Serving rural communities and Oregon’s working lands
By Alexandria Dolezal | October 5, 2024
Between 2017 and 2022, Oregon experienced the second-highest reduction in farmland among western states. We need to fight to protect Oregon’s working lands. Photo by Sean Bagshaw.
Oregon’s agricultural lands play a crucial role in supporting healthy economies, food security, and sustainable development throughout the state. Our agricultural sector provides over 686,000 jobs, and Oregon is one of the nation’s top producers of hazelnuts, berries, onions, pears, cherries, wine grapes, and Christmas trees. Yet, as our state’s population grows, increased development threatens its farmland. In fact, between 2017 and 2022, Oregon experienced the second-highest reduction in farmland among western states. As one of Crag’s Legal Fellows, I work with farmers and groups like 1000 Friends of Oregon and Thrive Hood River to track these threats, and challenge proposals to impermissibly convert agricultural land to urban, residential, or industrial uses.
I loved getting to hang out with clients and supporters at our Summer Open House. Photo by Mirifoto Photography.
Originally from the Midwest, I grew up surrounded by agricultural industry, and am no stranger to the many conflicts that arise at the intersection of farming, conservation, and environmental protection. Before joining Crag, I graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School with a concentration in Environmental and Energy Law. My legal experiences range from working with environmental organizations like Earthjustice and the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, to working for the government in the U.S. Department of the Interior and the EPA, to engaging in public health initiatives through a medical-legal-partnership clinic in Minneapolis. Additionally, clerking for a judge in Oregon after law school provided me with invaluable insights into the judicial process and Oregon’s legal system. Through these experiences, I’ve cultivated a deep commitment to public service and environmental advocacy, and I’m excited to be putting these skills to work at Crag!
Our land use system helps protect Oregon’s agricultural and working lands from unsustainable development. Photo by Bonnie Moreland.
Some of my first projects at Crag involved helping clients protect the environment by advocating for responsible land use. Earlier this year, Crag helped oppose two contentious projects that threaten Oregon’s farmland and the integrity of its land use system. These projects highlight the pressing challenges facing our farmland, and underscore the importance of legal efforts to protect this irreplaceable resource.
We submitted comments on behalf of our clients at Thrive Hood River opposing the expansion of agri-tourism and industrial uses on land zoned for Exclusive Farm Use (EFU) in Hood River County. The proposed development at issue not only violates Oregon’s land use laws, but threatens the physical landscape and creates conflicts with neighboring farm activities.
We also submitted an amicus brief representing farmers’ interests in a land use case brought by Friends of Yamhill County, that is currently being decided by the Oregon Supreme Court. The outcome of this case has the potential to set a concerning precedent that would open the door to further encroachment on agricultural lands and undermine decades of land use planning and preservation efforts. Allowing additional non-farm uses in the EFU-zone would have widespread negative impacts on Oregon farmers and farmland, exacerbating existing pressures and compromising the long-term viability of the profession and the ag-sector at large.
Now, we are working with 1000 Friends of Oregon and Friends of Linn County to protect the Dever-Conner Agricultural District from the looming threat of urban development, and ensure that local governments uphold Oregon’s legislative commitment to farmland protection. And in Washington County, we recently submitted an amicus brief on behalf of a number of concerned citizens, farmers, and organizations in an ongoing case challenging the expansion of the City of North Plains’ urban growth boundary, urging the court to consider the prime farmland that would be irreversibly lost due to the proposed expansion, and the negative consequences this would have for the local agricultural community, economy, and the environment.
“I’m proud to be representing Oregon farmers and other local organizations in the fight to protect Oregon’s farmland from unsustainable development and to preserve the state’s rich agricultural legacy for years to come.”
Alexandria Dolezal, Legal Fellow
Alexandria earned her J.D. with an environmental and energy law concentration from the University of Minnesota Law School, where she was an articles editor of the Minnesota Law Review, a student attorney in the Community Legal Partnership for Health Clinic, and vice president of the Environmental & Energy Law Society. Alexandria is thrilled to join Crag and begin that work surrounded by such a committed group of environmental advocates. Outside of the office, she enjoys spending time outdoors, exploring Portland’s food scene, caring for her many houseplants, and listening to a wide variety of podcasts.