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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, May 13, 2017
Land Board votes to keep Elliott State Forest
The State Land Board today
voted to keep the Common
School lands within the Elliott
State Forest (about 82,500
acres) in public ownership.
The Land Board members
voted unanimously to termi-
nate the ‘protocol’ that was
established in 2015 to seek
alternative ownership of the
forest.
The board directed the
Department of State Lands to
move forward with a new plan-
ning effort to keep the forest in
public ownership.
At the meeting, each board
member shared their ideas on
possible public ownership
plans for the Elliott.
Governor Brown’s plan
involves $100 million in state
bonding to buy out high-con-
servation acres in a “trust land
transfer” process, and securing
an
updated
Habitat
Conservation Plan to protect
threatened species in the forest.
Treasurer Read’s plan builds
on the governor’s proposal,
potentially transferring the
entire forest at a future time to
Oregon State University and
the College of Forestry.
Secretary
of
State
Richardson encouraged the
Land Board and staff to inves-
tigate potential land exchanges
with the federal government
that would trade Elliott acreage
for “commercial-grade” forest
lands.
Several invited panelists
provided information about the
different plans, and the Board
heard testimony from Jim
Green of the Oregon School
Boards Association, represent-
ing Common School Fund ben-
eficiaries, and Michael Rondo
of the Cow Creek Tribe, a part-
ner with Lone Rock Timber in
the one plan received in
response to the protocol.
About 35 people provided
public testimony. After a pres-
entation on the Common
School Fund’s investment per-
formance and projected distri-
butions, the Land Board voted
to continue to follow the distri-
bution policy in place since
2009, distributing 4 percent of
the three-year rolling average
of the value of the fund.
The State Land Board con-
sists of Governor Kate Brown,
Secretary of State Dennis
Richardson and State Treasurer
Tobias Read.
The Department of State
Lands administers diverse nat-
ural and fiscal resources.
Many of the resources gen-
erate revenue for the Common
School Fund, such as state-
owned rangelands and timber-
lands, waterway leases, estates
for which no will or heirs exist,
and unclaimed property.
Twice a year, the agency dis-
tributes fund investment earn-
ings to support K-12 public
schools.
The agency also administers
Oregon’s Removal-Fill Law,
which requires people remov-
ing or filling certain amounts
of material in waters of the
state to obtain a permit. www
.oregon.gov/dsl
Tickets now available for
SportsTown Awards dinner
The
second-annual
SportsTown Awards, presented
by the Eugene, Cascades and
Coast Sports Commission will
be held Thursday, June 1, with
returning master of cere-
monies Jordan Kent.
The dinner and recognition
night will be at the Valley
River Inn in Eugene. Awards
categories include Male and
Female Student Athlete of the
Year, Athletic Trainer of the
Year, Athlete with Heart,
Sustainable Sports Event of
the Year, Inspirational Coach
of the Year, Sports Promotion
of the Year, Fan of the Year,
Mascot of the Year and the
SportsTown Legacy Award.
The ceremony will intro-
ducing a new interactive
Student Nominee Recognition
Exhibit
sponsored
by
FastSigns and Long’s Meat
Market.
Tickets are on sale now and
are available for purchase at
SportsTownAwards.com.
Tickets are $35 per person
and include admission to the
event, complementary soft
drinks and small plate appetiz-
ers.
For more information, con-
tact Janis Ross, Executive
Director Eugene, Cascades
and Coast Sports Commission,
541-743-8753 or email her at
Janis@EugeneCascadesCoast.
org.
Get Results...List With Melody.
Oregon Coast Aquarium to host ‘Migratory Bird’ day
Birders of a feather will
flock together when the
Oregon Coast Aquarium cele-
brates International Migratory
Bird Day today, May 13.
The theme this year is
“Helping Birds Along the
Way,” a nod to the various
habitat types birds need for
food and rest as they make their
way to and from breeding
areas.
The aquarium’s staff organ-
izes the annual event to help
guests appreciate the animals
under their care and promote
conservation for their counter-
parts in the wild.
“When most people think of
bird migration, they assume
birds fly north to south and
back, but seabirds migrate to
the open sea, and only return to
land to nest. Once a juvenile
puffin heads out to the ocean, it
may not see land again for as
long as three years,” said CJ
McCarty, the aquarium’s
Curator of Birds.
The aquarium, which is
home to the largest outdoor
seabird aviary in North
America, will honor birds’
remarkable migrations with
surprises for aquarium visitors
and animals.
Guests will have an opportu-
nity to meet brown pelicans
and turkey vultures, and learn
about seabirds’ springtime
courtship antics during chats
with the aquarium’s avicultur-
ists.
The aquarium’s feathered
residents will be treated to
enrichment activities and expe-
riences that provide something
new from their normal routine.
Keen-eyed visitors can win
prizes by completing a bird-
themed scavenger hunt, while
those with kind hearts may
choose to add their personal
pledge to help birds to the
Migratory Bird Day tree.
International Migratory Bird
Day activities are free with
aquarium admission and
advance registration is not
required.
The aquarium is open every
day this spring from 10 a.m.to
5 p.m. Visit aquarium.org or
call 541-867-FISH for more
information or to purchase
advance tickets, or visit us at
2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd. in
Newport.
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