Skip to main contentThe environmental advertisements at the center of a court battle have touched down in the Portland International Airport.
The Port of Portland plans to appeal a Multnomah County Circuit Court judge's order to post the advertisements from environmental group Oregon Wild, which protest the clear-cutting of timber.
But the ads, which declare Oregon "Home of the Clearcut" and show mountainsides stripped bare of trees, are now displayed in a rotating video display above the escalators leading to the airport's baggage claim.
Oregon Wild conservation director Steve Pedery sent WW a photo of the ads on display yesterday.
"It is ridiculous that it took four months and a court case, but we are glad the advertisement is finally up," Pedery says. "If the Port believes that photos of Oregon clearcuts are bad for tourism, their energy would have been better spent working with us to reform logging practices rather than trying to dodge the Oregon constitution."
Port officials, who manage the airport, say they will appeal. They argue running political advertising on government property suggests an endorsement of the message—an argument rejected in December by Multnomah County Judge Pro Tem Eric J. Neiman.
When the Port's request for a stay on the judge's order was denied last month, officials issued a statement, which they released again this afternoon.
"The Port is concerned," Port spokesman Steve Johnson wrote, "that the judge's decision might require it to post offensive or disturbing ads, such as those promoting terrorist organizations."
Here's a larger photo of the Oregon Wild ad, now welcoming travelers to Portland.
WWeek 2015