We can actually drive up the coast from Port Orford and visit 'our' farms! Well, not really, but farms that literally nourish us. We can point to the cows in the Browns' pastures, the blueberries in the Jensens'grove that looks like a great, big grand piano from a distance, the chickens and their eggs that Martha delivers to me weekly, the greens that Abby tends so lavishly.
These are close,immediate and peaceful places that thrive or dive into the same weather patterns that hit us out at Capo Blanco. When the hurricane winds last December closed streets and blew off roofs, the farm families had to worry about the crops and the animals stressed and blown all over.
We are close to water sources and food sources, and we understand the connectivity of all physical and cultural factors.
When railroad companies decided to close their routes to Coos Bay, when air carriers decided to stop the connections to Portland, they disturbed the necessary relationships in a modern society. The world depends on each one of us having abilities and tools so the the food can travel where there are no farms, the wood can reach people who are building homes and businesses, the information can be shared in a timely way to improve everybody's lives, and people have access to medical and commercial facilities necessary for the smooth functioning of society.
When people visit my town and marvel at the wild rivers and the pristine beaches, when they eat the fish and chips at Crazy's and are amazed at such delicacies in a hamlet so far from centers of commerce, when they recreate in the woods, on the dunes, on the golf course, on and around the rivers, and wish that these places remain intact and pristine forever, they can get their wishes fulfilled if they understand that we all must act in concert, support industries and living wages, spend money in research and development, and invest in maintaining pristine places.
Oregon has been in the forefront on the race to preserve the environment. Oregon legislature should make sure that these places we love and cherish remain alive and vital and connected.
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