SENATE COMMITTEE ON

AGRICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES

January 31, 2003 Hearing Room B

8:30 A.M. Tapes 9 - 10

MEMBERS PRESENT: Sen. Frank Shields, Chair

Sen. Roger Beyer, Vice-Chair

Sen. Tony Corcoran

Sen. Bill Fisher

STAFF PRESENT: Judith Callens, Committee Administrator

Megan Jensen, Committee Assistant

MEASURE/ISSUES HEARD: Informational Meeting

Invited testimony from agricultural and natural resources organizations

These minutes are in compliance with Senate and House Rules. Only text enclosed in quotation marks reports a speaker’s exact words. For complete contents, please refer to the tapes.

TAPE/#	Speaker	Comments
Tape 9, A
004	Chair Shields	Calls the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. Opens informational meeting.
INFORMATIONAL MEETING
030	Liz Frankel	Oregon League of Women Voters. Gives overview of the Oregon League of Women Voters legislative concerns.
080	Phil Donovan	NW Sportfishing Industry Association; Guides and Packers Association. Discusses legislative concerns: Public land and water regulations SB 99 relating to shellfish harvesting Oregon hatchery monetary backlog issues Management of predators for hunting outfitters
132	Les Helgeson	Native Fish Society. Gives overview of Native Fish Society legislative concerns (EXHIBIT A): Land policies issues HB 2260 Shellfish licensing issues
235	Dan Wells	Oregon Association of Nurserymen. Gives overview of Oregon Association of Nurserymen legislative concerns: Farm and labor relations Transportation permit issues for farm trucks Pesticide reporting Water issues
295	Marjorie Ehry	Oregon State Beekeepers Association/Oregon Women for Agriculture. Gives testimony on retaining funding for the Applied Pollination Biologist/Apicultural Extension Specialist position at Oregon State University (OSU) (EXHIBIT B).
359	Sen. Fisher	Inquires if there is a trained beekeeper professor at OSU.
368	Ehry	Responds.
395	Sheldon Pratt	Oregon Dairy Products Commission (ODPC) Administrator. Gives overview of ODPC (EXHIBIT C) and discusses ODPC campaigns.
TAPE 10, B
005	Pratt	Continues overview of ODPC campaigns and programs: Nutrition education programs and materials Childhood obesity campaign Oregon School Activities Association partners
070	Pratt	Continues discussion of ODPC goals: Fund research and academic programs at OSU Provide school milk service and milk vending machines Provide fundraising for charities
135	John Ledger	Associated Oregon Industries (AOI). Gives overview of AOI: Air quality standards and emission trends in Oregon DEQ Stream Index trends and dissolved oxygen levels
200	Ledger	Discusses industry standards and DEQ permitting fee rate increases.
308	Hilary Abraham	Nature Conservancy. Gives overview of the Nature Conservancy (EXHIBIT D). Summarizes legislative concerns, including securing stable funding for noxious weed removal and continuing the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board program.
400	Abraham	Discusses the Forest Legacy Program, which works in partnership with states to provide opportunities for private landowners and local communities to conserve forestlands.
TAPE 9, B
040	Ralph Saperstein	Boise Cascade. Gives overview of Boise Cascade forest management policies (EXHIBIT E). Discusses the Timbered Rock Fire and the need to improve federal management of forestlands and firefighting policies to protect privately owned lands from forest fires.
090	Saperstein	Continues discussion of Timbered Rock Fire of 2002.
123	Sen. Beyer	Asks where the fire started.
124	Saperstein	Responds. Continues discussion of the Timbered Rock Fire.
180	Saperstein	Suggests that the US Forest Service’s management of the Timbered Rock Fire provides key lessons about the need to reorganize its fire prevention strategies. Discusses alternatives in reforestation issues.
230	Saperstein	Discusses Oregon Forest Industries Council goals.
257	Sen. Beyer	Asks about figures quoted for value of 20 year old timber.
260	Russ McKinley	Boise Cascade. Responds.
265	Sen. Beyer	Asks if Boise Cascade applied for financial assistance to rehabilitate forest lands.
273	McKinley	Responds.
284	Sen. Beyer	Comments that private timber land owners lost value and had to replant and repair at their own expense.
295	Chair Shields	Comments that losing timber lands to forest fires can be avoided.
307	Scott Ashcom	Oregon Agricultural Alliance. Gives overview of Oregon Agricultural Alliance and legislative policy issues: Budget and fee increases Pesticide use reporting system Land use planning issues relating to farming Farm labor relations legislation
380	Ashcom	Continues overview.
430	Steven Kafoury	Wildlife Society. Gives overview of Wildlife Society legislative goals.
TAPE 10, B
035	Barry Bushue	Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) President. Gives overview of OFB legislative issues, including the viability of the agricultural industry in the state and the state budget for natural resources.
070	Jean Underhill Wilkenson	OFB. Continues discussion of OFB legislative agenda (EXHIBIT F).
125	Edward Johnston	Lincoln County resident. Testifies on land use policies and permit fee increases for ODFW.
156	Chair Shields	Closes informational meeting and adjourns committee meeting at 10:07 a.m.

EXHIBIT SUMMARY

A – Native Fish, written testimony, L. Helgeson, 7 pp

B – Agriculture, written testimony, M. Ehry, 1 p

C – Agriculture, brochures, S. Pratt, 40 pp

D – Agriculture, written testimony, H. Abraham, 4 pp

E – Forestry, written testimony, R. Saperstein, 29 pp

F – Agriculture, written testimony, J. Wilkenson, 5 pp