Scott Swanson
The 50-page document has been signed by 32 individuals representing a wide variety of local, state and federal agencies, as well as private institutions.
So what does the Declaration of Cooperation for the South Santiam Community Forest Corridor say?
Basically, the stated aim is to “reconnect” Sweet Home visitors and residents with the “natural world” while “respecting the rights and values of landowners.” It also aims to capitalize on “win-win” opportunities to coordinate management of public and private forests, generate forest products and create opportunities for recreation and conservation education.
The document describes the potential location of the forest as extending from the site of the former Western States Reliance Trust land that begins north of the Sweet Home police station and McDonalds, which is proposed as the site of a future county park, east along the river to the former site of the Triple T mill, on the east end of Cascadia, then on to Gordon Road and the Willamette National Forest. It would include Cascadia Cave, east of Cascadia State Park. A trail running the length of the community forest is a significant component of the project.
The declaration includes 12 “significant goals” for the project, the result of 16 months of meetings organized by Gov. John Kitzhaber’s Oregon Solutions Team, which focus on increasing the physical connection between Sweet Home and the Willamette National Forest, via the South Santiam River corridor by providing for “public access to local natural resources” and the river, and improving quality of life and creation of jobs for local residents through “ecological” usage of forest resources.
“A high quality of life and successful, livable communities serve to attract new businesses and residents to the area,” the declaration states as its intention.
Financing for the community forest will come from “entrepreneurial” sources and revenue from land management, such as forest products production. “We’re trying to work together to improve the economic, ecological and social outcomes in the South Santiam landscape,” said Sweet Home District Ranger Cindy Glick, one of key players in the formation of the team. “We’re trying to meet the public’s needs in the long run: more big game habitat for hunting, getting fish numbers up again, clean water, more diverse recreation. Overnight camping, resorts, RV parks – we want to make sure we’re maintaining those structures and maybe adding some that we don’t have.”
She said she had a recent meeting with rock climbing enthusiasts, who are eager to find new places to climb in the area.
Though not a binding legal contract, the declaration is a “statement of good faith and commitment of the undersigned parties,” who have agreed and pledged their cooperation to pursue the plans listed in the document.
Specifically, those plans include:
n Recreation: Develop plans for enhanced recreation opportunities within the community forest corridor, including multi-use trails, expanded camping, fishing, hunting, swimming, rafting, kayaking, scenic vistas, wildlife viewing and cultural exploration.
n Public health: Develop collaborative partnerships with area health care organizations, such as Samaritan Health Services and Western University COMP Northwest medical school, to create healthy lifestyle activities within the community forest corridor.
n Redevelopment: Identify opportunities for redeveloping former mill sites at both ends of the community forest corridor – the former Willamette Industries and Weyerhaeuser site in Sweet Home and Triple T east of Cascadia – as potential “activity anchors” due to their proximity to the river, undeveloped acreage and brownfield redevelopment assistance programs.
n Local History: Develop plans to increase utilization and recognition of the historic features of the Santiam Wagon Road and its significance to the corridor, as a continued link between Sweet Home and Fish Lake.
n Citizen Engagement: Find ways to engage East Linn County residents, particularly students and seniors, with the community forest through hands-on experiences and value-added activities.
n Community Information Center: Assist in the exploration of what it will take to re-establish a Post Office in Cascadia, which could also serve as a community information center.
n Cascadia State Park: Explore new opportunities to promote and enhance utilization of the park as a significant asset of the community forest corridor.
n Land Exchange: Assist in the exploration of potential land exchanges between public entities and private landowners that would lead to realization of other goals listed above. The primary example of this will be Cascadia Cave, currently under private ownership, but slated to be transferred to federal ownership and protection.
n Working Forest Research: Pursue opportunities for a comprehensive research program to improve the successful application of forest management across both public and private forests to produce greater benefits for people and businesses, while achieving long-term goals for forest health.
The commitments from various agencies and private organizations tend to be promises of support for the various steps that will be necessary for the community forest to become a reality, but include some specifics, such as Cascade Timber Consulting’s promise to be a “willing seller” of the property on which Cascadia Cave is located, as long as various criteria are met, and a commitment to work with other players in identifying “mutually agreeable locations” for a corridor trail that would run from Sweet Home to the Willamette National Forest.
Other examples of the kinds of support offered are the Governor’s Regional Solutions Team’s commitment to assist in “identifying state resources, grant opportunities, and other programs that can help achieve project goals” or the Oregon State University College of Forestry’s pledge to provide faculty support for the project, as funds permit, and seeking to use the corridor as a working laboratory for research into intensive management of forests, community health, “competitive and innovative products,” and resilient ecosystems – studies into how nature bounces back from pollution and other disturbances.
“Up to this point, there has been a lot of energy and discussion,” said Sweet Home City Manager Craig Martin, another of the key players in the effort. “This document is the template of beginning steps for getting from Point B to Point C – getting the document written and signed was Point A – and who is going to provide the resources to get from Point B to Point C and how. It could be a trail or it could be the acquisition of the Cascadia Cave cultural site. We are not ready yet to put our shovels in the ground, but we’re pretty close.”
Glick said the first step, now that the agreement is signed, is to get funding for an administrator to manage the project. The Sweet Home All Lands Collaborative will soon apply for a grant for that purpose, she said.
“We need someone at the helm.”
Also, Glick said, participants will need to “strategize and prioritize” which projects they want to pursue most aggressively.
“We want to be flexible and adaptable to the opportunities that arise. The Livability Initiative, I expect, will provide some opportunities,” she said.
Martin, who said he’s been involved in collaborative agreements involving fewer players, said the number of participants in this project is what has him excited.
“When you get 30-some agencies saying they want this, there are certainly benefits for everybody,” he said.