I am an Oregonian. A native Oregonian. As such, I love my home state more than I love the vegan cupcakes I get at the bakery around the corner (and I love my cupcakes).

Since the 1970s, Oregon was unique in the sense that the state had specific land-use laws seeking to dead-end subdivision development in protected forests and big box stores on farmland. Other states pointed to Oregon as a bastion of land-use planning, while states such as California and Arizona paved over their paradises and put up Wal-Marts and parking lots.

In the 2006 election, however, voters decided to take away that legislation by passing Ballot Measure 37. Measure 37 provides for seemingly limitless development and unrestrained destruction of the state's natural beauty. The campaign to pass the measure was funded largely by out-of-state developers and passed through the use of advertisements featuring a kindly woman who claimed she simply wanted to allow folks to build homes on their land. Voters bought it.

Today, more than 7,500 Measure 37 claims have been filed in Oregon, totaling over $19 billion in precious land. The map at bottom shows the claims in Washington County, where I grew up. These claims cover 16% of the private land in the county and include three claims that will add a 175-acre expansion to a garbage landfill that sits on the Tualatin River and has already received complaints of water and noise pollution.

This November, Oregonians get to once again have a voice in preserving their state's natural integrity by voting for Measure 49. This ballot measure will "fix" Measure 37 by allowing individuals to retain all property and development rights available under the measure, but will restrict subdivision development and will reinstate the urban growth boundary. Measure 49 also sets in place checks to ensure that "large claims document a loss in value that justifies the number of requested new home sites," as well as working to preserve farmland, forests, and natural habitats around the state.

Out-of-state developers have once again come out swinging with a campaign to stop Measure 49 in spite of a well-organized, grassroots effort to pass it. No longer able to use an individual's plea for recovering value on his or her property, the anti-49 effort has fallen flat. With not much more than vaguely-articulated television commercials and less-than-informative roadside signs, the opposition has been steamrolled by the passionate activists working to bring sensible land-use policies back to Oregon.

For Oregonians, I urge you to vote Yes on Measure 49 this November. For residents of other states and countries, the onus is on you to keep a close eye on your land-use legislation. Make sure this does not happen to you!