Save Port Westward Family Farms and Wildlife Habitat!
Help us protect working family farms, the Columbia River, and our environment by contributing today to help us stop the rezone of Port Westward.
Hi! My name is Tracy Prescott-MacGregor. My husband and I are self sufficient farmers in a beautiful corner of the world on the Columbia River in Clatskanie, Oregon. We are surrounded by other beautiful farms growing blueberries, cottonwood trees, mint and raising cattle. This area has some of the finest soils in North America laid down by thousands of years of periodic flooding. Near my home, 837 acres of working farmland owned by the Port of St Helens, on Port Westward, have recently been rezoned from Prime Agricultural to Rural Industrial. The Port of St. Helens has plans to double the size of their existing Industrial terminal.
Several months ago, the Port of St. Helens began using a defunct Ethanol plant at Port Westward to ship crude oil from the Bakken Shale in North Dakota. From Port Westward it is pumped into barges and shipped down the Columbia River to refineries in Washington and California. The Port purchased the surrounding agricultural land adjacent to it's existing terminal. In order to expand, they needed to rezone the land from Prime Agricultural to Rural Industrial. Our Columbia County Planning Commission voted 5-1 against this rezone in support of the farms and wildlife. A few months later the Columbia County Commissioners voted unanimously to rezone this farmland in favor of Industry.
At risk are several hundred acres of farmland currently being used to grow food. This land will be industrialized in order to build the expanded rail loop and oil terminal. In light of the many recent horrific accidents involving the caustic Bakken crude shipped by rail in poorly designed tank cars this is obviously a hazardous procedure. We risk toxic spills and explosive fire anywhere along the rail lines used to deliver this oil thus endangering communities from North Dakota to the refineries. A local disaster in Port Westward will not only devastate our farmland, but because of the interconnected tidal nature of the dike lands will result in a widespread ecological catastrophe.
Additionally, the rezoning encompasses about two miles of wildlife habitat along the Columbia River shore where expanded docks are planned. This development threatens salmon, eagle, heron and kingfisher populations to name only a few.
Many folks use this area for fishing, hunting and recreation like boating, swimming and birding. We need to preserve the beauty and the bounty of what's here. There are not many more places along the Columbia that can boast this peaceful coexistence between man and wildlife. We want this to be here for our grand kids...for YOUR grand kids.
Help us protect this land by contributing today.
What We Need & What You Get
- We need $2,000 to help with legal costs appealing the rezone of Port Westward.
- We believe in providing perks that are handmade or experience oriented. We feel that there is too much corporate "stuff" out there already so for you who donate we are providing things that have been made in the Pacific Northwest. For a $10 donation we have Native hand made cedar woven roses. For a $25 donation we have peppermint patties made right here at the Seely mint farm next to Port Westward. For a $50 donation we have native American hand woven salt and pepper shaker holders (shakers included). For a $500 donation we have a night at the Sylvia Beach Hotel for book lovers in Newport, Oregon. and finally we will give the first person who donates $1,000 our hand built adjustable thermometer prop.
- These funds will go to the non-profit group Columbia Riverkeeper which is committed to helping our community appeal the rezoning. Learn more about Columbia Riverkeeper at www.ColumbiaRiverkeeper.org.
The Impact
Your contribution will make it possible for us to file an appeal to reverse the rezoning. Help us protect our precious farm land and river habitat that we ALL benefit from!
- So much of our prime agricultural land is gone. The world is quickly losing it's ability to feed us. We need to protect our food producing land now.
- Columbia Riverkeeper has a track record of success in preventing river and land from becoming terminals at other sites, including stopping a Liquefied Natural Gas terminal at Bradwood Landing.
Other Ways You Can Help
- If you can't give money spread the word through social media. Use Facebook, twitter, you name it! Help us stop more dangerous crude from coming onto our lands and waterways.
- Use the Indiegogo share tools! It all works to help us make a difference!
Thank you!