make it increasingly difficult to stay afloat.

Two years ago, we lost our insurance provider and spent 16 months finding new coverage for our small shop. Even after negotiating, our premiums tripled — now consuming 35% of our gross revenue.

Other local outfitters face the same hurdles, stifling economic growth and diminishing what our community can offer. Warner Canyon businesses want to showcase the area’s beauty and provide safe, memorable experiences, but liability costs make it nearly impossible.

Since we opened our first bike shop in Oregon City, the motivation has remained the same: help people get outside and enjoy the beauty of Oregon state. Despite all the financial burdens, we have not raised our prices, because we know that every price increase makes recreation less accessible. But every year without liability reform it becomes harder to keep prices down. Soon our business and others like us will be priced out of existence.

Oregon prides itself on its outdoor recreation, yet small businesses like ours are being overlooked. HB 3140 would bring much-needed relief by restoring fairness to liability laws, enabling rural businesses to thrive while keeping visitors safe. I urge lawmakers to support this bill—not just for businesses, but for the communities and tourists who rely on us to access and enjoy Oregon’s great outdoors.

— Thom and Shelley Batty, Lakeview

Fruit prices soar, quality dips

Regarding the article on falling fruit sales in the Jan. 26 Bulletin: I love fruit but nowadays the fruit is picked before it is ripe and tastes like wood. Melons are my favorite but I don’t buy them anymore because they either don’t ripen or are too ripe and tasteless. And at $5 each I cannot afford that. Nothing is ripened on the vine or tree, then it is gassed and shipped from all over the globe. Grapes seem okay as do apples and oranges in season. Peaches, pears, plums, other summer fruit are tasteless with no sweetness. Blueberries cooked are okay, but raw they are not. I buy organic fruits which used to be better, but are not as far as taste goes. Bananas don’t taste that great either, though I still eat them in my cereal. Nobody really trusts fresh fruit anymore and instead relies on frozen meals and fast food.

— Patti Misterly, Crooked River Ranch

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