Sandy mayor, Mt. Hood business owners invite "Dr. No" to tour the wilderness he's blocking

Local elected officials and businesses join with Oregon Wild to give Senator Tom Coburn the chance to see what he is blocking from receiving essential protections.

The mayors of Sandy and Wilsonville, the executive director of Oregon Wild and the owners of Timberline Lodge and other Mt. Hood-area businesses sent a letter today to Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, a Republican known as Dr. No for his willingness to block bills with which he disagrees.

They want Coburn -- whose "hold" on legislation to expand the Mt. Hood wilderness by 128,400 acres is preventing Congress from approving the measure -- to see just what it is that both of Oregon's senators and a wide array of environmental, business and recreation groups are attempting to protect.

From the letter (See the PDF here):

Given that you have concerns regarding the protection of Mount Hood, we are writing to invite you to visit the great state of Oregon and take a tour of Mount Hood, to see the mountain in all its glory. We would be proud to escort you on a tour of the mountain, from the quiet north side to the scenic south side.

Who signed the letter: Regna Merritt, executive director, Oregon Wild; Jeff Kohnstamm, Timberline Lodge and Ski Area; Jack Mills, Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River; Mayor Linda Malone of Sandy; Mike and Susan McCarthy, orchardists, Hood River; Mayor Charlotte Lehan of Wilsonville.

Coburn's press secretary at his Washington, D.C. office wasn't immediately available Thursday to say whether or not his boss would be making the trip.