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Department of State Lands
Eastern Oregon State-owned Land

Land Board to consider Mid-Columbia Recovery Plan, Elliott State Forest management at Feb. 9 public meeting
02/02/2010
 
For immediate release                                                         10-02
 
More information:  Julie Curtis – 503-986-5298
 
Information agenda includes carbon market and estates program updates 
 
Salem – The State Land Board will be asked to endorse measures the Department of State Lands can implement as part of the Mid-Columbia Steelhead Conservation and Recovery Plan. The bi-state plan affects steelhead populations in Fifteenmile Creek, and in the Deschutes, John Day, Umatilla and Walla Walla rivers in Oregon.
 
The department's measures include working with landowners to avoid impacts to wetlands and other state waters in the region, and conducting educational outreach for people interested in voluntary restoration projects.
 
The board also will discuss and be asked to approve recommendations for managing the Elliott State Forest near Coos Bay. Public comment will not be taken on this agenda item. The key components of the recommendation include:
  • In collaboration with the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), initiate an independent scientific review of aquatic/riparian management strategies to help resolve differing viewpoints on protecting streams and aquatic habitat.
  • Set a Dec. 31, 2011, deadline for completing approval of a revised Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) that is acceptable to the Oregon Department of Forestry, Department of State Lands, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and NMFS. If a new plan is not approved by this date, the 1995 HCP will be terminated and a take avoidance strategy will be implemented to protect threatened and endangered (T&E) species on the forest.
  • Concurrent with the above, develop a revised Forest Management Plan that would use take avoidance for management of T&E species on the Elliott, and have the revised plan in place by Dec. 31, 2011, if a new HCP is not approved.
  • Concurrent with the above work, develop a sound understanding of carbon market opportunities for the Elliott State Forest. The overall goal is to achieve a 3-5 percent return on the forest’s value, in conjunction with the preferred management strategy determined by Dec. 31, 2011.
The State Land Board owns about 91 percent of the 93,000-acre Elliott State Forest, which is an asset of the Common School Fund. Twice a year, the board sends distributions from the earnings of the fund to Oregon's 197 public school districts. The Oregon Department of Forestry manages the forest for the board and Department of State Lands.
 
In other business the board will hear an informational briefing on carbon markets and the annual report of the department's Estates Program.
 
The meeting will be held at the State Lands Building, 775 Summer St., NE in Salem, beginning at 10:00 a.m., in a facility that is accessible for persons with disabilities. If you need assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability, please notify Lorna Stafford at (503) 986-5224 (lorna.stafford@state.or.us) at least two working days prior to the meeting.
 
The State Land Board consists of Governor Theodore Kulongoski, Secretary of State Kate Brown and State Treasurer Ben Westlund. The Department of State Lands administers diverse natural and fiscal resources. Many of the resources generate revenue for the Common School Fund, such as state-owned rangelands and timberlands, waterway leases, estates for which no will or heirs exist, and unclaimed property. Twice a year, the agency distributes fund investment earnings to support K-12 public schools. The agency also administers Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law, which requires people removing or filling certain amounts of material in waters of the state to obtain a permit.
 
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Page updated: February 02, 2010