HomeMy WebLinkAboutDabob Bay Natural Area Boundary Expansion Proposal SoN c s f Board of County Commissioners
°� F.J„ 1820 Jefferson Street
PO Box 1220
Port Townsend, `\'A 98368
Kate Dean, District I Heidi l-isenhour, District 2 Greg Brotherton, District 3
SJIING�
August 7, 2023
Hilary Franz, Commissioner of Public Lands
Department of Natural Resources
MS 47001
Olympia, WA 98504-7001
Dear Commissioner Franz:
Thank you again for your offer to develop collaborative solutions for state forestland management with
Jefferson County and your on-going support for the revitalized Trust Land Transfer(TLT) program and
Natural Climate Solutions (NCS)funding for forest conservation.
In our letter to you of June 27, 2023 regarding state forestlands in East Jefferson County, one of our requests
was that DNR expand the Dabob Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area.This letter is intended as a follow
up to specifically request that DNR initiate the process to expand the Dabob Bay Natural Area boundaries as
shown on the attached map.The boundary expansion is necessary for DNR to use the TLT and NCS tools in
combination to protect Globally Imperiled forest types as well as older, naturally regenerated forests with
high ecological significance (aka Legacy Forests).The process will also improve the economic benefits of
Forest Trust lands to the county and its junior taxing districts and support the long-term viability of the
forest land base and forestry in East Jefferson County.
The proposal to expand the Dabob Bay Natural Area is broadly supported, as evidenced by letters to you in
2020 from regional and state conservation organizations, shellfish businesses, and Tribes, as well as many
citizens and private landowners in the area. Now that the TLT program is revitalized in state statute and
significant NCS funding is also available,the Board of County Commissioners are adding our strong support
for this proposal. We are confident that DNR now has viable tools at hand to protect these areas while
improving the situation for Jefferson County's junior taxing districts through purchase of replacement lands
and the "cash for timber" option in the new TLT program.
The proposed boundary includes all of the remaining globally imperiled forest plant associations on state
land in the Dabob Bay area, as identified by DNR. According to DNR's Natural Heritage Program, these older
forest groves together represent the largest Element Occurrence of a rare type of rhododendron forest
remaining in the world. The state is obligated to protect these rare forests under its Sustainable Forestry
Initiative certification. The proposed Dabob Bay NA expansion will allow Jefferson County and its junior
taxing districts the opportunity to be compensated for the protection of these areas through the TLT and
NCS programs.
The proposed boundary also includes additional older, naturally regenerated forests that are priority for
conservation in the state. In total, the Dabob Bay expansion will protect about one-half of these mapped
Legacy Forests remaining on state lands in East Jefferson County.
Phone (360) 385 9100 Fax (360) 385 9382 jet[hocc(u co.jeiterson.‘v a.us
To provide replacement lands and long-term revenue to the junior taxing districts,Jefferson County and its
conservation partners have identified up to 5,000 acres of Rayonier property in the upper Tarboo watershed
that may be available for purchase. Much of this land is at risk of conversion to non-forest uses. We strongly
support DNR's efforts to purchase these productive timber lands: parcels that have few constraints to future
harvest, that can be combine with adjacent existing DNR lands for greater management efficiency, that can
provide increased revenue to the county, and that can strengthen the viability for long-term forestry in this
region.
In summary, after years of ground work by DNR, the State Legislature, and many partnering organizations to
improve TLT, develop new NCS funding, assess the rare forests of Dabob Bay, and build a broad base of
public support, we believe that it is time for DNR to move ahead to expand the Dabob Bay Natural Area
without further delay.This effort will protect priority conservation lands while better positioning Forest
Board lands in Jefferson County for timber production and to generate revenue for the junior taxing
districts. We look forward to supporting you in this important effort.
Sincerely,
Greg Brother on, Commissioner and Chair
KAte Dean, Commissioner
Heidi Eisenhour, Commissioner
Cc: Todd Welker, DNR State Uplands
Mona Griswold, DNR Olympic Region
Drew Rosenbalm, DNR Olympic Region
Tim Stapleton, DNR Natural Areas and Natural Heritage Program
Brian Turner, DNR Olympic Region
Robin Hammill,TLT Program Manager
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Proposed Dabob Bay Natural Area Boundary
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Dabob Bay Natural Area (existing boundary in green, proposed in dashed green).
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