<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii">
<meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
p.MsoCommentText, li.MsoCommentText, div.MsoCommentText
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Text Char";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
p
{mso-style-priority:99;
mso-margin-top-alt:auto;
margin-right:0in;
mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;
margin-left:0in;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";}
span.CommentTextChar
{mso-style-name:"Comment Text Char";
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-link:"Comment Text";
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
span.EmailStyle20
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple>
<div class=WordSection1>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>A
joint announcement of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, USDA Natural
Resources Conservation Service and the Oregon Department of Forestry.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>September
3, 2010 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Media
contacts: Janet Lebson, FWS, (503) 231-6179 or </span><a
href="mailto:janet_lebson@fws.gov"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'>janet_lebson@fws.gov</span></a><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:1.0in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> Kevin Weeks, ODF, (503) 945-7427
or <a href="mailto:kevin.weeks@state.or.us">kevin.weeks@state.or.us</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> Sara
Magenheimer, NRCS, (503) 414-3250 or <a
href="mailto:sara.magenheimer@or.usda.gov">sara.magenheimer@or.usda.gov</a> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Safe Harbor
Agreement Advances Northern Spotted Owl Conservation, Offers Regulatory
Assurances and Financial Incentives to Private Forest Landowners</span></b><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Federal
and state agencies have reached a landmark agreement that assures private
forest landowners can continue to manage for long-term, sustainable timber
harvests while also enhancing northern spotted owl habitat. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
entirely voluntary statewide Safe Harbor Agreement features conservation
efforts coupled with federal financial incentives and technical assistance to
landowners. This is the broadest effort in Oregon to enhance the
contribution of non-federal lands to spotted owl recovery since the Pacific
Northwest forest raptor was listed as threatened under the U.S. Endangered
Species Act in 1990. <a name="OLE_LINK1"></a><a name="OLE_LINK2">The
agreement is a coordinated effort among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF), and USDA’s Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS).<o:p></o:p></a></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Landowners
who enter into the Safe Harbor Agreement will be able to develop or conserve
spotted owl habitat, with the assurance that if the property eventually
attracts owls, timber harvest or other activities could continue, as long as
the land is managed to provide a net conservation benefit to the species.
The agreement is intended to encourage landowners to pursue conservation values
while also deriving the economic return they need to continue to manage their
land for a range of benefits.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“This
Safe Harbor has the potential to be a pivot point in the northern spotted
owl’s recovery in the State of Oregon,” said Paul Henson, State
Supervisor of the Fish and Wildlife Service’s Oregon Fish and Wildlife
Office. “Inviting more involvement from citizens and non-federal
partners is just one way we’re addressing one of the Northwest’s
biggest conservation challenges with pragmatic approaches to endangered species
recovery.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“This
agreement gives much greater assurance to forestland owners and managers in
Oregon’s spotted owl territory and will serve to increase participation,
enhance protection, and stimulate productivity on these landscapes,” said
Johnny Sundstrom, forest landowner and past President of the Oregon Association
of Conservation Districts. “</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Surely </span><span style='font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>this is </span><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>a win-win for
all of us who care about these private, working-land forests and their crucial
importance to our state.</span><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoCommentText><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
three agencies will provide technical assistance to private forest landowners
as they establish a balance between timber harvest to support local communities
and the unique requirements of sustainable spotted owl habitats in the
Northwest.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Working
with local staff, landowners also have the opportunity to apply for financial
incentives to support selected forest practices. Participation in Safe
Harbor on Oregon forestlands is accomplished through development of a
stewardship agreement between the landowner and ODF. A stewardship
agreement is a voluntary written plan where a landowner agrees to meet the
natural resource protection standards of the Oregon Forest Practices Act
through alternate practices. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Oregon’s
policy is to promote a balance of environmental, economic, and social benefits
from our forests,” said Marvin Brown, Oregon State Forester.
“Safe Harbor supports that balance. It allows landowners to protect
owl habitat, with the assurance that they can also continue to manage their
land for other benefits.” <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>NRCS’
Healthy Forest Reserve Program is a voluntary conservation program under the
2008 Farm Bill established for the purpose of restoring and enhancing forest
ecosystems. In Oregon, the focus of this program is to support private forest
landowners to manage their land for sustainable, profitable timber harvests
while promoting habitat for the threatened northern spotted owl. Participating
landowners will receive assurances under the Safe Harbor Agreement and are
compensated for enrolling forests in permanent easements and agreeing to manage
those lands using sustainable forest practices. The program has been
implemented in only eight states across the nation, with Oregon added in
2009. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>“Private
landowners and the lands they manage are critical for the recovery of the
northern spotted owl,” said Ron Alvarado, State Conservationist with
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “In order to involve
landowners, they must be able to effectively make a living on those
lands. This agreement allows landowners to manage their lands sustainably
while also protecting an iconic western species, resulting in a positive
outcome for Oregonians.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Covering
the range of the spotted owl throughout the state, the Safe Harbor Agreement is
focused on forest landowners with 5,000 acres or less and has a 50-year
duration. In addition to special incentives provided under ODF and NRCS
land stewardship programs, those who participate gain formal assurance from the
Fish and Wildlife Service that they will not face future regulatory
restrictions on the use of the land enrolled if they agree to improve its
habitat value for spotted owls.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Here’s
how it works: the voluntary agreements would encourage long-term conservation
benefits such as extended timber harvest rotations, forest management
strategies that develop spotted owl habitat characteristics, and maintenance of
owl habitat conditions for the duration of the agreement and possibly
beyond. The agreement helps implement several recovery actions identified
in the 2008 Northern Spotted Owl Recovery Plan related to encouraging habitat
conservation on non-federal lands to benefit the owl. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Toward
the end of the agreement period in 2060, participating landowners have the
option of continuing their conservation measures on the enrolled land,
returning it to baseline conditions that existed at the beginning of the
agreement, for example, by increasing commercial logging activities, or
anything in between.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>The
main threats to the spotted owl are habitat loss and competition from barred
owls, which are native to eastern North America but moved into the range of the
spotted owl over the last century. The most recent analysis of data on
spotted owl demographics such as occupancy, survival, reproduction, and
movement indicates that the owl continues to decline in seven of 11 study areas
in Washington, Oregon, and California (populations are stationary in the other
four). The overall rangewide spotted owl population is declining at an
average rate of nearly 3 percent per year.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>There
are currently three other Safe Harbor agreements for the spotted owl: one
signed in 2002 with Forster-Gill, Inc. covering 236 acres near the town of Blue
Lake in northern California; a second signed in 2009 with the non-profit
Pacific Forest Trust, a land conservation group that manages the 2,200-acre Van
Eck Forest in Humboldt, Calif.; and a third, for the owl and the threatened
marbled murrelet, signed in 2009 with Port Blakely Tree Farms covering 45,000
acres in Lewis and Skamania Counties in southwestern Washington.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Further
information about the program is available from ODF at </span><a
href="http://www.oregon.gov/odf"><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:
"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.oregon.gov/odf</span></a><span style='font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. For additional
information regarding assistance from the NRCS contact your local USDA Service
Center or visit </span><a href="http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.or.nrcs.usda.gov</span></a><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center;line-height:12.05pt;
text-autospace:none'><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:#221E1F'>The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working
with others to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife and plants and
their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a
leader and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation, known for our
scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural resources, dedicated
professionals and commitment to public service. For more information on our
work </span></i><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>and
the people who make it happen, visit </span></i><a href="http://www.fws.gov"><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>www.fws.gov</span></a><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> and in Oregon,</span></i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'> </span><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><a
href="http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/">http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/</a> </span></i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align=center style='text-align:center'><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;
color:black'>NRCS—Helping people help the land. <br>
The Natural Resources Conservation Service provides leadership in a partnership
effort to help people<br>
conserve, maintain, and improve our natural </span></i><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'>resources and environment. For additional information,
please visit the Oregon NRCS website at: </span></i><a
href="http://www.or.nrcs.usda.gov"><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt'>www.or.nrcs.usda.gov</span></i></a><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;margin-bottom:
12.0pt;text-align:center'><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
color:black'>The </span></i><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>Oregon
Department of Forestry <span style='color:black'>serves the people of Oregon by
protecting, managing, and promoting stewardship of Oregon's forests to enhance
environmental, economic, and community sustainability. </span>For
additional information, please visit <span style='color:black'><a
href="http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/">http://www.oregon.gov/ODF/</a></span></span></i><i><span
style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";color:black'><o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"'>###<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>