By Justin Andress The Mountain Times
On Thursday, May 1, the Hoodland Community Planning Organization (CPO) held an uncharacteristic special meeting to discuss a matter of time-sensitive importance.
For those who are unaware, the Hoodland CPO is an organization that represents mountain locals in matters pertaining to the development of land. Their goal is to present the mountain community with issues facing our precious natural environment and inform homeowners and business owners on best practices for preserving their stake in the Mt. Hood area.
They accomplish this two-fold task through various outreach efforts. They hold regular meetings and set up presentations from environmental and academic experts. Hoodland CPO Chair Pat Erdenberger even contributes a monthly column to The Mountain Times to ensure the organization’s voice remains as clear as possible.
In May, the Hoodland CPO sprung into action to raise awareness of a sudden disturbance. According to the minutes of a special meeting, “On Easter weekend April 19-20, 2025, at a property in Brightwood, OR, near the Bridge across the Sandy River, someone using heavy equipment removed all the vegetation, trees, and riparian plants.”
After checking quickly with the county that no permits were filed for this activity, the Hoodland CPO made a site visit and spoke with neighbors and took pictures. In question was the part of the property that rests on land which was beyond 150 feet of the mean high-water line and would violate Clackamas County Code which protects Principle River Conservation Areas (PRCA).
Erdenberger said “With the information we had, it seemed that the Code may have been violated. We don’t determine a violation. That must come from the County Code Enforcement Officer who investigates. The meeting was to determine whether to file a public complaint or not. We decided unanimously to file a complaint and let the officer check it out.”
If the officer had found a violation, additional violations would arise like failure to notify the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service for their role in enforcement of the laws supporting the PRCA.
That may sound awfully technical to the outside observer, but the goal is simple. The Hoodland CPO keeps developers building within safe areas to ensure the preservation of the mountain’s delicate ecology.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t dire. According to Erdenberger, “It was quickly discovered by Code Enforcement that the people who chopped down the trees maintained the legal 150-foot distance from the river’s median flood point.”
As a result of the discovery, the Hoodland CPO withdrew their complaint. While this instance may not have exposed wrongdoing, the Hoodland CPO’s vigilance on the matter is to be commended. They are one of the stewards of our land and we’re grateful for their watchful eye.
You can keep up-to-date with the Hoodland CPO by reading Pat Erdenberger’s monthly articles in The Mountain Times.