On October 19, the Thurston Democrats will hold a forum on environmental protection and growth issues. Entitled "Conserving Communities, a conversation on growth management and environmental protection," it will be a great opportunity to discuss the issues brought up by Initiative 933.

The forum will be held at St John's Episcopal Church at 114 20th Ave SE, Olympia (map) from 7 to 9 p.m.

The forum will be moderated by State Senator Karen Fraser.

Speakers to include:

• Eric de Place, a senior research associate, with the Sightline Institute and blogger at the Daily Score. He has written extensively about the property rights and the impact Measure 37 (a proposition similar to I-933) has had on Oregon.
• David Troutt, chair of the Nisqually River Council, a decades long effort to bring together residents of the Nisqually watershed to assure protected natural resources and a strong economy. The council recently released a sustainability plan that will advance these goals.
• Sandra Romero, a former state representative, and active member of Livable Thurston will represent the No on I-933 campaign.