Land Rights Network
American Land Rights Association
PO Box 400 - Battle Ground, WA 98604
Phone: 360-687-3087 - Fax: 360-687-2973
E-mail: alra@pacifier.com
Web Address: http://www.landrights.org
Legislative Office: 507 Seward Square SE - Washington, DC 20003

Corps And WA Ports Threaten Colf Family Farm With Eminent Domain

The Corps of Engineers is in the middle of a shipping channel dredging project of 106 miles of the Columbia River from its mouth to the cities of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver Washington.

As part of the project, the Corps must mitigate damage to wetlands caused by the project. They have chosen to take 70% of what they need from one family, the Colf Family of Woodland, Washington.

The Colf farming family is actively led by 91-year-old Margaret Colf.
Nancy Colf, Margaret's daughter, is head of the Family farming operation.

The Colf Family has been farming the area since 1870. They don't want to sell. They are farmers. They want to keep the land in agriculture. The Colf family is not now and never has been a willing seller. They are now and have continued to talk to the Corps of Engineers to discuss various options and solutions because the Corps has placed a gun at their head by threatening eminent domain.

The Colf Family has been through nine years of hell dealing with the Corps of Engineers. The Corps is now threatening eminent domain using the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to carry out their eminent domain threat on behalf of the Ports of Vancouver, Woodland, Longview and Kalama along the Columbia River. The Ports would eventually end up with ownership of the Colf Farm land.

The Corps has identified eight other sites along the Columbia that are appropriate for this wetlands mitigation. There are lots of willing sellers of land that can be used for wetlands mitigation along the 106 mile affected area of the Columbia River. That does not seem to matter to the Corps. They have targeted the Colf Family and plan to take their land and destroy an active and historic family farm.

The Colf Family has repeatedly offered compromise and alternate solutions. Often they have not been able to get the Corp or port officials to even talk to them.

It is ironic that the Ports have lots of land that could be used for mitigation purposes. Those lands don't seem to count. They would rather destroy farmers.

Agriculture is important to America. Small farms are disappearing every year. It is easy to see that the Corps of Engineers is part of the reason for this loss. They have been heavy handed and threatening in the process.

It is important that every farmer and agriculture advocate stand up and fight for proud farm families like the Colf. It is only by farmers standing together and working in unison to protect farming and family agriculture operations is there a chance to save and protect productive family farms.

Action Items -- What You Can Do:

-----1. Please tape a copy of this e-mail to the front of your refrigerator door so you can make at least three or four calls a day, and send three e-mails or faxes a day.

This is your refrigerator to do list.

-----2. Call your Congressman and both Senators and urge them to reduce the budget of the Corps of Engineers. They'll have a hard time using eminent domain if they don't have the money. You may call any Congressman at (202) 225-3121. Call any Senator at (202) 224-3121.

-----3. Call, fax and e-mail the local Congressman, Brian Baird (D-WA). Phone: (202) 225-3536. Fax: (202) 225-3478. E-mail: Andrew Dohrmann - andrew.dohrmann@mail.house.gov and Hilary Cain - hilary.cain@mail.house.gov. Vancouver Office: Phone: (360) 695-6292. Fax: (360) 695-6197. E-mail: kelly.love@mail.house.gov.

Your message to Rep. Baird and Senators Murray and Cantwell below is that Congress should deny the Corps and local ports any funds to use eminent domain against the Colf Family Farm. All Federal funding for any of the Ports should be shut off. The entire Corps budget should be examined closely for other abuses like this one that is taking place against the Colfs.

ALRA is informed by knowledgeable people that the Corps is doing the same thing to many other families that they are doing to the Colf Family. It is time the Corps and its officials got the credit they deserve. The Corps of Engineers needs to become good neighbors or get their funding cut or eliminated as much as possible.

-----American Land Rights is interested in hearing back from anyone who knows of other examples of abuses and threats by the Corps against other farmers and landowners. ALRA wants to hear about any eminent domain actions by the Corps. We just need a name and location of the victims. A phone, fax and e-mail would also help. The more we publicize these horror stories, the more difficult it will be for the Corps to get money from Congress....