Dear Fellow Democrats,

I am hoping especially that my fellow Democrats from urban areas will read this. My concern is about Measure 37 and its devastating consequences not only for rural areas such as ours, but to the quality of life of all Oregonians, including those in urban areas. The emerging picture of current Measure 37 claims predicts a widespread loss of farm and forest land, a proliferation of unplanned urban and suburban sprawl into rural areas, loss of wildlife habitat, increased strains on ground water aquifers in rural areas, loss of forested areas that serve as carbon sinks to offset greenhouse gases, and aesthetic blights upon the Oregon landscape. There are known impacts to the health of the population with urban sprawl, and the Centers for Disease Control has a webpage devoted to this issue. When people spend more time driving to destinations and less time walking, there is a correlation with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type 2 diabetes.ÂÂ