Site search
sponsored by
sponsored by
44°F 
Thursday December 4th
Thursday December 4th 
| Welcome, Guest |
|
| LOGIN | Become a Member | What's This? |
Please enter the following information:
| Email or Screen Name: | |
| Password: | |
| Remember Me | |
|
Forgot Password?
Become a Member |
Close Window |
Jobs
Classifieds
<< back
O&C land video sent to Congress
DVD produced to sell members of Congress on plan to sell off half of O&C lands as replacement for safety net
The release of a new DVD is meant to stimulate discussion by members of Congress on a proposal that would provide a way to pay for continuation of the federal timber safety net.
The DVD — titled “I’m Just Beginning to See” — was produced by Jackson County. The nine-minute production details the proposal from the Association of O&C Counties to sell a portion of the 2.4 million acres of land held in trust from the failed Oregon & California Railroad.
“It was put together to generate some discussion about what can we do, substantively, to fix this thing,” Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson, who helped develop the plan, said during Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Under the proposal, half of the O&C lands would be sold for sustainable timber production. The other half would be set aside to aid recovery of the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and other sensitive species.
Money earned from the land sales — an estimated $12 billion — would be placed into four different trust funds to benefit timber-dependent counties in Oregon and throughout the country. One fund would provide counties roughly the same amount as from the safety net, $52 million for Douglas County.
Another fund would provide the federal Bureau of Land Management with investment income to manage the land preserved for wildlife habitat.
The other two funds would exclusively benefit Oregon. The 18 western counties with O&C lands within their borders would receive the same amount they do now from timber harvests in the O&C lands. The fourth fund would provide money to the state for education.
The proposal was the first suggested to wean the timber counties off the safety net money provided by the federal government.
Subsequently, Umpqua Watersheds and other environmental groups proposed having the U.S. Forest Service take over management of the O&C lands. They claim the federal government could save $50 million a year in administrative expenses if those duties were transferred from the BLM. That proposal would fund the timber counties through an endowment funded by the cost savings and a one-time, $300 million contribution from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The DVD, partially narrated by Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith, explains the proposal and asks the U.S. senators and representatives who will receive a copy, to give it their consideration.
The DVD — titled “I’m Just Beginning to See” — was produced by Jackson County. The nine-minute production details the proposal from the Association of O&C Counties to sell a portion of the 2.4 million acres of land held in trust from the failed Oregon & California Railroad.
“It was put together to generate some discussion about what can we do, substantively, to fix this thing,” Douglas County Commissioner Doug Robertson, who helped develop the plan, said during Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Commissioners.
Under the proposal, half of the O&C lands would be sold for sustainable timber production. The other half would be set aside to aid recovery of the northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and other sensitive species.
Money earned from the land sales — an estimated $12 billion — would be placed into four different trust funds to benefit timber-dependent counties in Oregon and throughout the country. One fund would provide counties roughly the same amount as from the safety net, $52 million for Douglas County.
Another fund would provide the federal Bureau of Land Management with investment income to manage the land preserved for wildlife habitat.
The other two funds would exclusively benefit Oregon. The 18 western counties with O&C lands within their borders would receive the same amount they do now from timber harvests in the O&C lands. The fourth fund would provide money to the state for education.
The proposal was the first suggested to wean the timber counties off the safety net money provided by the federal government.
Subsequently, Umpqua Watersheds and other environmental groups proposed having the U.S. Forest Service take over management of the O&C lands. They claim the federal government could save $50 million a year in administrative expenses if those duties were transferred from the BLM. That proposal would fund the timber counties through an endowment funded by the cost savings and a one-time, $300 million contribution from the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The DVD, partially narrated by Jackson County Commissioner C.W. Smith, explains the proposal and asks the U.S. senators and representatives who will receive a copy, to give it their consideration.
“It’s time for a dialogue between industry and government and environmentalists,” Commissioner Joe Laurance said.
Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman said she supports the idea of selling off half of the O&C lands, which she said follows the federal government’s intent when the land was originally given to the railroad to fund construction of a line from the California border to Portland, but has concerns about turning the remainder into a wildlife preserve.
“When we talk about tying up 1.2 million acres into wildlife preserves — we’re dealing right now with the idea of budget cuts for our trappers and we have bears and cougars and every other wildlife right here in the city limits — the idea of tying up another one-point-two-million acres is disturbing to me,” Kittelman said.
While the safety net helped sustain county government, it didn’t keep thousands of people employed in the timber industry from losing their jobs, she said. She said she’d like to see the forests opened up to increased logging.
Robertson said other suggestions were welcome.
“Anybody, anybody, including you, Marilyn, that has a solution that can get through the courts, that can get enacted into congressional law that will solve the problem, we’re wide open,” he said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info
Commissioner Marilyn Kittelman said she supports the idea of selling off half of the O&C lands, which she said follows the federal government’s intent when the land was originally given to the railroad to fund construction of a line from the California border to Portland, but has concerns about turning the remainder into a wildlife preserve.
“When we talk about tying up 1.2 million acres into wildlife preserves — we’re dealing right now with the idea of budget cuts for our trappers and we have bears and cougars and every other wildlife right here in the city limits — the idea of tying up another one-point-two-million acres is disturbing to me,” Kittelman said.
While the safety net helped sustain county government, it didn’t keep thousands of people employed in the timber industry from losing their jobs, she said. She said she’d like to see the forests opened up to increased logging.
Robertson said other suggestions were welcome.
“Anybody, anybody, including you, Marilyn, that has a solution that can get through the courts, that can get enacted into congressional law that will solve the problem, we’re wide open,” he said.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@newsreview.info
So you know ...
WHAT: “I’m Just Beginning to See” video
TOPIC: Nine-minute production being sent to members of Congress on proposal to sell half of O&C lands to pay for continuation of the timber safety net WHERE: Available online at the Douglas County Web site http://www.co.douglas.or.us; a link to a written copy of the proposal is located on the same page |
Other Top Items
|
Related Articles
|
Most Recommended Articles
|
Comments
You must be logged in to leave a comment.
