40 Years and Going Strong–My memories of the early days with HRVRC
By Board President Mike McCarthy In the Valley My mom, Kate McCarthy, told me the legend of the April 1977 advisory ballot many times – a countywide vote betweenOption 1 and Option 2 that occurred at a gloomy time. Hood River's economy looked like it could really use a boost, with a jobless rate well above Oregon's average. Windsurfing was at least five years in the future. The Gorge National Scenic Area was ten years away. Forty years ago, Hood River County wasn't thrilled about complying with Oregon’s newly passed Senate Bill 100 and Mt. Hood Meadows was already cooking up an Aspen-sized housing development to augment their newly created ski area on Mt. Hood's north side. Nothing stood in their way except a very green Hood River Valley Residents Committee (HRVRC). HRVRC was "Option 1" – the choice to actively preserve our resource-based community. At the beginning our group's…