Here is an opportunity for me to be
politically correct and play nice when talking about UNR and
the Main Station Field Laboratory (MSFL)...but I think I'll pass this time and speak out instead.
There are many places to read the "can't we all get along" version of
this situation, but stakeholder activists experienced a very different, less
warm and fuzzy version of this well known local topic. It's my blog so I'll tell you about it
here. The subject is complex and this post is long...read on.
For the sake of full disclosure, I
am a member of the Coalition to Preserve UNR Farmland and Floodplain but write
this account outside of that role. The Coalition is not responsible for
this post. Again, it's my blog and I am responsible for its content.
Before I get
started...UNR obtained from the Reno City Council the zoning proposal they
sought and will likely proceed with internal plans to make the
property ready for sale, but we have not given up hope that they can be held
accountable for their responsibilities as a land-grant university.
On April 1st the Nevada State Legislature will consider SB 255, a bill that
will require funds acquired from the sale of agricultural assets be
expended on agricultural programs. Undoubtedly UNR and the Board of Regents have their best minds and
biggest guns assigned to Carson City, charged with convincing
our representatives that this bill will adversely affect higher education in
our state...a political hot button this session. Contact all the
legislators to encourage them to support SB 255. Democrats especially,
may need your encouragement.
Last year UNR presented to the Reno
City Council a PUD proposal detrimental to our last piece of urban agricultural
land, the health of the ag research and education program, and to the
residents who live around the property in question. In response
to tremendous public opposition, the Council directed UNR to
meet with the public and address their concerns.
UNR went through the motions of
holding stakeholder meetings and set their PR department to touting UNR’s responsiveness, their renewed dedication to local
food and agricultural research and education, and their appreciation for
their public and private stakeholders.
As good humans will do, we trusted
them when they said they were genuinely receptive to community
feedback: we marshaled all our intelligence, passion, and knowledge to
help them understand the importance of a 21st century ag education program and
the benefits to Nevada, the region, ag students, and the potential long
term benefit to UNR's revenue stream. Local food advocates, CABNR
(College of Agriculture, Biotechnology, and Natural Resources), and local agricultural
interests spent hundreds of unpaid hours developing a fantastic, workable
strategic plan for a cutting edge agricultural research and new-farmer incubator
program.
We ignored the bad signs and remained cautiously optimistic because we wanted to believe, but it turns
out our hopes was misplaced. Some of the signs....
Stakeholder meetings were held
without benefit of notes recorded by UNR staff, and refusal to acknowledge
meeting notes as recorded by stakeholders, meant that stakeholders
walked away feeling there was an understanding only to find out later that UNR
had no recollection of the understanding.
Letters and feedback to the Board of
Regents were met with either generic thank-you replies or silence.
Every Reno City Council meeting was packed
with UNR attorneys, real estate development personnel, planners, soil
experts who seemed to know little to nothing about agricultural
soil, and flood mitigation experts. Hardly the activities you’d expect of a “partner”.
We wanted to believe that the Reno
City Council was ready to consider a new approach to planning. That
they were willing to stand up to the formidable UNR team and hold steady
in the face the veiled references to further legal action should they not approve the proposal. We wanted to believe the Council would
respond in favor of the people who make
up the community and have spoken out about this proposal. Two new members did -- Councilwoman Brekhus
and Councilman Delgado considered the alternative options, stayed within
the boundaries of the law, and cast their vote in favor of the residents
who will live with increased flood damage exacerbated by
the impermeable surfaces inherent in development. By casting their
vote "To protect life and property in areas subject to floods,
landslides and other natural disasters." they supported the community's
desire to put the 104 acres on the planning map as open space, and keep it suitable
for research and food security initiatives. Thank you!
The end result? On March 27th
UNR put the exact same PUD proposal before the Council, having made no changes
to the language. At the meeting there was some talk of easement and
landscaping on the remaining farm property but nothing that addressed
shareholder concerns was made legally binding. Over the last year or so,
and during the course of the applicant and public comment, UNR spun a lovely
picture of cooperation and dedication, and repeated for our benefit the steps
already taken to develop a "better" agricultural program and work
with stakeholders. Here it's important to know what UNR didn't
say.
UNR made many assertions about
commitment and intent but were unwilling to commit their promises to paper
in a legally binding way, that is, in the PUD. They declined this suggested
option and the Council as a whole did not seem to think it was necessary.
Why would UNR not honor their statements, right?
President Marc Johnson also
"demonstrated" his commitment to stakeholders by holding up The
Valley Road Field Station as an alternative to the Main Station Field
Lab. These forty some-odd acres are dedicated to agricultural education
so stakeholder needs have been met. Except...this land is unsuitable for
growing crops due to chemical contamination and soil compaction; portions of
it have been used for parking and specialty crop plants can't take root. Weeds, yes. Food, no. A few years ago students tried
to grow food on that property and it was an abysmal mess. There's a
reason hoop houses and greenhouses were considered for this site. It's
because that land will not support healthy food growth for a very long time.
President Johnson further
demonstrates UNR's commitment to ag research and
stakeholders through the contract with the High Desert Farming
Institute (HDFI). Except...the contract has not resulted in
a program. Papers were signed but the actions have been less than
productive. Here , Mark Farrell of
Hungry Mother Organics and one of the HDFI private partners, describes what is
really happening with this initiative and calls UNR on their blatant
misrepresentation of their intent, both inside and outside the Reno City
Council chamber. Go to the video and start watching at the 7 hours
33 minutes mark. Mark says what we all know.
UNR intentionally and
continuously sidestepped the real community concerns and kept the dialogue
focused on two feel-good topics that were easy to manage on paper and in the
media. Specifically, Wolf Pack Meats and the roughly 800 acres not
proposed for zoning.
First, Wolf Pack Meats. UNR
repeated over and over again they have no intension to close WPM, therefore
stakeholder needs have been addressed. This sounds really good, except
directly shutting down the program isn't the only way to dispose of it.
It is true the doors are still open, but the meat processing fees
were increased by 24 cents per pound when only a 12 cent increase was needed to put the program
in the black and make the prices consistent with those of other meat processing
businesses. Twelve cents was agreed upon at a stakeholder meeting, but
the 24 cent increase was the one implemented. I found out about it while on a
public tour of WPM (see the sign below). Local ranchers will be forced to pass
this increase on to consumers if they are to stay in business. And we all know what
happens when prices are not competitive...consumers go elsewhere This move could very well
result in the closure of WPM if ranchers can no longer afford to pay the
increased fee and are forced to stop using the facility. Unused facilities are shut down. UNR will still
be able say they didn't close down Wolf Pack Meats, but it would be closed
non-the-less.
Next, UNR asserts there will be no
significant change to the value of the MSFL property as an agricultural asset
because more than 800 acres will remain in play, therefore stakeholder needs
have been met. Except…they deliberately disregard the fact that the 104 acre
parcel is the best and last piece of human-food-production farmland in the city,
and it is the portion of this field best able to absorb flood
water. UNR acquired commercial zoning for this particular piece of land because it runs
along McCarran, an attractive attribute to developers looking for maximum
visual exposure. They value the location while we value the land.
President Johnson discounted the
MSFL Strategic Plan as unrealistic and unworkable because the university
does not have the resources needed to develop the program. By
definition a strategic plan outlines resources needed to attain
a lofty goal. - something to be worked towards. It is not an inventory of available resources.
UNR has been presenting this as a
private property zoning issue. It is not. UNR is a public entity,
responsible to Nevadans as stewards of our educational funding and
assets. They can say all they want that we have no authority,
but we beg to differ.
The Board of Regents has rules stipulating funding generated from the sale of agricultural assets will be funneled
back to agricultural programs. Sounds good, right? Except…they are
allowed to set aside these rules and they do it routinely, instead deciding to expend
the money to pay off debt and buy other things.
And finally, UNR's legal counsel
demonstrated what I thought was a most disturbing attitude regarding this
issue and the community's opposition.
First, the head of UNR’s legal
team told the City Council over and over that the proposal before
them was simple...the only consideration was the zoning. This issue is
anything but simple -- it is very complex and involves much more than UNR's
need for revenue.
Second, he commented on the audacity
of those in opposition who "think they know better than UNR the best
use of this land".
Yes we are audacious...we
believe it is our responsibility to preserve and cherish our heritage, our
legacy, our future.
I like to believe that “Everything will be all right in the end... if it's not all right then it's
not yet the end.” (Sonny from Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel) See you out there!
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