Rally for Public Ownership of the Elliott State Forest

Scene from the Elliott State Forest. Photo courtesy of Coast Range Forest Watch.

Citizens concerned about preserving the Elliott State Forest near Coos Bay for the public will rally in Salem on Tuesday, Oct. 11, beginning at 9:30 a.m.  The occasion is a meeting of the State Land Board, which consists of the Governor, State Treasurer and Secretary of State.  The Land Board will be making a decision on the fate of the Elliott in December.

Participants are urged to wear green and carry banners and signs.  Details of location and carpooling are not yet complete.  For updates, go to http://www.savetheelliott.com/.  (A bus is scheduled to leave Coos Bay at 5:30 a.m.  Contact savetheelliott@gmail.com for details or to RSVP.)

The state plans to sell off the 91,000 acre Elliott State Forest, the largest tract of public land in Coos County. The Elliott is owned by the people of Oregon. Currently, the Department of State Lands is soliciting potential buyers of the forest in a process called the Elliott Ownership Transfer Opportunity. Public comments throughout this process have shown an overwhelming support for maintained public ownership. The decision rests with the State Land Board, which is made up of the Governor (Kate Brown), Secretary of State (Jeanne Atkins) and Treasurer (Ted Wheeler). Portlanders might note that Wheeler is the next mayor of Portland, and thus might be particularly susceptible to pressure from that quarter.

The Elliott is for sale for $220.8 million.  It is largely comprised of Common School Fund lands that are supposed to generate money for Oregon schools. According to the Oregon Department of State Lands (DSL), “Since 2013, because of harvest limitations prompted by a lawsuit over federal protected species and the ongoing costs of maintaining the land in compliance with state and federal laws, owning the Elliott has meant a net loss to the Common School Fund of more than $4 million.” 

The question is whether that long-ago commitment to sell timber from the forest to support schools budgets outweighs everything that has been learned since about forest ecology and endangered species such as the Marbled Murrelet, and about the role of forests in providing harvestable fish and game, non-timber forest products, and recreational opportunities.  It is estimated that the Elliott currently generates $1.3 million in economic activity for the area, mostly by drawing recreationists, an amount which could be increased if the forest were managed actively for that purpose.

Proponents of public ownership are demanding more time to allow for purchase by another public entity, such as the Forest Service, or by a land trust.  The rushed schedule that would push through a sale in December would move too quickly to allow any public purchaser to acquire sufficient funds.