Here is an interesting letter with a link that tells about Cadmus.

From: WALTZ David
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 6:10 PM
To: STEBBINS Adam
Cc: PREAMEL@aol.com ; VERRET Greg J ; apk1944@gmail.com
Subject: RE: Recommendation for Mid-Coast TMDL Technical Advisory Committee

Hi Adam-
Thanks for the information and referral.

Here’s a brief update on the MidCoast TMDL Stakeholder process: DEQ received confirmation from EPA-Region 10 are supporting our proposal for Facilitation and Mediation activities, through their National Watershed Contract. They identified a primary contractor (the Cadmus Group) who will manage the project in collaboration with DEQ.

DEQ is in the early stages of working with Oregon Consensus (OC) on gathering background information and lists of stakeholders for Phase 1 of the project (OC’s initial assessment). Once we get a contract for Phase 1 in place (optimistically, end of April), they will interview a representative sampling of stakeholders (and potential advisory committee members) and develop a facilitation process. Those interviews could be with either individuals or organizations (public, non-profit or private). We will include information in our next update on the TMDL (April).

I will put Mr. Kingsbury on that contact list, along with Benton County and the Alsea Watershed Council. However, we can’t ask OC to do anything specific, including contacting prospective advisory committee members, until they are under contract for Phase 1.

After Phase 1 is complete, we plan to work with Cadmus to develop a scope of work and budget for Phase 2 and a FINAL contract that will fund OC as the subcontractor for the stakeholder process, hopefully through summer 2012. Of course, after Phase 1, OC will have the option whether or not to take this project on.

Here’s a link to OC’s website: http://www.orconsensus.pdx.edu/

Please let me know if you have questions.

Cheers,

R. David Waltz

TMDL Basin Coordinator
Oregon Dept. of Environmental Quality
165 East 7th Ave.-Suite 100
Eugene, OR 97401

Phone:541-687-7345
Fax: 541-686-7551

From: STEBBINS Adam [mailto:Adam.Stebbins@CO.Benton.OR.US]
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2011 5:16 PM
To: WALTZ David
Cc: PREAMEL@aol.com; VERRET Greg J; apk1944@gmail.com
Subject: Recommendation for Mid-Coast TMDL Technical Advisory Committee

2010 in review

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

Healthy blog!

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Minty-Fresh™.

Crunchy numbers

Featured image

A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 1,900 times in 2010. That’s about 5 full 747s.

In 2010, there were 9 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 19 posts.

The busiest day of the year was May 5th with 48 views. The most popular post that day was Benton County Commissioners Opposition to the Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR) Could Hurt the Economy.

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were linkedin.com, twitter.com, jerryjjackson.com, bentongopcampaign.blogspot.com, and facebook.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for jerry jackson benton county commissioner, jerry jackson benton county, “jerry j jackson”, jerry jackson oregon, and oregon republican blog.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Benton County Commissioners Opposition to the Western Oregon Plan Revision (WOPR) Could Hurt the Economy October 2009
2 comments

2

ELECT JACKSON June 2009
1 comment

3

Benton County Government Should be Under One Roof June 2009
5 comments

4

WHICH CUP IS THE BALL UNDER? September 2010

5

Jackson Presents Comments at Public Hearing September 2009

WHICH CUP IS THE BALL UNDER?

http://www.co.benton.or.us/boc/read_article.php?p=333&d=boc

Benton County Commissioners Annabelle Jaramillo and Jay Dixon joined other county leaders from around the state advocating for the continuation of Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act payments at a meeting with high-ranking federal officials on Friday in Portland.

********************************************************

http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/oclands.php

The fact is there was an act in place to do some of what the Commissioners would like to do and it is the O&C Lands Act.

The O&C Lands Act placed management jurisdiction of the lands under the United States Department of the Interior, and directed that timberlands be managed:

. . . for permanent forest production, and the timber thereon shall be sold, cut, and removed in conformity with the principal of sustained yield for the purpose of providing a permanent source of timber supply, protecting watersheds, regulating stream flow, and contributing to the economic stability of local communities and industries, and providing recreational facilities . . .(43 U.S.C. §1181a

Our current Commissioners have been working against this act by one not being a member of the O&C Counties Association. By the way they are the only county in Oregon not a member. This organization worked diligently to bring a plan forward to allow for management of the timberlands and bringing back the money needed for schools and roads. The Commissioners just want to continue federal welfare payments that took the place of the O&C Lands Act because they can not maintain your schools and roads without the payments, but do not want to allow logging. We can not stand back and let the Commissioners talk out of both sides of their mouths.

http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/pub_comments/paper_documents/Paper_1764-1924/WOPR_PAPER_01875.10001.pdf

The rest of this article is back slapping bologna to make it seem like lowering levy fees assessed is something good. Stop the Band-Aid, welfare, ecosystem revenue, waste of tax payer funds and let’s go back to the great work many including the O&C Counties Association are doing. We need to implement the WOPR plan as soon as possible by putting pressure on the President to stop the Department of Interior’s destruction of our local economy.

*******************************************************

Rep. Kurt Schrader organized a roundtable discussion with United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to discuss the topic of county forest payments. Sen. Ron Wyden, Rep. Peter DeFazio, Rep. David Wu and Rep. Greg Walden also were present.
“Secretary Vilsack was asked to include a long-term reauthorization of Secure Rural Schools in the President’s 2012 budget,” Commissioner Jaramillo said. “This was a timely discussion because the current act expires in September of 2011.”
The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000 was enacted to provide rural communities a predictable level of funding for schools, roads and other important public services. The funding was to offset decreasing revenues to counties due to declining timber harvests and other revenue-generating activities on federal lands. That law sunset in 2005, but was extended in 2007 and 2008 to continue funding services in many parts of the country, including many counties in rural Oregon. Aside from going to local schools the funding also is used for maintaining infrastructure, public safety, improving health of watersheds and ecosystems, protecting communities and strengthening local economies based on recommendations of local advisory committees.
Without continued funding many counties in rural Oregon will not be able to meet their current levels of service to their residents. Benton County was fortunate that its taxpayers voted to pass a local option levy to offset those revenue losses locally. When the federal funding was extended, the tax rate on that levy was reduced based on the amount received by the federal government.
“Oregon counties need stable and reliable funding to continue offering the services that are necessary to healthy communities and ecosystems,” Commissioner Jaramillo said. “We deeply appreciate Congressman Schrader’s efforts in bringing together all the parties.”