Taking the Colf Family Farm

[mojoesmom]

Urgent Action Required

This coming week, the Ports of Vancouver, (Tuesday, May 27th), Kalama (Wednesday, May 28th) and Longview (Friday, May 30th)

will hold hearings on taking the Colf Family Farm by eminent domain (condemnation). That means taking their prime farmland against their will by force if necessary.

-----The details, locations and directions to the hearings are below.

No matter where you live in Southwest Washington, if you care about private property, farming and agriculture or have concerns about the abuse of eminent domain by ports, towns and the Corps of Engineers, you must attend these hearings. You must urge the port commissioners to just say no to the
use of eminent domain against the Colf farming family.

American Land Rights supports the Columbia River Deepening Project but not the abuse of families and landowners. The way the Corps of Engineers and the ports have handled this negotiation with the Colf Family, no farmer or landowner in Southwest Washington is safe.

Every time a politician gets a big idea or a port commissioner wants to expand, your land or farm is going to be the target of their desire to grow their power. Eminent domain is the tool they will try to use.

By helping save the Colf Family Farm, you will send a message to the Corps and the ports that they need to control their appetite to take land away from landowners and treat farmers and all private landowners with respect.

At this point, the Corps and the ports have shown no respect for the Colf family, the historic role they have played in the area for 140 years or even the great role that agriculture plays in our area.

The Corps and the ports just want to flood some land and make wetlands to mitigate the damage they are doing on the Columbia River and they really don't care who they step on to do it.

Landowners and farmers are important to our society and that the Corps and the Ports need to respect that.

By helping stop this outrageous Kelo type eminent domain you will remind these military Corps of Engineers officials and elected port officials that they need to be good neighbors.

You are not theirs to just kick around and drive off the land. This is your chance to help all landowners stand up to the continuing abusive land grabbing behavior by the Corps of Engineers and even the ports.


-----Hearing Dates, Locations and Driving Instructions.

-----Port of Vancouver (USA) - Tuesday, May 27th at 9:30 AM at the Commissioners Meeting Room in Vancouver. 3103 Lower River Road, Vancouver, WA 98660. Call Larry Paulson at (360) 693-3611 to confirm the location and the time.

It looks to us like the Port of Vancouver deliberately scheduled the hearing for the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day to try to reduce the number of people who would attend. That adds to the urgency of you attending the hearing in Vancouver.

Directions: Northbound & Southbound on Interstate 5. Take the Mill Plain Blvd. Exit 1C. Go west on Mill Plain Blvd. about 2.5 miles. Mill Plain becomes NW Lower River Road. The Terminal Entrance and Port Administrative Office are on the left.

-----Port of Kalama - Wednesday, May 28th at 5:30 PM at the Kalama City Hall, 320 N First St. Call Lanny Cawley at (360) 673-5017 to confirm the location and the time.


-----Port of Longview Hearing - Friday, May 30th at 10:00 AM. Cowlitz
Regional Conference Center. New Bldg at Fairgrounds. 1900 7th Ave. Call Ken O'Hallaren at (360) 425-3305 to confirm time and location.

[mojoesmom]

-----The Port of Woodland has taken a vote and decided not to participate in any eminent domain action against the Colf Family Farm. Get the other port commissioners to do the same.

As part of the Columbia River Deepening Project, the Corps must mitigate damage to wetlands caused by the project. They have chosen to take 74% of what they need for 106 miles of river from one family, the Colf Family of Woodland, Washington. The Colf farming family is actively led by 91-year-old Margaret Colf. Daughter Nancy Colf manages the farm.

The Colf Family has been farming the area since 1870. They don't want to sell. They are farmers. They want to keep the land in agriculture. The Colf family is not now and never has been a willing seller. They are now and have continued to talk to the Corps of Engineers to discuss various options and solutions because the Corps has placed a gun at their head by threatening eminent domain.

The Colf Family has been through nine years of hell dealing with the Corps of Engineers. The Corps is now threatening eminent domain using the Washington State Department of Transportation with the support of Gov.
Christine Gregoire to carry out their eminent domain threat on behalf of the Ports of Vancouver, Longview and Kalama along the Columbia River.

The Ports would eventually own the Colf Farm land. Woodland just voted not to participate in the eminent domain. You should call the Woodland Commissioners and thank them for standing up against eminent domain, the
ports and the Corps of Engineers.

The Corps has identified eight other sites that are appropriate for this wetlands mitigation. There are lots of willing sellers of land that can be used for wetlands mitigation along the 106 mile affected area of the Columbia River. There is no rush. That does not seem to matter to the Corps. They have targeted the Colf Family and plan to take their land and destroy an active and family farm.

The Corps of Engineers and the ports are trying to pretend there is a rush because they are being threatened by Governor Gregoire and the Washington State Department of Ecology with losing their 401 Clean Water Certification if they don't acquire the Colf land by the middle of June.

Governor Gregoire has complete control over this eminent domain. She can order the Department of Ecology to extend the deadline removing the made-up pressure from the Corps and the ports.

That way they Corps and the ports can go out and acquire land this is not prime farmland and is from a willing seller. There are lots of willing sellers along the 106 miles of the Columbia River Deepening Project that runs from the mouth of the Columbia to Portland.

The Colf Family has repeatedly offered alternate solutions. They have continued to negotiate with the Corps, ports and others not because they are willing sellers, but because they are being threatened with eminent domain.

Often they have not been able to get the Corp or port officials to even talk to them. Because of inaction by the Corps and ports, there is now a last minute rush by the Corps and the ports to make something happen, even if it is wrong.

It is ironic that the Ports have lots of land that could be used for mitigation purposes. Those lands don't seem to count. They'd rather throw out farmers and destroy family farms.

Agriculture is critical to America. Small farms are disappearing yearly.
It is easy to see that the Corps of Engineers is part of the reason for the loss. They've been heavy handed and threatening in the process.


-----Action Items - You Can Help Immediately

-----1. Please call your friends, neighbors and business associates to urge them to go to the hearings by the ports on using eminent domain to take the Colf Farm. This is your chance to really make a difference. Tell the port commissioners - No Eminent Domain.

-----2. Be sure to forward this message as widely as possible to your e-mail list.

-----3. Make sure you attend the hearing in your town, or the hearing that is close to you, plus the Port of Vancouver Hearing. The Vancouver hearing is the biggest and the most important. Don't miss out.

It certainly appears that the Port of Vancouver is trying to discourage you from attending their hearing by scheduling it the Tuesday morning after Memorial Day.

-----4. Call the port commissioners listed below and tell them no to any eminent domain of the Colf Family Farm. Tell them you will remember at election time what they do now.

-----Port of Portland: -- Even though the Port of Portland will not be involved in the eminent domain at this time, the key representative for all the Columbia River Ports in dealing with the Corps of Engineers and the Columbia River dredging project is Dianne Perry from the Port of Portland.
(503) 944-7226 - dianne.perry@portofportland.com.

Dianne Perry is very much involved in the eminent domain action and is pressuring the local ports to take the Colf land by eminent domain. She should get deluged with calls and e-mails.

Call, fax and e-mail all the port commissioners and officials listed below telling them no eminent domain of the Colf Family Farm, period. Get your friends to call and e-mail also to help save the Colf family.

-----Port of Vancouver (USA)- Ph:(360)693-3611- Fax:(360)735-1565 Exec. Director: Larry Paulson - lpaulson@portvanusa.com Commissioners e-mails are: Brian Wolfe -- BWolfe@portvanusa.com Nancy Baker - Nbaker@portvanusa.com; Jerry Oliver - JOliver@portvanusa.com

-----Port of Kalama: Phone: (360) 673-2325 - Fax: (360) 673-5017 E-mail:
pok@portofkalama.com
Exec.Director - Lanny Cawley - pok@portofkalama.com
Commissioners: James Lucas - pok@portofkalama.com Fred Swanstrom - pok@portofkalama.com Randy Sweet - randysweet -- pok@portofkalama.com

-----Port of Longview: Phone: 360-425-3305 -- Fax: 360-425-8650
Executive Director: Ken O'Hallaren - (360) 425-3305 Fax: (360) 425-8650 -- kohollaren@portoflongview.com
Commissioners: Darold Dietz -- rjohnson@portoflongview.com.
Add President Darold Dietz (District #1) in the subject line.
Dan Buell -- Vice President (District #2) -- bamma35@msn.com Bob Bagaason -- Secretary (District #3) -- bobbagaason@yahoo.com


-----5. Call the Port of Woodland officials and thank them for standing up against eminent domain. Thank them for supporting prime farmland and family farmers.

-----Port of Woodland - (360) 225-6555 Fax: (360) 225-6556 - Exec. Dir:
Erica Rainford - elrainford@portofwoodland.com Commissioners : Dale Boon -- dboon@portofwoodland.com Jerry Peterson -- jpeterson@portofwoodland.com Paul Cline -- pcline@portofwoodland.com


-----6. Call the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
The Ports in Washington have an agreement with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) under Governor Chris Gregoire to carry out eminent domain on behalf of the Corps of Engineers and the Ports. You need to call and e-mail WSDOT at:

Paula Hammond, Department of Transportation, (360) 705-7054 - hqcustomerservice@wsdot.wa.gov

----7. You must also call Washington State Governor Chris Gregoire through the following staff people: (It appears from the agreement between the ports and the State Department of Transportation that she supports the use of eminent domain to take private farmland and the Colf Farm. She has done little to head off the eminent domain of the Colf Farm.).

Key official: Call him for sure. John Mankowski: (360) 902-0551 john.mankowski@gov.wa.gov.

Chief of Staff: (360) 902-4111 cindy.zehnder@gov.wa.gov

Deputy Chief of Staff: (360) 902-0486 joyce.turner@gov.wa.gov

Governor Gregoire has been told in the past that if the acquisition of the Colf Family Farm does not continue, it could stop the entire dredging project on the Columbia. She knows better. There are willing sellers all along the river. They have lots of time and there are lots of options. Any deadlines are self-imposed.

-----8. Print this e-mail page with the contact information and tape it to your refrigerator. It becomes your new refrigerator-to-do-list.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this e-mail. It means a lot to the future ownership of private land and stopping eminent domain in Vancouver, Kalama and Longview.

[Chief]

If the property is taken, it will be in accordance with Washington State and Port Law, and the Colf Family will be paid at least market value for the land.

Eminent Domain cases are almost always unpopular and an emotion trainride for the people involved. I hope this can be solved in some manner that is satisfactory for everyone concerned.

Here is a link (http://www.clarkblog.org/docs/NR_CRCIP.doc?s=&showtopic=4351&view=findpost&p=28980) to a Microsoft Word document that contains the Army Corps of Engineer's response to this issue, and it is dated 14 April 2008. That's the most current statement I can find from the Army Corp, and I would be interested in hearing some discussion of it.