ODFW release – ROSEBURG, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Thursday and Friday, March 14-15 in Roseburg. Thursday’s meeting is a tour of local projects including Northwestern pond turtle conservation and oak restoration at Ford’s Pond, beaver restoration on working lands, and West Region’s Wildlife Research project looking at wildlife response to wildfire. To join the tour, meet at the Best Western Garden Villa Inn, 760 NW Garden Valley Blvd no later than 8 a.m. Members of the public can join the tour but must provide their own transportation and lunch. On Friday, the Commission meeting begins at 8 a.m. at Umpqua Community College, Danny Lang Teaching, Learning & Event Center, 1140 Umpqua College Rd. See the agenda and register to testify on an agenda item at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/24/03_Mar/index.asp During the Director’s report, the Commission will be briefed on a variety of topics including the 2024 legislative session, the status of the Mule Deer Plan revision and sea otters. They will also hear about efforts to advance resilience to climate change on working and range lands and about an upcoming hatchery resilience assessment funded by a 2023 budget note. The only formal agenda item is consideration of amending rules relating to the methodology used to determine the fair market value of food fish. These changes are necessary to implement changes made by SB 887 (passed by the Oregon State Legislature in 2023). The Commission can recover damages for twice the fair market value of fish for commercial fishing violations. A public forum for people to comment on topics not on the agenda is scheduled for Friday morning after the Director’s report. To participate in the public forum, you must contact the ODFW Director’s office at (503) 947-6044 or email Michelle.L.Tate@odfw.oregon.gov by Wednesday, March 13 at 8 a.m. (48 hours prior to the meeting).
