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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 10, 2019)
A3 THE ASTORIAN • TUESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2019 Washington state will protect threatened marbled murrelet By ROSE LUNDY The Daily News The Washington Board of Natural Resources has adopted a long-term conser- vation plan for the marbled murrelet, a threatened sea- bird that has been protected under a controversial interim plan for almost two decades. The Department of Nat- ural Resources said in a news release last week that the long-term plan will pro- tect 168,000 acres of current marbled murrelet habitat while freeing up more than 100,000 acres where tim- ber harvests were previously prohibited. The American Forest Resource Council , however, said the plan will directly harm rural jobs and decrease funding for public schools, fi re departments, libraries, hospitals and other commu- nity services. The murrelet was listed as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Spe- cies Act in 1992. Five years later, Washington state released an interim plan to protect the bird. “We are resolving more Steve Ringman/Seattle Times The Washington Department of Natural Resources estimates there are about 6,000 marbled murrelets, which spend most of their lives at sea. than two decades of uncer- tainty with bold action to protect marbled murrelet habitat while supporting Washington’s rural econ- omies,” Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz said in a news release. “We are moving forward on a path that safeguards this threatened species while creating jobs and economic opportunity — a dual invest- ment in the future of the mar- bled murrelet and our small towns.” The marbled murrelet, which spends most of its life at sea, will travel 55 miles inland to lay one egg per year in old-growth trees. Accord- ing to the Department of Nat- ural Resources , the marbled murrelet population declined 3.9% annually between 2001 and 2016 largely due to habi- tat loss. The department esti- mates that about 6,000 mur- relets are left in the state. Under the newly adopted plan, the department esti- mates additional protected forestland will become suit- able murrelet habitat over the next 50 years, bringing the total protected habitat to 272,000 acres of state lands. Conservationists previ- ously have said the plan is not protective enough. “DNR is trying to fi nd a balance between the two sides, and we are not sure that even exists,” Kara Whit- taker, lead technical scien- tist for the Marbled Murrelet Coalition, a multiorgani- zation conservation group, State forestry board puts state forester on notice By TED SICKINGER The Oregonian The Oregon Board of Forestry has put Peter Daugherty, the state forester, on a performance improve- ment plan to address dys- functional relationships with some board members, poor communication with the board at large and concerns over the agency’s fi nancial condition. In an Oct. 30 letter to Daugherty, board chair Tom Imeson said the plan stemmed from a discussion the board had after its retreat on Oct. 9. He said the rec- ommendations for correc- tive action were endorsed by the entire board and the gov- ernor’s offi ce. Tensions between board members, the department and Daugherty have been evident for some time, par- ticularly those members appointed to bring a conser- vation voice to the board: retired businessman James Kelly, fi sh biologist Cindy Williams and retired Oregon State University forestry professor Brenda McComb. The three have frequently expressed frustration with the agency’s lack of respon- siveness to their requests for information and that their concerns on specifi c issues were ignored. The board’s increasing dysfunc- tion spilled into an open and emotional discussion at the Oct. 9 retreat, and Daugh- erty acknowledged some of the problems there. Daugherty responded Fri- day in an emailed statement. “I take all board feedback seriously, particularly when it has recommendations for improvement,” he wrote. “This review is an opportu- nity to work with the board to improve relationships within the board as well as between the board, the department and our stakeholders.” The agency has remained mired in numerous struggles during Daugherty’s tenure, which began in 2016. For the last several months, it has been trying to address an acute cash fl ow crisis due to uncollected costs from large wildfi res. The issue is sig- nifi cant enough to threaten the agency’s solvency, and it has only been able to keep the doors open by borrow- ing from Treasury, raiding its own reserves and having the Department of Admin- istrative Services cover its payroll costs. Simultaneously, agency leaders have been striv- ing to develop a new man- agement plan for state for- ests, one that can stabilize the fi nances of the divi- sion while winning support among both conservation and timber interests. The agency released a draft of that plan this week, and ini- tial feedback from the tim- ber industry, environmen- tal groups and rural counties was not good. Agency leaders have also been under the gun to respond to two major law- suits. One just ended with WANTED Alder and Maple Saw Logs & Standing Timber Northwest Hardwoods • Longview, WA Contact: John Anderson • 360-269-2500 Meet the North Coast’s general surgery team! Eric Friedman, M.D. Manfred P. Ritter, M.D. GENERAL SURGERY GENERAL SURGERY Eric Friedman, M.D., is a board- certified general surgeon. He received his medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine. Dr. Friedman was born and raised in Philadelphia and in his free time enjoys hiking and traveling. Manfred P. Ritter, M.D., received his medical degree from Ludwig- Maximilian-University of Munich, in Germany. He completed his internship and residency at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He also completed a fellowship in esophageal/gastric surgery and colorectal surgery at the same school. Dr. Ritter is board certified and is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons. For more information or to schedule an appointment with either provider, please call 503-717-7060. Providence Seaside Clinic 725 South Wahanna Road, Suite 220 Seaside, OR 97138 (503) 717-7060 a $1.1 billion jury verdict against the agency for fail- ing to maximize logging revenues on state forests. The other remains in the dis- covery phase, but seeks to stop 68 planned timber sales that environmental groups contend threaten endangered salmon. Imeson’s letter acknowl- edged that the department was dealing with multi- ple challenges at once, and called the position of state forester “one of the most diffi cult jobs in state gov- ernment.” He said Daugh- erty has effectively led the agency’s fi refi ghting efforts, and that his “loyalty to the department, its people and its programs is unquestioned.” It went on to say, how- ever, that the broad set of perspectives individual board members brought to the job should be a valuable asset to the department. “It is critical that each board member feel that their contributions are valued, their request for information are heeded and their con- cerns are addressed,” Ime- son wrote. “At this moment not all board members feel that way. Individual dis- cussions with each board member are imperative to reset the relationship as necessary.” said in September. “The bird needs more habitat than they are proposing, unfortunately, and the benefi ciaries need more (revenue) than they are proposing.” The board also set the sustainable-harvest level for timber on state trust lands at 4.65 billion board feet, which the department says will guarantee a more sta- ble fl ow of income to the schools, colleges and coun- ties that depend on their revenue. The American Forest Resource Council , however, says the long-term strategy combined with the sustain- able-harvest calculation will reduce annual harvest lev- els on Department of Natural Rescources land by 85 mil- lion board feet over the next several years. “This is over 15% below the levels adopted in the pre- vious decade — an across- the-board cut that AFRC estimates will result in the annual loss of almost $30 million in timber revenues to support public services and agency management costs,” according to the organiza- tion’s news release. The Astoria City Council wishes everyone a JOYOUS HOLIDAY SEASON! Enjoy the lights and holiday festivities while shopping Downtown Astoria! www.astoriadowntown.com FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29 th - WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 1 st Customers can park downtown longer than the posted time limit, except in metered spaces.
