One of the biggest environmental ballot measures in Oregon history is in good shape for this fall.
Supporters of the Water, Parks and Wildlife measure say they turned almost 200,000 signatures today to the Secretary of State’s office. They only needed 110,000 names to earn a spot on the November ballot.
Outreach Director Jessica Moskovitz tells me that with so many extra names, they’re confident the measure will be qualified for November. But official confirmation isn’t expected until August.
By the way – 200,000 is an impressive number – it’s almost 10% of Oregon’s registered voters.
The measure is a proposed constitutional amendment to set aside 15% of lottery funds for water, state parks and wildlife programs in Oregon. Those programs are already getting that money from a different ballot measure that expires in 2014. This new measure will make that funding permanent.
The money has made a huge difference for state parks. When the original measure was approved in 1998, Oregon’s State Parks system was on the verge of collapse. More than 60 state parks were getting ready to be closed and the maintenance backlog totaled more than $100 million.
Since then, we’ve not only saved those parks, but we’ve opened several new ones. That includes Stub Stewart State Park in Washington County. And coming in 2013, the opening of the 8,000 acre Cottonwood Canyon State Park along the John Day River near Condon.
It’s also helped wildlife, streams and salmon. Nearly half of the money goes to these kinds of programs. The Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board works on a voluntary basis with local landowners to improve stream and salmon habit in every county of the state. The money has also helped preserve the Table Rocks near Medford, and Zumwalt Prairie in Wallowa County.
Moskovitz says that so far there’s been no formal opposition to the Water, Parks and Wildlife measure. But in the latest Willamette Week, reporter Nigel Jaquiss writes how the measure is worrying unions and educators. They’re also interested in getting ahold of more lottery funds and see this measure as an obstacle.
For More Information:
Oregonians For Water, Parks and Wildlife
Willamette Week: Turf Battle, Labor vs. Enviros: Why Speaker Hunt and the OEA want to sideline a parks measure.
Related Stories:
New State Budget Cuts Will Impact Fires, Fish and Water Quality
Coming Soon: What Could Be Oregon’s Biggest State Park
This Fall, Will Oregon Support Water, Parks and Wildlife?
