Executive Summary PDF File.The original "Oregon Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative - Executive Summary and Overview" has been made available as a downloadable file in Portable Document Format (PDF). In order to view and print the PDF file, you need to install the appropriate Acrobat Reader on your PC, Macintosh, or UNIX workstation.
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| "To restore our coastal salmon populations and fisheries to productive and sustainable levels that will provide substantial environmental, cultural, and economic benefits." | ||||
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The heart of the Oregon Plan is its commitment. Commitments only have meaning if they are sincere as proven over time by faithful con- duct. I hope, for our sake and for our children's sake, that society will live up to this pledge. | ||||
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-Jay W. Nicholas | ||||
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Revision of the Oregon PlanThis conservation plan is a synthesis of the first draft of the Oregon Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative Plan, which was released for public and scientific peer review in August 1996, and a legisla- tive review draft, prepared in February 1997. Public input was gathered to improve the Plan through a series of eight community briefings held throughout western Oregon. In November 1996, a group of scientists reviewed the Plan and suggested improve- ments. Over the last six months, the many agency staff working on the Coastal Salmon Restoration Initiative have been meeting with staff of the Na- tional Marine Fisheries Service and other key part- ners to improve and strengthen the plan. In Febru- ary 1997, a revised and updated draft was presented at Legislative hearings. This provided an opportu- nity for the Legislature to address concerns and make needed changes to the Plan. This final draft is the result of those efforts. The final draft of the Oregon Plan was submitted to the National Marine Fisheries Service in March 1997. This plan will be useful in NMFS's listing decision for coastal coho salmon under the federal Endangered Species Act. The decision is expected by April 25, 1997. Oregon's Plan is an adaptive strategy that will change and improve over time based on constructive suggestions from the public, key partners, scientific reviewers, and the Legislature. Over the long term, the Plan will continue to change as we implement agency measures, build local support, obtain volun- tary commitments, and monitor the ongoing success of those efforts. |
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Oregon's conservation plan is designed to restore salmon to a level at which they can once again be a part of people's lives. The emphasis is on coho salmon in coastal river basins. However, it is a model that will expand to include all salmon and trout throughout the state. While the Plan focuses on the needs of salmon, it will conserve and restore crucial elements of natural systems that support fish, wildlife and people. No other state has ever attempted such a comprehensive program. The Plan consists of four essential elements: Coordinated agency programs: Many state and federal agencies administer laws, policies, and management programs that have an impact on salmon. These agen- cies are responsible for fishery harvest management, production of hatchery fish, water quality, water quantity, and a wide variety of habitat protection, alteration, and restoration activities. Previously, agencies conducted business independently. Salmon, whose life cycle crosses the jurisdictional boundaries of all of these agencies, suffered. Salmon suffered because they were affected by the actions of all the agencies, but no single agency was responsible for comprehensive, life- cycle management. Under this plan, all government agencies that impact salmon are accountable for coordinated programs in a manner that is consistent with conservation and restoration efforts. Community-based action: Government, alone, cannot conserve and restore salmon across the landscape. The Plan recognizes that actions to conserve and restore salmon must be worked out by communities and landowners, with local knowledge of problems and ownership in solutions. Watershed councils, soil and water conservation districts, and other grassroots efforts are vehicles for getting the work done. Government programs will provide regulatory and technical support to these efforts, but the bulk of the work to conserve and restore water- sheds will be done by local people. Education is a fundamental part of community- based action. People must understand the needs of salmon in order to make informed decisions about how to make changes to their way of life that will accommodate the needs of the fish. Monitoring: The monitoring program combines an annual appraisal of work accomplished and results achieved. Work plans will be used to determine whether agencies meet their goals as promised. Biological and physical sampling will be conducted to determine whether salmon habitats and populations respond as expected to conservation and restoration efforts. Appropriate corrective measures: The Plan includes an explicit process for learning from experience, discussing alternative approaches, and making changes to current programs. The Plan emphasizes improving compliance with existing environmental laws rather than arbitrarily establishing new protective laws. Compliance will be achieved through a combination of education and prioritized enforcement of laws that are expected to yield the greatest benefits for salmon. In summary, the Oregon Plan involves the following:(1) coordination of effort by all parties, (2) development of action plans with relevance and ownership at the local level, (3) monitoring progress, and (4) making appropriate corrective changes in the future. |
The Oregon ApproachIn contrast to many endangered species recovery plans that rely primarily on regulatory approaches, this plan represents a new way of restoring natural systems... the "Oregon Approach." This approach meshes scientifically sound actions with local watershed- based public support. It relies on teamwork among the various levels of government and is dependent on monitoring and accountability for results. Strong enforcement of existing laws and regulations are a foundation upon which voluntary and cooperative actions can be built. We believe that this is the only approach-- one that will generate the support and commitment across all sectors, from landown- ers and industry to government agencies--to re- store salmon and their natural systems. This plan will require an unprecedented level of cooperation and coordination among local, state, and federal agencies. It represents the commitment of all Oregon- nians to the fish, the watersheds, and our children. |
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Executive SummaryR estoration of Oregon's anadromous fish presents many challenges to Oregonians. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to discover how people and salmon can co-exist in the future. This challenge has no clear endpoint, no time when "success" can be declared forever. Some measure of success, however, may be reached if Oregon achieves a fundamental shift toward resource management philosophies and practices that support conservation and restoration of natural systems in a way that is more favor- able to salmon. After all, a basic tenet of the Oregon Coastal Salmon Resto- ration Initiative (OCSRI) is that all Oregon citizens share responsibility for the changes to the natural systems that have hurt salmon and, likewise, share responsibility for restoration. For the long term, the challenge is to negotiate societal decisions that address the complex, conflicting issues of |