By Ron Sadler
I view this discussion as the ultimate in wishful thinking. Any significant change in the ownership and/or management of the O&C and CBWR lands would require major Federal legislative changes.
The O&C Act of 1937 (which also covers the CBWR lands) would have to be repealed and replaced with legislation that transferred ownership and management to the County, tribe, or whomever. This, in itself, would be a major federal action requiring full compliance with the NEPA process, including the preparation of an EIS, unless exempted by Congressional mandate.
Further, any major change in management emphasis would immediately run afoul of the Endangered Species Act, in that these lands contain a good portion of the old-growth seral stage still remaining in western Oregon. Such a change would immediately endanger somewhere between 300 to 1000 species of plants and animals dependent on old-growth for their existence. Thus, I don’t see how such a transfer of management/ownership would be possible UNLESS the Endangered Species Act was also repealed.
The tragedy of this entire situation is that the O&C/CBWR lands could currently be selling approx. 500,000,000 board feet of timber annually, thus generating a significant and predictable level of income to the counties. The only reason this isn’t happening is that, instead of fully complying with NEPA and the ESA, the political appointtees heading the Department of Interior over the past 30 years have tried time and again to circumvent and nullify these laws thus leading to legal confrontations. Obviously, they have lost most of these legal battles leading the the shut-down of the O&C program and the flow of revenue to the county. How many battles do you have to lose before you change your game plan?
Rather than spending time and effort pursuing what I believe to be a fruitless search for major legislative changes at the Federal level, Coos County should insist, demand, and facilitate the development by the BLM of a new management plan for the O&C/CBWR lands – one that fully complies with the letter and intent of NEPA and the ESA. Only if this is accomplished can a legally defensible level of timber harvest be established and maintained, thus providing a constant and predictable level of timber receipts to the county.
I believe this strategy has a much greater probability of success than seeking a major legislative overhaul at the Federal level.
Ron Sadler
Finally a reasonably stated analysis of the problem. Why is it that the Coos County Commissioner, led by Chair Bob Main, persist in wasting time with the charade with the Coquille and perhaps the Confederated tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw. Not only that but why do they persist in meeting secretly. This is a complete reverse of Mr. Main’s previous policy (while he served the Kevin and Nikki). Then he was the hero fighting for more transparency. Apparently he really did love kevin because he is the New, older, not wiser Kevin. When Bob are you going to get a clue and start devoting your time to governing this County. How often do you look at the budgets from each department and wonder where the money is going?
Bob Main does seem to lost his populist perspective. Personally, I am very disappointed in his choices of late and he has learned how to be sneaky, alright!
As always, with his many years experience with BLM, with his well written opinions on those subjects (only) where he is qualified to speak, we have come to expect the above sane approach from Mr. Sadler. My question, where is the same sane position from the county professional politicians who consider themselves to be forest experts, or from the counties other alleged “experts” – employees and consultants – who are being paid big bucks from the peoples bag of tax monies? In all liklihood, as he has done in the past, a similar letter has gone to the daily (except Fridays, Sundays, and holidays, bird cage liner. Count the days until its published.
Mr. Sadler presents a reasonable analysis regarding the hurdles anyone will face to achieve an O&C and CBWR land transfer.