[ODFW-News] Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet Nov. 6-7

[ODFW News]

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 	
Contact: 	Anne Pressentin Young (503) 947-6020	
Internet: www.dfw.state.or.us  Fax: (503) 947-6009
	
For Immediate Release	Monday, October 27, 2003

Fish and Wildlife Commission to meet Nov. 6-7 to take public testimony on spring chinook allocation, bighorn sheep plan

SALEM - The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet in a two-day meeting Thursday, Nov. 6, and Friday, Nov. 7, to hear public testimony on several fish and wildlife issues, and to implement new statutes adopted by the Oregon Legislature.

The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in the state. The seven-member panel meets monthly. The meeting will occur in the first floor Commission Room at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife headquarters building, 3406 Cherry Avenue N.E, Salem.

The following items are on the agenda for Thursday, Nov 6, from 1 to 6 p.m.:

·	Informational Director's Report on regional activities, mountain quail project, trap check advisory committee, and black-tailed deer hunting seasons for 2004;
·	Informational briefing on ODFW revenues and expenditures;
·	Rulemaking to implement House Bill 2521 and conduct a pilot project in southwest Oregon on landowner preference for big game hunting;
·	Rulemaking to implement Senate Bill 291 and amend the minimum distance between licensed hunting preserves; and
·	Informational briefing on draft management plan for bighorn sheep and Rocky Mountain goats.

The following items are on the agenda for Friday, Nov. 7, starting at 8 a.m.:
·	Informational briefing on proposed amendments to the Upper Deschutes Basin Plan for fish management;
·	Informational briefing on the status of negotiations related to Willamette Falls hydropower generation and fish protection measures;
·	Informational briefing on preliminary options for upper Columbia River spring chinook allocations for sport and commercial non-Indian fisheries;
·	Rulemaking to amend Yaquina Bay commercial herring fishery rules to allow the incidental take of juvenile shad;
·	Rulemaking to adopt House Bill 3108 and remove the nearshore rockfish commercial fishery from the developmental fisheries program and establish a restricted vessel system;
·	Informational briefing on proposal to repeal fish disease rules that were temporarily suspended Sept. 12, 2003; and
·	Approval of funding requests under the fish Restoration and Enhancement Program.

Public testimony will be taken on each agenda item. Sign-up sheets will be provided at the meeting. Agenda item exhibits may be requested by calling the ODFW Director's Office at (503) 947-6044. Some agenda items are posted to ODFW's Web site at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/Comm/schedule.htm .

Persons seeking to testify for up to five minutes on other issues not on the formal agenda may do so by making arrangements at least 24 hours in advance. "Unscheduled testimony" must be arranged by calling Mike Lueck, ODFW Director's Office, at (503) 947-6044. Unscheduled testimony will occur around 1 p.m., Friday, Nov. 7, and is limited to about six speakers.



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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 947-6002