Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife

The meeting commenced with roll call and agenda approval. Key discussions included providing an update on succession planning for committee positions, with appointments expected by October 1st. The consent agenda covered the approval of the previous meeting's minutes. The main business involved a project amendment request for the Rock Burm Removal and Blue Herand Channel Connection along the Bear Creek Corridor in Phoenix, Oregon, seeking an additional $30,000 due to enhanced permitting requirements after the land was sold from the county to the city. The committee debated the precedent of approving such increases and the lack of prior knowledge by the grantee regarding the annexation. Ultimately, a motion to approve the budget amendment was passed, contingent upon follow-up due diligence with the City of Phoenix. The committee also finalized approval of the 2024 Grant Guidelines ahead of the upcoming open solicitation. Future discussions were planned regarding establishing clearer guidelines for budget amendments and planning for an in-person meeting in March for grant reviews.

The meeting commenced with a roll call and recognition of the efforts made by ODFW staff, former committee members, and current committee members regarding the grant program. The agenda and consent agenda, which included minutes from the January meeting, were approved. During the public comment period, a representative from the Illinois Valley Watershed Council reported securing $147,000 in match funding for the East Fork project, which would fully fund the first phase if rankings remained favorable. The staff report provided an overview of the previous year's solicitation, noting 74 submissions totaling over $43 million in requested funding. The committee then proceeded with presentations from regional stream bios focusing on critical and high-priority projects, including large wood installation and fish passage restoration in various watersheds. Specific projects discussed included the Clear South Fork Clear Creeks and North Fork project, the Building Beaver Influence Landscapes project in the Tualatin River Watershed, the Myrtle Creek Fish Passage project, and the Lower Nehalem Basin Partnership enhancement projects, with associated discussions on project details, concerns regarding monitoring plans, costs, and benefits for HCP species.

The meeting commenced with roll call establishing a quorum. Key discussions focused on budget updates and expenditure authority (limitation). The origin of the 67/33 funding split for administrative positions in the PFA mitigation program was discussed, believed to be a negotiation during bill drafting to avoid excessive general fund burden, though current attendees did not recall the specific conversation. It was confirmed that the program has a base limitation of $12 million established for the next biennium. The standard procedure for requesting incremental expenditure authority from e-board based on spend plans, as opposed to the full limitation amount, was detailed. Additionally, the committee reviewed draft operating procedures, deciding to postpone their approval for one more meeting to rationalize terminology consistency with OAR discussions.

The meeting focused on two main agenda items. The first involved the consideration and ratification of three temporary rules implemented since the previous meeting. The second, and primary focus, was an informational session to review the draft Rogue South Coast Multi-Species Conservation and Management Plan and provide direction to staff for its potential adoption in December. Key discussion points on the plan included reviewing the proposed temporary controls for winter steelhead angling, which utilize harvest rate limits and conservation thresholds based on adult steelhead data from the Gold Ray Dam accounting site. The commission also discussed hatchery-related actions, specifically the lack of stakeholder consensus on designating mixed emphasis areas for hatchery and wild fish stocking, and a proposal to increase the Rogue coho release from 75,000 smolts to 100,000 smolts to meet mitigation targets. Staff detailed the five-year interim monitoring period planned for collecting various data metrics to inform future regulation decisions.

The Oregon State Wildlife Action Plan serves as an overarching strategy for fish and wildlife conservation, guiding strategic investment of resources to maintain healthy populations, restore habitats, and prevent species declines. This non-regulatory document presents voluntary conservation actions. The current revision, referred to as the '2025 SWAP,' aims to update information with new science, data, tools, and resources, comprehensively address climate change impacts, and enhance accessibility through an updated website and mapping tool. Key focus areas for this revision include species of greatest conservation need, critical habitats, key conservation issues, the conservation toolbox, and conservation opportunity areas.