State Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan
Marbled murrelet conservation Strategy
DNR is moving forward on a long-term Marbled Murrelet Conservation Strategy, and working jointly with the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS). DNR made commitments to protect marbled murrelets habitat in the Trust Lands Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP). When the HCP was signed in 1997, managers had insufficient information to create a long-term conservation strategy. Marbled murrelet ecology and habitat use were not well understood, particularly in relation to nesting habitat in DNR-managed forests. So the HCP specified an interim strategy to be implemented while we conducted extensive surveys and research to support development of a long-term strategy.
Development is under way on the strategy for the six Western Washington HCP Planning Units: Straits, Olympic Experimental State Forest, South Coast, Columbia, South Puget, and North Puget.
NEW Public meeting dates and locations announced below
The strategy will help conserve marbled murrelet habitat on state trust lands in western Washington, while allowing for timber harvest and other activities—activities that earn revenue for public schools, counties and other trust beneficiaries. With this strategy, we are committed to meeting our fiduciary responsibilities to trust beneficiaries, and to working with the FWS to support marbled murrelet conservation.
Public Participation and Environmental Review
Throughout the process, we will provide regular updates, and there will be many opportunities for public involvement.
Check back to this page for public meeting notices and new information as it is developed.
Together, DNR and FWS will analyze the potential environmental impacts of proposed management alternatives for the conservation strategy and jointly publish a single Environmental Impact Statement. We are about to begin environmental review under both state and federal processes. We are using an expanded ‘scoping’ process with two phases of public meetings and comment periods—the first phase, to get input on the project’s need, purpose, and objectives, the environmental impacts that should be considered, and existing environmental information relevant to analysis; the second phase, to get input on conceptual alternatives for the conservation strategy. Public meetings will be held in each of the four DNR regions included in the proposal.
Phase One Public meeting dates and locations
April 30 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Olympia: Natural Resources Building, Room 175, 1111 Washington St., 98504
May 3 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Sedro Woolley: Northwest Region, 919 N. Township St., 98284
May 8 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Cathlamet: River Street Meeting Room, 25 River Street, 98612
May 9 — 6 to 8 p.m.
Forks: Olympic Region Office, 411 Tillicum Lane, 98331
Meeting Materials
Documents for review- Joint Need, Purpose, and Objectives approved by the Board of Natural Resources and the US Fish and Wildlife Service
The ‘Need’ statement describes why DNR and FWS are pursuing this marbled murrelet proposal.
The ‘Purpose’ statement describes the over-arching vision or goals for the proposal, and
The ‘Objectives’ specify individual terms that all reasonable management alternatives must meet in addition to the need and purpose.
These provide the current status of the proposal and allow for the scope of the environmental review to be defined in order to prepare the Environmental Impact Statement. Together, the Need, Purpose, and the Objectives provide a foundation for developing the long-term Marbled Murrelet Conservation Strategy while incorporating environmental considerations into the process. The individual statements of the proposal’s Need, Purpose and Objectives are not intended to stand alone, but should be read together as a whole.
NEPA Notice of Intent to Conduct Public Scoping and Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement related to an amendment of the 1997 Washington Department of Natural Resources Habitat Conservation Plan for Forested State Trust Lands
Later, we will ask for input when the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is released. Public environmental review will meet both the State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements.
If you would like to be notified about opportunities to give input during the formal environmental review process for this proposal, send your e-mail address to sepacenter@dnr.wa.gov. All notices also will be posted here on this website.
Research and other documents
Photo credit: Nick Hatch, USFS PNW Research Station