The death Of AG-tourism

If AG-Tourism orchards are becoming extinct in our valley, I would like nothing more than to see a vineyard planted rather than a housing development or STR such as Lookout. And let’s be honest, Lookout is absolutely a black stain on what traditional STRs in our valley used to be. It has forever ruined how STRs are viewed by local year-round residents. Vineyards are not traditional AG-Tourism ventures. 

We all remember as kids stopping at Tiny’s Fruit Stand (the epitome of AG-Tourism) for fresh fruit, a burger and shake, a hot dog, cider, and, of course, to see the big man himself. We walked around on bark-covered dirt, saw the pet monkey, “The Tiny Mobile,” and all the beautiful flowers. This was family-friendly Americana at its best. 

Preys, Smallwood's, and Blueberry Hills come to mind as successors to the true roots of AG-Tourism, a farming family that sells its homegrown goods from a roadside structure.

We are fooling ourselves into believing wineries fall into the AG-Tourism category any more than to believe if someone started an Agave farm and produced Tequila, that would constitute AG-Tourism. Or a tour of the Rainier brewery is AG-Tourism because they use hops and barley. Wineries are not selling grapes or grape jelly at roadside stands, nor are they family-oriented. They are not traditional AG-Tourism ventures. They are in the alcohol-producing and consumption industry. PERIOD!!!

This has evolved into 45-minute yoga classes at 10:30 a.m., followed by wine. What better way to define AG-tourism than a 45-minute Sunday morning workout followed by a couple of glasses of wine before a lazy afternoon drive home? One can take a morning drive to Manson and see people sitting in plastic bubbles drinking wine at 11:30 a.m. AG-tourism? Laughable. 

Now, some wineries are proposing STR accommodations (Homestay Establishments) as part of their “AG-Tourism” land use. The revenue would be at least tenfold what the small portion of grapes yield. This would not constitute AG-tourism nor supplemental income for growers, as traditional AG-tourism did in the past. 

Food for thought: As our newly elected Mayor continually said during her campaign (after living here almost 20 years), “We need to find our community’s core values.” I hope our community’s “core values” do not involve selling out our beautiful God-created valley through the exploitation of alcohol, STRs, and overdevelopment of our unique ecosystem for profit. 

Remember, we are the stewards of our valley, at least for our short time on this planet. Will we destroy it for temporary financial gain or preserve it for generations to come?

Ben Laughlin

Chelan