The CBWR (Coos Bay Wagon Road) has always been managed under the same federal management as O&C lands but what makes it unique is the revenue from 60,000 acres in Coos County and the 15,000 acres in Douglas County is not only calculated differently but distributed proportionately only to the two counties. Curiously, past commissions have opted to allow revenue off the CBWR to be thrown into the pot to be divvied up between all eighteen O&C counties through SRS payments, but it was a choice albeit a bad one. If Senator Ron Wyden’s bill is enacted as is it will no longer be a choice but a small boon to the other seventeen counties and could cost Coos County as much as $10 million a year in taxable revenue.
The bill also transfers acreage to the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians through two conveyances. One being 17,826 acres known as the Canyon Mountain Land Conveyance and 14,804 acres entitled the Oregon Coastal Land Conveyance. Could it be that donating CBWR to the O&C pot is to make up for the above conveyances? All entreaties made to Wyden by the commissioners to retain the unique status of the CBWR have thus far been ignored. The board ignored most suggestions made by citizens like Don Gurney to recommend an amendment to the Act of 1939 pertaining to the CBWR but the board preferred to take a wait-and-see approach and Melissa Cribbins indicated to me that Gurney’s suggestions might be seen as an insult. This did not stop the board from sending a fairly confusing letter to the Senator asking him to give management of the CBWR to the county, something his office had made clear he would not do.
This is a fairly complicated story and I am still gathering data but I would encourage everyone to contact Wyden’s office and tell him you do not want nor do you appreciate him giving away 5% of our tax base.
Senator Ron Wyden
Eugene
405 East 8th Ave., Suite 2020
Eugene, OR, 97401
tel (541) 431-0229
Ms. Cribbins – my grandmother was an Oklahoma tribe member. There are no NATIVE north Americans. There were wars. The so called “Indians” lost. Why do we taxpayers – and the local tribes are not among the taxpayers – owe them anything? Why should we consider truth and facts as insults? Hopefully Mr. Gurney will run again in a few months and the voters will realize what a mistake was made electing you. As for the senator who is not running for four years but lately is all over the place with his positions, perhaps we can elect a senator who lives in Oregon, not New York with family. Maybe you can comment on why Coos Bay is giving such a sweetheart deal at the Hollering Point to the same tribe. Mr. Gurney articulated his position – what’s yours?