State and local officials who went on a tour of the route of two proposed gas pipelines won't ever mistake Gales Creek for just another blip on the map.

The way the small town nestled in an idyllic Coast Range valley left a lasting impression on those who went on a tour of the route last Thursday, highlighting properties - and livelihoods - that would be affected by the pipeline's route.

"I learned that the Gales Creek area is clearly a community, and a very cohesive community that has a very proud identity," said Mike Carrier, the natural resources policy director for Gov. Ted Kulongoski.

The tour spanned the western Oregon areas that would be affected by the pipelines, ranging from the Montinore vineyards near Forest Grove to a tree farm in the Coast Range. Both properties could have acreage permanently put out of commission if a pipeline is approved.

The Oregon LNG and Palomar lines require 50-foot rights of way to be clear of dense vegetation, including trees and vines. If either proposal is approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the developers can use eminent domain to acquire easements to build the lines.

"We'd lose all that crop permanently," said Montinore owner Rudy Marchesi, whose property has as much as 12 acres that could be put out of commission by the pipeline. "Vineyard land is the highest value agricultural land in the state. It doesn't make sense to cross high value agricultural land."

The siting process, which in many cases is ongoing, was a particular concern Carrier took back to Salem.

"The pipeline companies need to make a greater effort to work with property owners to identify routes and alignments that lessen the impact on those properties," Carrier said. "Two of the properties we looked at, the current proposed lines completely dissect the property."

Carrier said he asked the Oregon Department of Energy to examine how Northwest Natural Gas sited its pipeline through similar terrain. He also wondered whether companies might be better off approaching property owners one at a time.

"That could be a better approach than just simply drawing on a map and dealing with property owners collectively," Carrier said, "especially when you're given the power of eminent domain from the federal government."

State Rep. Chuck Riley, D-Hillsboro, worried that landowners wouldn't be fairly compensated for their losses if the matter proceeds that far. Montinore's Marchesi, for example, estimated his vineyard could lose $150,000 an acre for the pipeline's construction easement.

"My feeling is it's just so unlikely the farmers will be compensated for the real value of their property - so unlikely, I can't see it happening," Riley said. "That's a real shame. It's another reason we have to make sure it doesn't impact those farmers."

Marchesi suggested existing right of ways for the line. Carrier agreed that those potential corridors such as areas near roads or along the Bonneville Power Administration's electric lines, should be reviewed.

"They're ignoring local laws and recommendations and drawing a line across a map and seeing who complains," Marchesi said. "The good news is we're all complaining."

Marchesi's complaints weren't limited to the siting process. He was worried about the safety of the 36-inch line, which would be as shallow as 3 feet below the ground.

"Just a summer ago in the normal course of business, we punctured an irrigation line that was 4 feet below the ground," Marchesi said. "Putting it 3 feet below agricultural ground is asking for trouble."

Dan Serres, natural gas project coordinator for pipeline opponent Columbia Riverkeeper, was pleased with the tour.

"Them (landowners) putting on display how they would be impacted was something that was good," Serres said. "I think seeing the diversity of resources and economic players - who would be impacted - was also interesting."

The broad scope of the impact was a point made by Anne Berblinger, owner of the organic Gales Meadow Farm in Gales Creek.

"I talked about the impact on the regional economy in terms of negative impacts on so many of our leading industry clusters - both our traditional clusters like agriculture and wineries and wood products - and the emerging cluster of renewable energy and green technology," Berblinger said.

Berblinger's organic farm, with carefully crafted soils and irrigation, would be put back to where it was before she bought the property, she said.

"That's going to take away their entire farm basically," Riley said. "That's just unacceptable."

Also on the tour were state Rep. Debbie Boone, D-Cannon Beach, Forest Grove City Councilor Pete Truax, Yamhill County Commissioner Mary Stern and a representative from the staff of Rep. David Wu, D-Ore.

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