WHEREAS, the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds was created by the people of Oregon in 1997 to help reverse salmon population declines;
WHEREAS, the forest products industry has been a full partner in the Oregon Salmon Plan since its inception;
WHEREAS, through the first six years of the Plan, private forest products companies invested $59,124,574 in salmon habitat restoration projects – roughly 90 per cent of all private landowner (forest and non-forest) contributions during that period;
WHEREAS, more than half of that total investment was spent on projects in the Oregon coastal coho “evolutionary significant unit”;
* WHEREAS, largely in recognition of the success of the Oregon Salmon Plan and the commitment of the people of Oregon to it, the National Marine Fisheries Service recently decided to not re-list Oregon coastal coho as a threatened species under the federal Endangered Species Act;
WHEREAS, the Oregon Salmon Plan now serves as a shining example of how a state and its citizens, largely through voluntary measures, can successfully tackle natural resource issues and challenges in ways that are far superior to what can be achieved through heavy-handed government regulatory mandates;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, members of the Oregon Logging Conference commend the people of Oregon in general and the forest products industry in particular for their ongoing commitment to salmon conservation and to participation in the Oregon Salmon Plan;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, members of the Oregon Logging Conference urge continued participation in Oregon Salmon Plan activities and projects by all Oregonians to ensure the long-term health and vitality of Oregon salmon species.
* resolution assumes this in fact happens prior to the 2006 Oregon Logging Conference meeting