County to benefit from legislation

Three small Washington counties stand to share a $2 million appropriation for compensation for encumbered trust timber lands. The counties are Wahkiakum, Pacific and Skamania.

Wahkiakum County Commissioner Dan Cothren said Tuesday that the legislation was scheduled for signing when Governor Chris Gregoire worked on bills yesterday (Wednesday) afternoon.

The counties have been working for several years to gain compensation for trust timberland that has been set aside from timber harvest to provide habitat for endangered species.

The counties acquired the trust timberland in the 20th century largely through tax foreclosures. The state Department of Natural Resources manages the lands for the counties. Under case law, the DNR must manage the lands for the benefit of the counties. However, the agency has held up timber harvest for 12 years on 3,000 acres of Wahkiakum County trust land as it develops a plan to accommodate endangered marbled murrelets. The birds are active along the ocean coast but fly inland to nest on large branches of very old trees.

Revenue from the trust timber land is an important part of the county's budget, and county officials have been looking for a way to be compensated for the loss of revenue from lands locked up, or encumbered, for murrelet habitat.

Cothren and officials from other counties have been working with officials from the DNR and governor's office for several years on the legislation.

The immediate effect, Cothren said, is an appropriation of over $2 million to be split among the three small counties, based on the number of encumbered acres. Wahkiakum should receive a $655,000 appropriation this year, and another $17,000 should be placed in a state fund to purchase additional trust timberland.

Cothren said it is important for the trusts to acquire more land so they can accommodate habitat conservation practices and have adequate revenue.

"That's just a start," he said, adding that more will come in installments over 30 years.

"I couldn't be happier," he said.

Cothren said county officials will meet at the end of the month with the DNR to work out further details on how the money can be handled.

"What's important is that we'll reinvest it," said commission Chair Lisa Marsyla.