Outlook Committee Transitions to Implementation Advisory Committee

The SWFC steering committee has considered advancing the Outlook committee’s scope of work as the committee moves from providing recommendations for Outlook stewardship projects, to implementing stewardship projects. The Middle Fork Ranger District plans to implement one stewardship project a year across the district and the committee has the opportunity to continue to engage in these projects.

 

The State of Oregon and United States Forest Service (USFS)have partnered under the Good Neighbor Authority (GNA) agreement to allow the State of Oregon Dept. of Forestry to implement restoration work on USFS land. With the purpose to increase the pace, scale, and quality of restoration on federal lands, support local economies, and engage local communities through collaboration. One of the first GNA projects in Western Oregon will be on the Willamette and possibly within the Outlook area!

 

Considering the expanded use of Stewardship and GNA restoration tools on the District, it makes sense for the Outlook group to transition to serve as the Implementation Advisory Committee.

 

Role of the Implementation Advisory Committee:

  • The committee will look at restoration projects as an advisory group and provide recommendations and develop a broad scale scope of potential restoration projects and priorities for the District and the entire watershed.

  • IAC might have a monthly meeting, become a little bit more formal, and pull in local expertise – potentially there could be millions of dollars earned from stewardship and GNA retained receipts that need to be funneled into restoration projects. It is important to have committee of local stakeholders to help offer recommendations.

  • Proposed Objectives for the Implementation Advisory Committee

    • Provide recommendation for the implementation of restoration work

    • Identify potential design, implementation and monitoring opportunities

    • Serve as an information resource

    • Seek out common ground and zones of agreement that apply to stewardship

    • contracting

    • Work across private and public boundaries for restoration activities

    • Serve as an information resource and knowledge base for each other and the public