The Oregon State Marine Board is holding their quarterly Board meeting on January 10, beginning at 9 am. The meeting will be at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Office, Commission Room, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE, in Salem. No food or drink is allowed in the Commission Room. Public comments will be accepted at the beginning of the meeting; however, due to time constraints, comments will be limited and will conclude no later than 10 am to ensure adequate time for other agenda items. The Board will consider adopting rules for Visual Distress Signals, Hunt Tag Program Fees, and Fees for Furnishing Public Record Information. The public comment period for these items is closed. Additionally, staff will present a statewide report on wake sports which includes information on wake activities, boat models, waterbody use and education. The number of people participating in wake sports in Oregon is growing, and so is the concern about safety and user conflicts. The Board, by vote, may direct staff to initiate the rulemaking process to discuss possible statewide boat operation safety rules. If the Board votes to open rulemaking, a public comment period and public hearings to gather testimony will be scheduled and announced. The Board will not be making any decisions at this meeting to ban wake boats, create exclusion zones or restrict any river use. The Department of Administrative Services Human Resources will facilitate the candidate interviews for Marine Director. Following the interviews, the Board will enter into executive session to discuss the candidates. Afterward, the Board will reconvene into open meeting session to make a motion to hire a Marine Director. For more information and to view the staff report, visit http://www.oregon.gov/OSMB/info/Pages/Board-and-Public-Meetings.aspx.
