ACTION ALERT—Please Write Letters of Support, Proposed Mt Emily Recreation Area
Public use of the Mt Emily Recreation Area (MERA) is seriously threatened.(1) We need your help—now ! FCP will not negotiate a “reasonable sale price” for MERA with the Coalition or County !
Please send letters as outlined below by January 22, 2007. We need 200 + letters sent to FCP !
What you can do to help !
Please write a personal letter and, or send a personal email to John Warness, Kevin Boling, and Matt Donegan, Forest Capital Partners (FCP); send a copy to the Union County Commission (see address list below) and to the local and regional newspapers. Make you letter personal, but:
1) Ask THEM to please work with the Coalition and County to ensure that MERA continues to be a perpetual producer of public recreation, wildlife habitat, timber, range, etc.
2) Emphasize that THEY have the power to ensure that liquidation of the timber and subdivision of MERA does not occur—THEY can ensure this does not happen by negotiating a “reasonable price” with the Coalition and Union County for the property—a win, win situation. NOTE: Two years ago FCP paid Boise Cascade an average of $750/acre for the property, trees, etc., (includes MERA). FCP has suggested a sale price more than 3 times this ($2,500/acre)—this is not a reasonable price !
Two quotes from FCP’s web page (www.forestcap.com) that you should consider in your letter are:
“Forest Capital Partners is owned by professional foresters with a deep commitment to the land, the environment, and the communities in which we live and operate.”
“As a large well capitalized organization…FCP is not forced to over-harvest or sell land to meet debt obligations.”
John Warness, Region Manager,
1607 27th Street, La Grande, OR 97850
Phone: 541.962.2045,
Email: jwarness@forestcap.comMatthew W. Donegan, Co-President, Forest Capital Partners, LLC,
111 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 3650,
Portland, OR 97204
Phone: 971.244.8660,
Email: mdonegan@forestcap.comKevin Boling, General Manager, Inland,
6500 Mineral Drive, Suite 101,
Coeur d’Alene, ID 83815
Phone: 208.292.2462, ext. 102
Email: kboling@forestcap.com
Union County Commissioners
Colleen MacLeod
Nellie Bogue Hibbert
Steve McClure
1106 K Ave. La Grande, OR. 97850
541-963-1001
Note:
(1) Gallatin Northeast Timber and Land Company/Forest Capital Partners LLC
(FCP) informed the Union County Commission and the Mt Emily Recreation Coalition
(Coalition) that the 3,646 acre area will be listed for sale on their real
estate web site (www.westslopeproperties.com) on March 30, 2007—the
area will be offered to the highest bidder ! If the Coalition and Union
County are unsuccessful in their efforts to acquire the MERA, it is likely
the timber on the property will be liquidated and the area will be subdivided
into 240 acre parcels—continued public use of the area would be very
unlikely.
QUESTIONS: Mark Barber 541-963.8147, Lance Coburn 541-562.5339, Mark and
Dianne Lewis 541-962.9355, Bart or Pam Barlow 541-963.9740, Mary McCracken
541-963.8917, Ron Babcock 541-962.9529, Rick Bowen, 541-963.0480, Darin
Larvik 541-963.5459, Norm Paullus 541-963.2646, John Lamoreau 541-963.8503,
Susan Geer 541-963-0477.