Meet Greg Mecklem

Celilo Falls before 1957 Photo credit: Oregon State University

Hello, my name is Greg Mecklem.  I’m running for the Washington County Commission in District 4.  I farm in Helvetia, Oregon.  I’m a native Oregonian — I remember Celilo Falls on the Columbia, large schools of spring Chinook on the Willamette, and rich farm fields stretching the length and breadth of the Willamette and Tualatin Valleys.  We still have a beautiful, bountiful county and state, but it’s under assault from continuous urban sprawl.  Unless we begin planning more wisely and with greater vision, our children will face an uncertain future.

Greg helped start the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center Photo credit: Brian Beinlich

I’ve been active in farm, natural resource and health issues my entire adult life.  When I finished my medical training I worked with a community group and St. Vincent’s Hospital to help start the Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center.  I worked there for more than twenty years as physician and Medical Director.  I firmly believe that everyone should have access to quality health care.  We urgently need a basic change in our health care system and I support expanding county public and and private low income health programs.

Greg protects clean water by fencing off streams and ponds from livestock

I understand farm and forestry issues from the ground up as a producer.  I have been owner and hands-on manager of Eagles’ Nest Forestry for 35 years.  We currently work 140 acres of forest land in Glenwood and Helvetia, and practice multi-species reforestation and selective harvest with wide streamside protection.  I served on the Washington County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and am a member of the Oregon Small Woodlands Association.  I’ve been a supporter of the NO on LNG campaign in their effort to stop destructive pipelines through family farms and forests in western Washington County.

Greg with wife Diana Yates and son Karl Photo credit: Westtech Photography

In 1993, my wife Diana and I started Pacific Crest Accoyo America, a 200 head alpaca breeding stock operation.  We continue to run this successful operation today, which includes the annual Parade of Champions Auction.  During the tenure of our livestock business, I’ve served as Vice President of the Alpaca Owners and Breeders Association and President of the US Alpaca Registry, the only totally DNA-based livestock registry in the US.
 

Solar panels supply power at Pacific Crest Alpacas Photo credit: Westtech Photography

Active farming and forestry can co-exist with healthy protection of our valuable natural resources.  At Pacific Crest, we walk our talk.  Our 24 KW solar system runs our farming operation for 8 months out of the year and feeds excess electricity back into the public power grid.  We fence all streams and ponds off from livestock and practice active composting.

I firmly believe that the biggest threat to a livable Washington County is old-style urban sprawl.  We must stop the endless assault by urbanization on our farm and forest lands and the hardworking families and farmworkers that depend on them.  We must prevent the tax increases on Washington County families that will surely come to pay for the high infrastructure costs that accompany this sprawl type development.  Preserving greenspaces and rural areas close to urban communities is a powerful force for attracting more clean industry and it’s an essential ingredient for maintaining a healthy urban lifestyle.  We need to help accommodate future population increases by making judicious and well-planned placement of clean industry near population centers and developing more high capacity transit to minimize automobile pollution and congestion.

Agriculture is Oregon and Washington County’s second largest industry.  Washington County is the 46^th largest producer of agricultural goods out of thousands of US counties!  We must protect this valuable resource and the employment that goes with it.

During the past year I’ve worked with Save Helvetia, the Washington County Farm Bureau, and the Ag-Natural Resource Coalition to ensure foundation farmland and natural resource protection while reserving sufficient land for future high tech industrial growth. 

I am running for District 4 County Commissioner to help ensure that we expand our vision in planning for future population increases and growth.  Smart growth is essential for a healthy future.