Agencies holding murrelet meeting in Cathlamet

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) are holding informational meetings to help the public better understand the proposed development of a long-term Marbled Murrelet Conservation Strategy for forested state trust lands in Western Washington and to gather input on its content.

One of the meetings is scheduled for May 8 in Cathlamet.

DNR and FWS are conducting a joint environmental review according to the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). These meetings, and the associated comment periods, represent the first phase of an expanded two-phase public scoping process that is part of the development of a joint environmental impact statement.

The agencies are seeking public input on the scope of environmental review for this proposal, including existing environmental information relevant for analysis, potential environmental impacts and mitigation measures that the agencies should consider when developing management alternatives.

The meetings schedule is:

April 30, 6 to 8 p.m., Olympia: Natural Resources Building, Room 175, 1111 Washington St.

May 3, 6 to 8 p.m., Sedro Woolley: Northwest Region Office, 919 N. Township St.

May 8, 6 to 8 p.m., Cathlamet: River Street Meeting Room, 25 River St.

May 9, 6 to 8 p.m., Forks: Olympic Region Office, 411 Tillicum Lane.

At the meetings, DNR and FWS staff will give brief presentations to introduce the planning process and present background information on marbled murrelet biology and relevant policies. The agencies will have discussion stations with more detailed information, where people can talk to staff and ask questions. People will be encouraged to submit their Phase I written comments by May 30.

The proposal’s need, purpose, and objectives and the SEPA Scoping Notice can be found on DNR’s SEPA webpage. A federal Notice of Intent will be published in the Federal Register shortly. All of these documents can be found on DNR’s marbled murrelet website.

In following months, the agencies will hold a second phase of public meetings focused on conceptual alternatives that the agencies will evaluate in environmental analysis. When analysis is complete, the agencies will jointly publish a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for public comment and hold additional meetings.

Wahkiakum County's board of commissioners are urging county residents to attend the meetings and develop comments.

The county derives substantial income for its Current Expense Fund from the sale of timber from DNR managed trust timberlands. The DNR has withheld over 3,000 acres from harvest as it has worked on its management plan.

Commissioners from Wahkiakum, Pacific and other similarly affected counties have been working with the DNR and state legislature to develop a process to compensate the counties for the loss of revenue from the encumbered lands.

Wahkiakum and Pacific counties recently voted to fund, through the Washington Association of Counties, a consultant biologist to review and comment on the conservation strategy from the DNR and FWS.