I. Tree thinning and road maintenance planned for 2023

Bids are being requested to hand-thin about 600 areas of the Watershed. Trees between the ages of 10-19 years will be reduced from 600-1200 trees per acre to 220-280 trees per acre. This work increases tree diversity, increases, the resilience of the forest, and accelerates the development of old forest characteristics in the Arch Cape Forest. No material would be removed or sold from the forest. The anticipated expense for this
work is $169,590 and would be covered under the COVID funds.

Bids are also being requested for Road maintenance. The anticipated expense for this work is $55,762 and would be covered by the COVID funds.

II. Board Ignores Community Survey Results

At their December meeting, the Board requested Public Comments on their Multi-Resource Management Plan. A community survey pertaining to the Public Access section of the Management Plan and Financial Management was developed and 71 verified responses were received. A report of the survey findings was submitted to the Board before their deadline. (see charted finding below.)

A. Board claims that Public Access is NOT part of the Multi-Resource Management Plan, even though it is page 54 of the Plan and contractually required.

As a contractual Obligation of the Forest Legacy Program, a Multi-Resource Management Plan must be submitted and that Management Plan is required to address Public Access. Page 54, below, is the Public Access section of the Plan. Note that is says “Public access will be decided upon separately by the board of the water district with input from Arch Cape ratepayers and property owners. In the meantime, the legacy public access policy of the past landowners will remain in place, as posted on the gates.”

The Board’s posted a survey for public comments on the Multi-Resource Management Plan, but their survey did not ask any questions nor seek any comments pertaining to the Public Access section of the Management Plan.

In order to provide feedback to the Board on Public Access, ratepayers and property owners responded to 5 Public Access questions in a Community Survey and submitted 32 individual comments. The survey results and comments, which were all submitted to the Board, suggested changes to the public access policy.

At Thursday’s Board meeting, the Board claimed (through their Sustainable Northwest Consultant) that Public Access is outside the scope of the Multi-Resource Management Plan.

Bottom Line: In a supposed Public Comment period, a Board developed Survey gave the Public no opportunity to provide any feedback on the Public Access section of the Management Plan. Public Access is of keen interest to rate payers and property owners. Furthermore, the Board is ignoring all public comments on Public Access that were submitted to them outside of their Survey. And the Board is claiming that Pubic Access is not within scope of the Multi-Resource Plan even though such a Policy is contained in the Management Plan, is a contractual obligation of Oregon Department of Forestry / Forest Legacy Program, and will be submitted as part of the Multi-Resource Management Plan.

B. The 3 survey results related to Financial Management were totally omitted in any of the 4 parts of the consultant’s report and thus will be “overlooked” by the Board or any of its Committees.

1. The District is over 6 months into Fiscal Year 2023 and there is no budget that identifies the ongoing expenses to operate the forest nor how those expenses are being paid.
2. Though the previous financial plan forecast that logging would be done in 2023 and 2024, there is no mention of logging and there is no plan for how the operating expenses that were to be paid by logging will be paid.

III. A vacancy on the Forest Management Committee must be filled.

Chris Mastrandrea was selected to fill the open Board position and will vacate his position on the Forest Management Committee.

The Board now goes back to the process of filling Chris’ position on the Forest Management Committee.

The Board’s decision for how to fill the vacant position is to ask those community members who had previously applied for the Forest Management Committee about their continued interest, and select from those that are still interested.

Stay tuned next month!

IV. Community Survey Findings on Public Access & Financial Management

A.  Public Access: 

1.   There was very strong agreement (79%) that the Source Water Protection Area of the Watershed should NOT be open to public access and recreation.

2.   There was strong agreement to limit recreational activities in order to protect the quality of the source drinking.

3. No Respondent wanted Public Access & Recreation in the Watershed to be Publicized or Promoted in any Way.

B.  Financial Management:

1.   There was almost unanimous agreement (90%) that a 10-year financial plan with a logging and a no-logging scenario be developed.

2.   Arch Cape rate payers and lot owners are split between whether or not to log.  Individual comments note that the information from the 10-year financial plan is required to make a more informed decision.

3.   Different alternative payment methods are acceptable to different Arch Cape rate payers and lot owners.  Individual comments note that the information from the 10-year financial plan is required to make a more informed decision.