Election 2006: This land is whose land? The debate over property fairness and community protection is coming to a ballot near you this November.

Across Oregon, neighbors and communities are crying foul. The state’s Measure 37, an anti-planning law that passed in 2004, is changing the landscape of Oregon communities. Measure 37 allows changes such as a gravel mine near residences; an energy plant in the middle of a national monument; and the development of prime farmland.

And such changes may be coming to a neighborhood near you. Initiatives modeled after Oregon’s Measure 37 are appearing on the ballot in six Western states, and the debate is on about what’s fair when it comes to protecting our communities. Sightline researcher Eric de Place takes a look at the initiatives, including Washington's I-933, and shares the implications here.

Get This Place on Earth online: At long last! Alan Durning's story of returning home to start Northwest Environment Watch (now Sightline) is available free online. The award-winning work, This Place on Earth: Home and the Practice of Permanence, is Durning's personal tale of leaving a globetrotting job as an environmental policy analyst with Worldwatch to make a difference a different way: by returning with his family to the Pacific Northwest and founding Sightline.

Part personal history, part regional history, This Place on Earth is a must-read for anyone who's interested in the politics of staying put, the Pacific Northwest, or the environmental and social consequences of mobility. Get the free PDF here.

Sightline volunteer's life story published: Congratulations to longtime Sightline volunteer Norman Kunkel, and his wife Georgie on publishing their new book: WWII Liberator's Life: AFS Ambulance Driver Chooses Peace. It recounts Norman's experiences in the war and his courtship with Georgie, resulting in the pair's dedication to peace activism. Read more here.

Northwest events-Check out the latest events here.
09/14/2006 Jim Hightower, On Common Ground: Innovations in energy and agriculture and a new civic awakening. Seattle, WA

09/27/2006 American Energy, Breaking our Addiction to Oil: With Christopher Flavin, President of the Worldwatch Institute. Portland, OR

Donor challenge! A $10,000 matching grant will be ours when 50 engaged supporters become monthly donors, or Friends of Sightline. Monthly giving is convenient for you and extra-helpful to us, as it distributes your giving throughout the year. Find out more. Thanks!