Save Our Scenic Area (SOSA)

What You Can Do to Help

RESIDENTS OF WASHINGTON AND OREGON CONTACT YOUR GOVERNMENT

Your government representatives need to hear the negative impacts that inappropriately sited industrial wind facilities will have on their constituents and our National Scenic Treasure.  See the example letters below.

Contact your city officials:

            www.ci.hood-river.or.us/pageview.aspx?id=18342 for Hood River

             www.ci.white-salmon.wa.us/8328.elected%20officials.html for White Salmon

Contact your county commissions:

            www.skamaniacounty.org/commissioners1.htm, or tolfree@co.skamania.wa.us for Skamania

            www.klickitatcounty.org/Commissioners, or 509 773-4612 for Klickitat

            administration@co.hood-river.or.us, or (541)386-3970 for Hood River

Contact your state legislature:

            www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr for Oregon

            http://apps.leg.wa.gov/DistrictFinder/Default.aspx for Washington

Also try SDS Lumber (jasons@sdslumber.com) and Puget Sound Energy (Mr. Stephen P. Reynolds, Chairman, President & CEO Puget Sound Energy, 10885 NE 4th Street, P.O. Box 97034, Bellevue, WA  98009-9734).

SOSA recently contacted Puget Sound Energy (Mr. Reynolds), and after getting the form letter response, fired back with this communication.  Mr. Reynolds did response to this communication indicating their status and willingness to continue to pursue this project.  SOSA recently followed up this response with another letter.  Feel free to use any or all of these letters for your messages.

Let the Gorge Commission know that you want their help to reduce or eliminate this project.

Together we can make a difference.  Together we can save the Gorge view and our way of life.

RESIDENTS OF STATES OTHER THAN WASHINGTON AND OREGON

Since the Colombia River Gorge National Scenic Area is a National Scenic Area, it is appropriate for you to contact your Senators and Representatives for help in preserving this National treasure. Follow the instructions below to determine the names and contact information for your Senators and Representatives. Please contact your elected officials and ask for their help in keeping the Colombia River Gorge National Scenic Area from being desecrated by windmill farms. Please help us save this unique National treasure.

Senate

1. Before you start print these instructions

2. Click on the following link: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?OrderBy=state&Sort=ASC

3. From the drop down menu, choose a state

4. Click on the Senator you wish to contact. His or her contact information will appear.

5. Send your message

Representatives

1. Before you start print these instructions

2. Click on the following link: https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

3. From the drop down menu, choose a state

4. Then enter your 4 digit zip code

5. Click on the House Representative link to send your message

6. Send your message

Example Letters

1) The following is a suggested message which you may use as is or modify it as you see fit (copy and paste it to your email or to your word processing program):

Dear Senator (Representative) ___________________

It has recently come to my attention that SDS Lumber Company, in partnership with Puget Sound Energy, is planning to develop a windmill farm in the area of Skamania County Washington known as Saddleback Mountain. The proposed project lies just outside the boundaries ( in some cases as close as 60+/- feet ) of the Colombia River Gorge National Scenic Area. The proposed wind turbines are approximately 420 feet tall ( about the height of a 40 story building ) and are toped with strobe lights. If allowed to become a reality, this windmill farm would completely dominate and destroy the viewshed of the Colombia River Gorge National Scenic Area, a unique National scenic treasure.  You can obtain more information by visiting www.saveourscenicarea.org.

I am all for "green energy" such as that produced by wind. However, I also believe that green energy projects should be appropriately sited. There are numerous other areas in Washington, Oregon and other parts of the country, with comparable or even better wind resources than those of Saddleback Mountain, where developing a wind project would not entail destroying a National Scenic Treasure.

Since the Scenic Area to be impacted is a National Scenic Area, is it both necessary and appropriate that the entire nation have a say in the matter and that it not be left up to the local Skamania County Politicians, who seem anxious to sacrifice the National Scenic Area, apparently for the sake of additional local tax revenue.

Wind farms can be built in many places. The Colombia River Gorge National Scenic area cannot be lifted up and moved elsewhere.

Please lend your assistance in stopping the destruction of the Colombia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

2) Example letter to Mayor Poucher

3) Example letter to Mayor Streich

ALL CONCERNED RESIDENTS

Finally, all concerned residents can assist SOSA in this battle to save YOUR scenic area, by contributing by contributing funds used for legal expenses and public awareness campaigns.

Send mail to sosa@gorge.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2008 Save Our Scenic Area
Last modified: 05/10/09