The “expression of interest” deadline was Tuesday.
BY JACOB PALMER | DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
A total of 48 groups or individuals are formally vying to buy the Elliott State Forest.
The “expression of interest” deadline from the state was Tuesday.
The long list of potential buyers is surprising, and encouraging, said Brian Jennings, state outreach coordinator for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers in Oregon.
However, it’s unlikely that many of the letter-writers could buy the property on their own, and some acknowledged that they are only seeking input on the forest’s management.
(READ MORE: Statesman Journal)
Timber groups, conservation groups, local governments and Indian tribes have all expressed interest.
“The object is to find a proposed acquisition plans for the property, first of all and foremost that meet the need to compensate the Common School Fundfor the fair market value for the property,” Potter says.
Potter says a successful bid will also guarantee public access to half the forest, create 40 full-time jobs, reserve a quarter of the forest for old growth habitat and protect fish.
(READ MORE: OPB)
The list of potential buyers:
A-1 Timber Consultants, Inc.
Audubon Society of Portland
Bureau of Land Management
Cascadia Forest Defenders
Cascadia Wildlands
Coast Range Forest Watch
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Conservation Capital, LLC
Conservation Forestry Partners, LLC
Coos County
Coos Watershed Association
Coquille Indian Tribe
Cow Creek Bank of Umpqua Tribe of Indians
Douglas County
Douglas Timber Operators
Ecotrust
Ecotrust Forest Management
Forest Investment Associates
Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics
Hutchinson, Theron – North Bend, OR
League of Women Voters of Oregon
Lone Rock Timber Management Co.
New Forests Inc.
North Bend School District
Oregon Board of Forestry/Department of Forestry
Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club
Oregon Coast Alliance
Oregon Council of Trout Unlimited
Oregon League of Conservation Voters
Oregon State University College of Forestry
Oregon Solutions
Oregon Wild
Pacific Forest Trust
Quantum Group et al
Reavis, Kelsey – Lakeside, OR
Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation
Roseburg – RLC Industries Co.
Schwarz, Samuel – Coos Bay, OR
Seitz, Cathy, Grants Pass, OR
Shamet, Barbara – Allegany OR
Stillwater Sciences
The Conservation Fund
Trust for Public Land
U.S. Federal Agency Collaboration
U.S. Forest Capital, LLC
U.S. Forest ServiceWild Salmon Center
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