To the editor:
View the Future commends the city of Yachats, specifically Mayor Craig Birdie and City Manager Bobbi Price, for their diligent efforts to prevent a forest clearcut on 40 acres of privately-owned land immediately abutting the southeastern city limits (and lying just below what we have come to call Yachats Ridge).
Our land trust is offering the city its full support and has the utmost faith in our city partners to do their due diligence to navigate that transaction with the owners.
We want to make it very clear that these 40 acres, while part of a highly scenic viewshed, lie outside of Yachats Ridge. Why haven’t our efforts to secure Yachats Ridge included this lower 40 acres?
Beginning in 2004, View the Future had focused on the preservation of roughly 900 acres lying southeast of the city comprising Yachats Ridge, now owned by Manulife Financial Corp. More recently, our land trust began collaborating with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to acquire Yachats Ridge, and at that time Weyerhaeuser’s adjoining 200 acres of land was added for a total of 1,100 acres.
Clemente Rocha, who owns the 40 acres proposed for logging adjoining Yachats Ridge to the west as well as a second 40-acre parcel to the south, did not respond to OPRD’s inquiry for consideration. Our board of directors decided long ago to devote our time and limited financial resources to protecting Yachats Ridge. To realize this goal, we must remain keenly focused on soliciting partnerships, continue fundraising and sourcing other means of support toward achieving this goal. At the same time, we also remain astute to all available land conservation and passive-recreation options for this 1,100 acres.
Should Mr. Rocha express a serious interest in having his land added to the 1,100 acres for possible acquisition and preservation, and be willing to sell that land for no more than its appraised value, we would definitely be interested in pursuing such discussions with him.
The proposed clearcut of this highly visible forest on 40 acres of land adjoining city limits clearly demonstrates the vulnerability of unprotected land in Yachats and the surrounding area to adverse changes. This is why our board and our new executive director, Gretchen Dubie, will continue to work proactively to educate this region’s landowners on the many benefits of land conservation, in hopes of partnering with them to protect their land in perpetuity.
We are poised and eager to respond to timely opportunities to protect our natural and cultural resources when consistent with our mission.
- John Theilacker & Joanne Kittel/board co-chairs/View the Future