Coquille Tribe Clamming in front of Commission, June 8

The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Thursday and Friday, June 8-9 in Salem at ODFW Headquarters, 4034 Fairview Industrial Drive SE. See the meeting agenda here http://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/17/06_june/index.asp  The meeting will be livestreamed at ODFW’s  Periscope and Twitter accounts.  Thursday’s meeting begins at 1 p.m. and the sole topic is the Draft Wolf Plan. Commissioners have now heard public testimony about the Plan at meetings in La Grande, Klamath Falls, and Portland and have also reviewed thousands of public comments received by email. Thursday’s meeting is a work session where commissioners can ask additional questions of staff and discuss next steps for the Plan. No vote will be taken on the Plan during Thursday’s meeting and while the meeting is open to the public, no public testimony will be taken. Friday’s meeting starts at 8 a.m. and the following items are on the agenda. Marbled Murrelet Status: Staff will request a 12-month extension to complete the Marbled Murrelet status review and associated rulemaking process. Several conservation groups petitioned the Commission in June 2016 to “uplist” the seabird from threatened to endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act. The Commission accepted the petition in September 2016, which initiated the rulemaking process. The rulemaking process includes consultation with affected agencies, local governments, tribes, other organizations, and the public; a review of the biological status of the species to determine if circumstances meet legal criteria for reclassification; and peer review of the Department’s status report. Staff needs more time to compile and evaluate additional data, prepare a comprehensive status review report, and fulfill other obligations under the process. Auction and Raffle Tag Allocations: Each year, sportsmen organizations auction several special big game hunting tags with part of proceeds benefiting their organization and the rest supporting ODFW’s big game research, management and hunter access projects. Commission will be asked to authorize 2018 Big Game Auction and Raffle tags. Access and Habitat projects: Approve funding for several projects that provide hunting access and/or improve wildlife habitat on private land, including the Mackenzie Access Project(Owyhee Unit), Troy Ranches (Lookout Mtn and Sumpter Units), MR King Ranches (Lookout Mtn and Sumpter Units), New River Aleutian Goose Project (Sixes Unit), Otley Access Area (Steens Mt Unit), Alvord Ranch (Steens Mt Unit), Kueny Ranch (Steens Mt Unit) and Bentz Access Area (Malheur River). Coquille Tribe Clam Harvest: Adopt MOU between ODFW and the Coquille Tribe to provide opportunity for ceremonial and subsistence tribal harvest of clams through establishment of a special gathering permit. Commercial Pacific Sardine and Anchovy Fisheries: Setcommercial fishery regulations based on federal recommendations for sardine and minor Coastal Pelagic Species fisheries, and adopt additional state restrictions on commercial anchovy fishing in the Columbia River. Culvert Repair Agreement: ODFW staff will provide an interim report on this agreement with ODOT. Reasonable accommodations will be provided as needed for individuals requesting assistive hearing devices, sign language interpreters or large-print materials. Individuals needing these types of accommodations may call the ODFW Director’s Office at 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044 at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Public testimony about items not on the formal agenda will be held first thing Friday morning, just after the adoption of temporary rules. Persons seeking to testify on issues not on the formal agenda may do so by making arrangements with the ODFW’s Director’s office, at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, by calling 800-720-6339 or 503-947-6044. The Commission is the policy-making body for fish and wildlife issues in the state and it usually meets monthly.