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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><tbody><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-left: 48px; padding-right: 48px;"><div class="mceText" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; width: 564px;"><p class="last-child" style="word-break: break-word;"><a href="https://mailchi.mp/16d6a6a306d6/call-to-action?e=e96eea3232" style="word-break: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"></a></p></div></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-top: 24px;"><br><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-top-width: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; min-width: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-top: 24px;"><table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="mceSection" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; background-size: cover; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"><col span="1"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td class="mceColumn" valign="top" colspan="12" width="100%" style="word-break: break-word; background-color: rgb(222, 221, 221); background-size: cover; padding-top: 12px; padding-bottom: 12px; background-position: center center; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" align="center" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-left: 48px; padding-right: 48px;"><img width="310.5849947534103" alt="Logo" src="https://dim.mcusercontent.com/cs/93d5660765a33e66a371dcd29/images/0f03d485-2fc9-8ab1-8060-11f76bc29e98.jpg?w=311&dpr=2" style="border: 0px; height: auto; outline: none; width: 310.5849947534103px; max-width: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-top: 24px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-top-width: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; min-width: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-left: 48px; padding-right: 48px; padding-top: 24px;"><div class="mceText" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; width: 564px;"><h1 style="margin: 0px 0px 24px; padding: 0px; font-size: 31.248px;">CALL TO ACTION! 3PM TODAY!</h1><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;">The Olmsted County Commissioners are meeting TODAY to vote on the land use designation of the rookery forest. This vote will determine if the rookery is saved or if this struggle will drag on for month and years. Please attend in person - or virtually and SPEAK UP for the herons during the Public Comments session that starts at 3pm sharp:</p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(53, 55, 68);">TUESDAY MAY 18th (TODAY) OLMSTED COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MTG</span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(82, 82, 82);">Council Chambers at the Government Center</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">151 4th St SE, Rochester, MN 55904</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">or attend virtually:</span><a href="http://olmstedcountymn.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2300" style="word-break: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"></span></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><a href="http://olmstedcountymn.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2300" style="word-break: break-word; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">http://olmstedcountymn.iqm2.com/Citizens/Detail_Meeting.aspx?ID=2300</span></a></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><em><strong><span style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">The web portal above will be live at the time of the meeting</span></strong></em></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">The decision the Commissioners will make today</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> -- whether or not to pass the Land Use Plan Amendment and the General Development Plan -- </span><strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">will have a bigger impact than any other decision on whether or not we can save the rookery.</span></span></strong></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">The </span><strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">biggest win for the rookery</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> would be for the Commissioners to vote </span><strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">AGAINST</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> the Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA).</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">If the Commissioners vote to leave the rookery acreage in its current land use designation of “Resource Protection” -- <span style="text-decoration: underline;">the land CANNOT be developed and will be protected until we can come up with a solutio</span>n that protects the rookery and satisfies the landowner and developer.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">If the Commissioners vote to change the rookery acreage’s land use designation to “Suburban Development”, they will: 1) put the rookery acreage on the fast track to development because </span><em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">all</span></em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> the subsequent development decisions are </span><em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">subject to the 60 day rule </span></em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">(if a vote has not occurred within 60 days, the developer’s application is </span><em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">automatically approved</span></em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">), and 2) it will show that the commissioners </span><em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">want</span></em><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);"> it developed. (Why else would they move it from Resource Protection to Suburban Development?)</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 24px; word-break: break-word;"><strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Please ask the Commissioners to leave the rookery acreage in “Protected Resource” status.</span></strong></p><p class="last-child" style="word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 34, 34);">Olmsted County has 8,500 acres available for Suburban Development and ONE upland forest Great Blue Heron rookery. Ask them to protect it!</span></p></div></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-top: 24px;"><table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%" style="border-top-width: 20px; border-top-style: solid; border-top-color: transparent; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; min-width: 100%;"></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td class="mceSpacing-24" valign="top" style="word-break: break-word; padding-left: 48px; padding-right: 48px; padding-top: 24px;"><div class="mceText" style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; width: 564px;"><p class="last-child" style="word-break: break-word;"><span style="color: rgb(19, 125, 235);">SUPPORT SAVE THE ROOKERY: https://www.savetherookery.com/store</span></p></div></td></tr></tbody></table>
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