State Land Board, Oct. 13

At their public meeting on Oct. 13, the State Land Board will be asked to adopt administrative rules governing geothermal leases. The draft new rules were amended through a public process that aimed to make the rules clearer and bring them into line with other agency lease rules. Department of State Lands staff will ask the Board to approve the direct sale of five parcels of land in Deschutes, Gilliam, Grant and Wheeler counties. The parcels were identified for divestment because of their isolated location or other conditions that make them uneconomical to manage. The Board also will be asked to approve appointments to the Ocean Science Trust, whose purpose is to promote peer-reviewed, competitive research and monitoring of Oregon’s ocean and coastal resources. The Board will consider appointing an interim director of the Department to fill in for departing director Mary Abrams, who has been with the agency for three years. Abrams is leaving to lead the Pacific Island Fish and Wildlife Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Board will conduct a nationwide search for a new director.