Another small skirmish in the public need vs. private profit land use battle is going on in the
coastal town of Florence, a small city 70 miles west of Eugene at the end of Hwy. 126. A local
watchdog group, Citizens For Florence, is trying to protect an open dune which lies within the city
limits. The dune is on land owned by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The view of the dune
from Hwy. 101 has been described in many a flowery term by photographers, birders, hikers and
naturalists alike. While beauty abounds along many stretches of Hwy. 101, views comparable to the
breathtaking contrast of the 100’ foot high sun-warmed dune against an ominous cold gray sky is
hard to find within the city limits of Florence. Frank Herbert, of the Dune Trilogy fame, got the idea
for his books from the dunes he saw while visiting the Florence area, although confirmed sightings of
sand worms are extremely rare. (For those non-Herbert fans, that's a joke, there are no sand worms
in the dunes in Florence.)
     Fred Meyer is planning to build a retail shopping complex north of Florence, on a piece of
land which lies next to the only dune which is visible from Hwy. 101. The problem Fred Meyer is
facing is that the complex they want to build is a bit too big for their land, given the City's requirement
that all development be kept 100’ from the leading edge of a dune. Their solution is to lease a 1/4
mile strip of the dune from the BLM, cut it back so their parking lot will fit, and “stabilize” it with
European beach grass. Fred Meyer has hired a lobbyist to advocate their case to the Florence
community.
     The City of Florence is proposing that the BLM give them the entire 40-acre parcel so they
can, among other things, run a road and sewage line over the dune, perhaps install a water tower and
well pump house, and sub-lease the 1/4 mile strip to Fred Meyer should the BLM deny Fred
Meyer’s request for their lease.
     The other bidder in this “non-competitive” auction of public land is the Citizens For Florence
group. The group has also filed an application with the BLM, asking them to be allowed to lease the
land on a 20 year renewable basis. They propose to erect a 4’x6’ interpretive sign, obtain public
access over private land, remove beach grass encroaching from private properties, restrict any and
all development on the land, and basically leave the dune “as is”. The group emphasizes that their first
preference would be for the BLM to keep the land and continue to protect it from development as
they have in the past. CFF’s proposal has the support of the Many Rivers Group of the Sierra Club,
the Lane County Audubon Society, Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, and many private
citizens.
     The BLM has issued an Environmental Assessment of the three proposals, and admits that the
City and Fred Meyer proposals will eventually destroy the dune (through beach grass encroachment
and sand stabilization). As of press time, the BLM had not issued any decision on what they intended
to do with the dune. The BLM’s official public comment period on the three proposals ends April
10, 1998. Comments can be sent to:

          Diane Chung,  Coast Range Area Manager
          Bureau of Land Management
          P.O. Box 10226
          Eugene, Oregon 97440
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          U.S. Senator Ron Wyden
          U.S. Senate
          Washington, D.C. 20510
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          U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio
          2134 Rayburn House Office Building
          Washington, D.C. 20515