Madrone Wall - Access Fund Action Alert

[elaine]

Hello Climbers!

 

Below is a link from the Access Fund for an Action Alert for the Madrone Wall, which is located just east of Carver, OR. Please take a moment and have your voice be heard by signing the form, which will go directly to the Commissioners and key Park Staff. You can certainly write your own letter if you wish. And if you live in Clackamas County, we definitely want you to speak up!

 

Keith and I will be attending a City Council meeting for Milwaukee to try and gather their support for the Madrone Wall site tomorrow ( Tuesday) night, and we will also be in attendance at the next Parks Advisory Board (PAB) meeting that is tentatively scheduled for March 16th. Stay tuned and thanks for the support!

 

Kellie

President, MWPC

 

Like us on FB if you have not already! https://www.facebook.com/madronewall

 

http://www.accessfund.org/c.tmL5KhNWLrH/b.5208267/k.8C84/Action_Center/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx?c=tmL5KhNWLrH&b=5208267&aid=521166

[elaine]

Below is my letter to Clackamas County. Warning: it's long, but I am trying to sway the majority of the Commissioners. I sent it out on Sunday on MWPC letterhead. One thing that Keith and I have learned, and while it may come as no surprise, is that the five County Commissioners are very divided. Two of the five lean towards parks and the environment, and one who does not. There are two more who could sway either way depending upon how certain members of the citizen-led PAB vote, and their own values. Simply put to Keith and I by an involved citizen: "The pro-environment, tree-hugging arguement will not win 3 of the Commissioner votes."

 

You still have time to submit your own letter, or sign your name to the Access Fund Action Alert. You can modify the template to your desire, too. The alert has been extended, because the Madrone will be discussed at the April 21st PAB meeting.

 

Contact info for the Commissioners is : bcc@clackamas.us, and contact for Parks Manager Rick Gruen is parksreservations@clackamas.us. The Action Alert will deliver to the above email addresses.

 

Thanks for reading and thanks for your support!

Kellie

 

 

VIA Email

 

Dear Commissioner Schrader and Manager Gruen:

 

Since 2004, I have been a Director and President of the Madrone Wall Preservation Committee, which became a 501© 3 in 1999. During my tenure, I have had opportunities to observe and interact with former Commissioners Larry Sowa, Bill Kennemer, Lynn Peterson, and of course, current Commissioner Martha Schrader. I’ve also had opportunities to work with the Parks Advisory Board, Dan Zinzer, Katie Dunham, Mike McLees, Tonia Burns, and other Parks staff.

 

I am not mentioning former employees and elected officials as a means to rattle off names to show clout, but to show you that our organization over the last 18 years has worked with Clackamas County to establish and collaboratively build a partnership, which has always been one of our four main objectives for our existence (stop quarry/logging at site, re-establish access to public property, open a public park, and be a long term steward of park as a “friends of” organization working with Clackamas County Parks).

 

Back in January 2006, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously accepted and approved the Parks Advisory Board’s (PAB) recommendation to put the Madrone Wall into the Parks Master Plan, retain in public ownership, and included as a priority for master planning as a future park. It was an exciting time, and not only for our all-volunteer non-profit, but for the hundreds of citizens, well-established and respected non-profits, Clackamas County CPO’s, legislators at the local, state and national level, City of Damascus, Metro, and the various businesses within Carver and the Portland area (see ledger of confirmed support on this this letter).

 

This 44 acre open space along the Wild and Scenic Clackamas River has the potential for so many various recreational opportunities: hiking, native plant and flower identification, rock climbing, picnicking, opportunities for Search and Rescue groups to practice high-angle rescue, a place for students of all ages to learn about botany and native plants, and an anchor site that would combine nearby property of 88 acres purchased by Metro in 2009 for the “east side big park” concept of the Clackamas River Bluffs in a park-barren area of Clackamas County.

 

I have question for Clackamas County and the PAB, because I honestly do not know the answer. Does the County have a number of “Friends of” groups that support and maintain their parks and open spaces? To me, it certainly seems to be a need and an asset when “friends of” groups and committed volunteers step forward. I am aware of groups that clean up the Clackamas River, Barton and Carver Parks, Johnson Creek Watershed, and even groups such as SOLV, but I am curious if there are others who have been able to demonstrate what we have shown you, and that is about creating a partnership and supporting a uniquely beautiful place that so many have been patiently waiting to enjoy. You cannot deny the efforts that our group has made over the last 18 years:

 

1) Secured completed engineering construction plans from T.Y. Lin International, all done pro-bono and at a savings to the County of $30,000.

 

2) Organized three successful volunteer stewardship events between 2008 and 2010 with Tonia Burns, Dan Zinzer and other Park staff where over 200 volunteers used their own muscle for 800 hours to remove illegally dumped rubbish, remove invasive plant species, and build new trails, and all for a place that is still not open to the public.

 

3) Applied for and received over a dozen grants valued at tens of thousands of dollars from well respected businesses and organizations including: REI, Meyer Memorial Trust, Jubitz Family Foundation, Mazamas, Access Fund, American Alpine Club and Patagonia over the years. This also does not include the individual donations, and the various fundraisers that our group has been able to organize in conjunction with local businesses and non-profits. These funds have helped finance, in collaboration with Clackamas County, many studies including economic quarry and land appraisal studies thereby deriving value for the County at zero cost.

 

4) Reached out to the 1249th Engineering Battalion with the Oregon National Guard from Salem, whose responsibility is to go into disaster zones and build roads and bridges. We’ve continued to build a relationship with the Oregon National Guard since 2009 when we worked directly with Clackamas County Parks to assist them in submitting a detailed Innovative Readiness Training grant from Oregon National Guard. We visited the site in 2009 and 2010 with Guard soldiers, and as recently as February 13th of this year, Keith Daellenbach toured with First Lieutenant Heath Henry out at the site with County permission. The Guard is eager and ready to help move this project forward, as they supply their own construction gear, and physical labor, at a generous cost savings in labor estimated to be $57K to the County to implement the engineering plans and concept design. What an amazing opportunity to give our service men and women valuable hands on training when the time comes that they must possess to be deployed, and they’ve done this type of work locally before! A great example is on the north side of Lewis & Clark State Park at exit 18 in the Columbia River Gorge, which is known as “1000 Acre Park/ Sandy River Delta”

 

Whether you can answer my question above now or not is not of importance. You see, from our beginnings, our group and our mission has always been about forming partnerships and collaborating. For the last 18 years, we’ve shown you through our words and our actions that we want to work with the County on the Madrone Wall property, and we have done so directly with the Commissioners, PAB, Parks staff, and additional outside agencies and businesses who can directly assist the County move this site forward towards park creation. This continued collaborative approach is something that we look forward to.

 

Sincerely,

Kellie Rice

President, Madrone Wall Preservation Committee

Beaverton, OR