saw and related to us, plus what we learned about past history and experienced as adults, tells us that the veneer of 'liberal progressives' is indeed thin.

Historically, just snips of history from my childhood: my parents arrived on their honeymoon in 1947. There were Benson Bubblers, public drinking fountains throughout Portland. Labeled "whites only". And many businesses with similar signs. The population of black citizens was very small, and many men were veterans of the recent war; the same year, the KKK burned a cross on the lawn of the chapel belonging to the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary. It was a convent and girls' high school. The KKK was active as well as the Scottish Rite of the Masons. My dad was a dark-skinned Sicilian-Italian from NYC-Queens. He suffered discrimination most of his working career in Portland. The "N-word" was used. When I was around twelve, a neighbor down the street sponsored a young Southern Rhodesian couple so the man could learn from a local budding high tech company. The young woman and I would sit on our lawn and talk. I thought she was beautiful. After that we started getting middle of the night door bell rings and rocks thrown at our house. The man up the street married a Polynesian woman, and was harassed continuously. I later attended the Sisters' school for the first two years of high school.

As an adult I learned about the treatment in Oregon of Japanese people because I moved to Hood River where some of the worst behavior towards Japanese in the entire US occurred. The book 'Stubborn Twig' recounts the story of the Yasui family.

In addition is the rampant indiscriminate use of biocides. We lived on a feeder stream to the Hood River. That river was being 'restored' for Pacific Salmon. Many large and small creeks and streams feed the Hood River. Once they go through the Pear growing agricultural areas, they carry un-regulated extraordinary amounts of biocides, including nitrates, glyphosate (for weed killing in the tree rows), antibiotics for Fire Blight and numerous other chemicals including metals. So while we were reviving the main stem, the feeders were running chemical stews.

On certain days a view of the Hood River Valley from a hilltop would reveal tractor-pulled tankers of chemical sprays over the entire area. The jets would propel droplets twenty-two feet into the air. Yes they get picked up by the prevailing winds, and yes Glyphosate has been found in Antarctica. Those living closest to the Columbia River in town, were at the lowest point and lived in a constant chemical soup.

Many tried and failed (including orchardists) to get set backs for the schools from sprays. Often if the area is big enough the sprays are delivered by AgCats, a WWll plane. They literally flew tree-top and dropped their spray in multiple runs.

The wine industry which has gotten to be a big deal in Oregon uses much the same practices and chemicals. And most surprising to us, are the private timber companies:
The Atlantic

Here is a group started to fight the Triangle Lake contamination near Eugene:
Beyond Toxics
Oregon Health Authority Report

As a European resident, I cannot access the Eugene-Register Guard on articles about Triangle Lake and the Pitchfork Rebellion. Our experience was that every time we called in Oregon DEQ, the local farmers increased their spraying in our area, and over our creek. Several DEQ workers have been fired after reporting negative usages high sample rates, in some cases dumping. All it takes is a call from a local business to a rep in the state legislature, and the worker is gone.

The Triangle Lake Fight

Here is a study which came out after we left. We were regularly sprayed with Endosulfan, which is also found in Antarctica.
Orchard Sprays in Salmon streams near Hood River

Abstract
Pesticide presence in streams is a potential threat to Endangered Species Act listed salmonids in the Hood River basin, Oregon, a primarily forested and agricultural basin. Two types of passive samplers, polar organic chemical integrative samplers (POCIS) and semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs), were simultaneously deployed at four sites in the basin during Mar. 2011–Mar. 2012 to measure the presence of pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The year-round use of passive samplers is a novel approach and offers several new insights. Currently used pesticides and legacy contaminants, including many chlorinated pesticides and PBDEs, were present throughout the year in the basin’s streams. PCBs were not detected. Time-weighted average water concentrations for the 2-month deployment periods were estimated from concentrations of chemicals measured in the passive samplers. Currently used pesticide concentrations peaked during spring and were detected beyond their seasons of expected use. Summed concentrations of legacy contaminants in Neal Creek were highest during July–Sept., the period with the lowest streamflows. Endosulfan was the only pesticide detected in passive samplers at concentrations exceeding Oregon or U.S. Environmental Protection Agency water-quality thresholds. A Sensitive Pesticide Toxicity Index (SPTI) was used to estimate the relative acute potential toxicity among sample mixtures. The acute potential toxicity of the detected mixtures was likely greater for invertebrates than for fish and for all samples in Neal Creek compared to Rogers Creek, but the indices appear to be low overall (

This is an internationally banned substance, but Pear growers were allowed an exemption to use it until all stocks had been depleted. Bayer is an unseen producer in the Wiki article.
Produced in India and other countries.

Sprays are studied for label use, one at a time. The aggregate of these compounds in the environment, for insects or people are not studied as group exposure.

Although we don't mention it much, in addition to the economics of retirement, the culture of Oregon and specifically the use of biocides, is a big reason we moved to Europe.

antecedents, you might have allies in your fight. The Pitchfork Rebellion went to court, lost and continued up the ladder. I'm not sure what court they ended with and whether they were winners or losers.

There are resources, underfunded, but dedicated, like the Oregon Watershed Councils:
Oregon Watersheds

I have a friend who works at least part-time for The Yamhill County Watershed Council. She is a Geography/GIS staff, who has gathered much legacy information and mapping attempts into one standardized ESRI set of data.

I'm sure if you have been at this for two years, you probably know more groups than I have mentioned. The The Yamhill Group is interesting as it is a combination of new thinking (wine and urban) and traditional ag and forest folks. They do seem to eventually create coalitions and win battles. They play the long game.

I wish you and your neighbors the best of luck. It is worth fighting for. Oregon is a truly wonderful and rich natural geography.

A few other items of interest in naturalizing:
"Feral" by George Monbiot - connects regeneration, wilding and good practices with politics.
"Wilding" by Isabella Tree - taking a West Sussex farm and returning it to a fertile, productive, natural earth and waterscape. Truly inspiring.

Keep us posted.