Commission meets to determine agencies involved in marbled murrelet conservation, Nov. 4

SALEM, Ore.—The Fish and Wildlife Commission will meet Thursday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. online to determine the state agencies which can play a role in marbled murrelet conservation because they own, manage, lease, or hold easements on land that does or could provide habitat for this species. The agenda is online and the meeting will be livestreamed on ODFW’s YouTube Channel; view it here https://www.dfw.state.or.us/agency/commission/minutes/ To testify during the meeting, register no later than 48 hours before the meeting (so by Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 2 p.m.) by signing up at https://www.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_zu_57wdmQo-hskH3r0jhzQ or contacting (503) 947-6044 or odfw.commission@odfw.oregon.gov. Include your first and last name, a valid email address and phone number in your email. The Commission reclassified marbled murrelets from Threatened to Endangered under the Oregon Endangered Species Act (OESA) in July 2021. The OESA requires that all state agencies must follow survival guidelines, which were adopted by the Commission in July 2021. These serve as interim protection measures until formal management plans are adopted by the Commission, a process that can take up to two years. Those state agencies that own, manage, lease, or hold easements on land that could provide habitat for the marbled murrelet must also develop endangered species management plans. ODFW staff identify the following state agencies as those which could be impacted because marbled murrelets, or this species’ habitat, is found on their land: ODFW, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Parks and Recreation, Oregon Department of State Lands, Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Military Department, Oregon Department of Corrections, Oregon Department of Aviation, Oregon Youth Authority and the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board. Private lands are not directly impacted by OESA except that no person is allowed to “take” (kill or obtain possession or control) a listed species. The Oregon Forest Practices Act also requires special protection for specified resource sites for both federal and state listed species. Following Commission approval of the list, ODFW will continue to work with the designated agencies as they determine the role their land shall serve in the conservation of marbled murrelet. ODFW staff and other agencies will also be developing management plans for their lands which, under the OESA rules, must be submitted for Commission consideration within 18 months of the July 15, 2021 listing decision.