Bark Alert: The Clock is Ticking to Stop Nestlé

Dear Barker,

I just rewrote this email because I've been told that a Nestlé representative is calling people in Hood River to garner support for taking our Mt. Hood water and bottling it. Nestlé already has the money... now it is organizing.

In this month's alert I'm asking you to protect our public water from Nestlé by taking action: contacting your state legislator, visiting Oxbow Springs with us this Sunday, and giving your time and skills to Bark (see below).

Sincerely,
Alex P Brown, Executive Director

PS- The third and final water permit -- the one that actually exchanges Oxbow Springs from the state -- could be approved as soon as July. This means we only have months to convince Governor Kitzhaber to make the right choice: withdraw the final application and protect Oregonian’s water… or give our water to Nestlé.


Bark-Out: Tell your legislator to put a cork in Nestlé's proposal
Bark-About: A special visit to Oxbow Springs before it's all bottled up
Giving Tree: What do you know? Information is power
Bark Tales: Board member Joy Keen makes waves for Nestlé
Howls and Growls: One year after stopping the Palomar Pipeline, can we give Nestlé the boot?
Bark Burns: Fire and our drinking water--do they mix?


Bark-Out
Governor Kitzhaber still hasn’t taken a stand on Nestlé. Maybe he will listen to his peers -- take action today! 

Despite receiving over 20,000 comments asking him to protect our water, Governor Kitzhaber still has not taken a position on Nestlé’s proposal to bottle Oregonian’s public water for private profit. If the Governor isn’t listening to his constituents, maybe he’ll start listening to his peers.

Click here to contact your state representative and senator today and ask them to protect our water from Nestlé.

We only have a few months to get the Governor to withdraw the third and final permit – the one that actually exchanges the water – so please take action today.


Bark-About
See for yourself the spring threatened by Nestlé’s bottling proposal
Sunday April 8th, 9am-5pm

Due to popular demand this month’s family friendly Bark-About will feature two meet-up locations: our usual location in Portland, as well as a new location in Hood River! View event page for details on the meet up spot.

We will explore the proposed site of Nestlé’s bottling plant in Cascade Locks, as well as the spring where it would draw over 100 million gallons per year. Long time Barkers Carolyn and Martin Evans will talk about the social and environmental costs of bottling water and then finish the day with a walk up Herman Creek in the scenic Columbia River Gorge.  

This hike will be a family-friendly event, so we ask that you keep your dog at home. Please bring water, lunch, and be prepared for wet weather.

Bark-Abouts are led on the second Sunday of every month and are free to the public.


Giving Tree
Whistleblowers and networkers, we need you to stop Nestlé

Bark recently discovered that Nestlé has been contacting residents of the Columbia River Gorge. Unfortunately we do not know what they are saying or what kind of information they are seeking. So, if you have ANY information about Nestlé’s proposal to take our water or Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s application to the Oregon Water Resources Department; or

If your organization, business, church, Boy Scout troop, book club, classroom, or other professional or personal network wants to help Governor John Kitzhaber make the right choice for Oregon;

Then please email Bark’s grassroots organizer Meredith Cocks at [email protected] or call the Bark office at (503) 331-0374.


Bark Tales
Joy Keen, chair of Bark’s board of directors and long time volunteer, has been on the frontlines against Nestlé from the start

Joy has witnessed what happens when Nestlé comes to town, after a Nestlé bottling plant snuck into her home state of Michigan and drained the wetlands. “I’ve seen first hand how once Nestlé has built a plant, it's practically impossible to stop them and their army of lawyers," she says. "So when I heard it wanted to get its hands on our water here in Oregon, I knew we had to nip its plans in the bud.” Joy has been on the frontlines of the campaign ever since, bringing this unique background and political experience to help form and strengthen the Keep Nestlé Out of the Gorge Coalition. 

It's been two years since the date Nestlé originally intended to break ground on this project, and Joy continues to inspire us with her tenacity and dedication.      

Volunteers like Joy make Bark unique in our work to defend Mt. Hood. If you’d like to join our team of dedicated volunteers, than don’t miss our upcoming Groundtruthing Training, April 22nd. Grountruthing helps us know what is really happening on the ground in timber sales and other threatened areas. Space is limited, so RSVP to Gradey Proctor, Bark's forest watch coordinator, to sign up.    


Howls and Growls
A howl for the one year anniversary of defeating the Palomar Pipeline, a growl for continued corporate grabs for Oregon’s public resources

Just one year ago we were celebrating the news that energy giant Palomar withdrew its permit application to lay a 220-mile natural gas pipeline across family farms, pristine forestland, and hundreds of Oregon rivers. It was the collective strength of years of organizing and coalition building by countless passionate people across the state that finally toppled corporate greed. March 23rd marked the one year anniversary of this incredible victory and HOWLS go to everyone who signed a postcard, showed up for a rally, attended a meeting and otherwise made this success possible!

Nonetheless corporate greed is still alive and well in and around Mt. Hood National Forest. Proposals like Nestlé’s plan to bottle Mt. Hood water, PGE’s plan to clear-cut old growth to lay down unnecessary power lines for its Cascade Crossing project, and the constant onslaught of timber sales all demonstrate that companies are still eyeing public resources for private profit. GROWLS go to Nestlé and PGE for putting their bottom-lines ahead of healthy ecosystems and communities.

We want last year’s victory over Palomar Pipeline to serve as a reminder that the power of the grassroots can and does win over corporate money and power!


Bark Burns
Fiery tidbits and your chance to weigh in

Most Portland and Gorge-area residents drink water that originates in Mt. Hood National Forest.  The Forest Service uses commercial logging in many municipal watersheds, especially on the drier east side of the mountain, to decrease fire severity and keep the resulting sediment out of the drinking water supply. However, logging and road building can damage riparian areas, increase stream temperature and degrade water quality.

Recent studies found that this “fuels reduction” logging may be largely ineffective in reducing fire severity because there is only a 1.9% chance a treated area will experience fire within 20 years.

What do you think?  Should the Forest Service use commercial logging and road building in municipal watersheds to decrease the threat of high-intensity fire even if the likelihood of success is low?
Click here to answer.

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