Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
The Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking public comment on two draft environmental impact statements for management plans that will affect logging on timber trust lands in Wahkiakum and other counties.
The two statements are 1. the Marbled Murrelet Long-term Conservation Strategy, which was written jointly with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), and 2. the Sustainable Harvest Calculation for state trust lands in western Washington.
Staff from the DNR and USFWS will host public meetings and webinars in January 2017 concerning both documents.
One public meeting will be in Cathlamet on January 19, 6 p.m., in the Julius A. Wendt Elementary School Multi-purpose Room.
Others will be in Sedro Woolley, January 10; Seattle, January 12, and Port Angeles, January 17.
This murrelet draft impact statement analyzes alternative approaches to long-term conservation of marbled murrelet habitat on DNR-managed lands within 55 miles of marine waters. The seabird is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act.
The sustainable harvest calculation will help determine the volume of timber that DNR will harvest from 1.8 million acres of western Washington state forests during the 2015-2024 planning period. The draft impact statement documents DNR’s analysis of the proposal and provides an opportunity for agencies and the public to review and provide suggestions.
Wahkiakum County has 12,000 acres of trust timberland managed by the DNR. Of that, 3,000 acres have been managed as murrelet habitat. Revenue from logging on the trust lands is an important segment of revenue for county programs.
The harvest plan offers five alternatives which differ in amounts of thinning and harvest of timber that has been encumbered since the start of decade long sustainable plan in year 1997.
One alternative assumes no change in management from the 1997 plan. In another alternative, harvest of timber would increase; in the others, harvest would decrease 27-47 percent.
The possible reduction in harvest of county trust timber under both murrelet and sustainable harvest plans concern Wahkiakum County officials.
Commissioner Dan Cothren, who has been leading the county's lobbying efforts with the legislature, on Tuesday attended the meeting of the state Board of Natural Resources to comment on the issues.
"It's a joke," he commented Monday. The murrelet plan would enlarge the habitat conservation area in county trust lands, he said. The thinning logging alternative wouldn't help, he added.
"There are just two or three birds, and we lose $2-3 million of revenue per year," he said.
People can comment in writing, online, or in person at the public meetings.
Comments on the murrelet EIS should be submitted to the SEPA Center at sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov or SEPA Center, PO Box 47015, Olympia, WA 98504-7015. The file number 12-042001 should be included on all comments. The subject line of email comments should include “SEPA File No. 12-042001.”
The Long-Term Conservation Strategy for the Marbled Murrelet Draft Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed on DNR’s website at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/mmltcs.
Public comments on the sustainable harvest draft impact statement should be submitted to the SEPA Center at: sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov or SEPA Center, PO Box 47015, Olympia, WA 98504-7015. The file number 15-012901 should be included on all comments. The subject line of email comments should include “SEPA File No. 15-012901.”
The Sustainable Harvest Calculation Draft Environmental Impact Statement can be viewed on DNR’s website at: http://www.dnr.wa.gov/shc.
Public comments on both documents are being accepted until 5 p.m. on March 9, 2017.
After public comments are gathered and a final environmental impact statement is issued by DNR, the policy will go before the state Board of Natural Resources for final consideration.
Two informational webinars are scheduled—one for each draft statement:
--Marbled Murrelet Long-term Conservation Strategy; 2-3 p.m., Jan. 24, 2017; online (login information will be posted at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/mmltcs )
--Sustainable Harvest Calculation for State Trust Lands in Western Washington: 2-3 p.m., Jan. 26, 2017; online (login information will be posted at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/shc).
Reader Comments(0)