DLCD Technical Assistance Grant Progress Report

Staff is providing the Planning Commission with a status update regarding one of the two tasks (wildlife inventory update) comprising the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) Technical Assistance (TA) Grant. Staff has received the data summary report from the wildlife biologist team, and is currently developing a public outreach plan that will culminate in two virtual open houses on April 15 and April 29, hosted by the Planning Commission.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

MEMORANDUM

TO: Deschutes County Planning Commission FROM: Tanya Saltzman, AICP, Senior Planner DATE: March 18, 2021

SUBJECT: DLCD Technical Assistance Grant Progress Report – Wildlife Inventory Update

I. Background

Deschutes County received an 18-month DLCD TA grant to:

1. Incorporate Wildfire Mitigation Advisory Committee (WMAC) recommendations into the Comprehensive Plan and development code; and

2. Begin updating Goal 5 wildlife habitat inventories.

This TA Grant provides a basis for the County to evaluate rural growth and development through a multi-faceted lens, taking into consideration its effect on resource lands, wildlife, natural hazards, economic development, housing, transportation, public facilities, and rural communities. Staff structured the grant tasks so that they will give Deschutes County the resources to evaluate land use interrelationships as part of a future Comprehensive Plan update. County staff can then engage residents and stakeholders in a separate, multi-year public process to update the Comprehensive Plan holistically.

II. Wildlife Inventory Update

A. Project Scope

Under this task, staff will evaluate updated data for wildlife inventories from the Oregon

Rule 660, Division 23). This will entail engaging ODFW and a DLCD Goal 5 Coordinator to mutually understand the methodology of the agency’s updated wildlife inventories, conflicting uses, and the range of options for protecting wildlife habitat.

As noted in a previous update to the Planning Commission, the first Technical Advisory Committee meeting was held on August 27, 2020, attended by representatives from DLCD, ODFW, the County, and the consultant, Mason, Bruce & Girard. The primary task of the meeting was to select three inventories/species that the project will focus upon with respect to compiling updated data.

Ultimately, while there are numerous species of note in the County, choosing the three that should be addressed through this grant was straightforward based on committee members’ experience and expertise. Those inventories are as follows:

 Mule Deer Winter Range

 Elk Winter Range

 Sensitive Bird Habitat (Bald and Golden Eagles)

Since that selection, the consultant convened an Interagency Working Group (IWG) consisting of technical experts from ODFW and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to provide, review and evaluate wildlife data for the three inventories. The IWG met three times over the fall and winter, comparing data and collection methodologies. The IWG produced a summary report, which is provided with this memorandum as Attachment 1. The report provides an overview of the technical experts’ work and illustrative maps. Separately, the consultant has provided the raw GIS data as well so that Community Development GIS staff can work to present that data combined with other County information.

B. Public Outreach

Staff, along with the Planning Commission, project consultant, and agency representatives, will now take the work of the IWG to the public to present information and gather feedback. Similar to the public outreach efforts with the wildfire mitigation program, two virtual open houses will be hosted by the Planning Commission on the evenings of April 15^th and April 29^th, 2021. The goal of these virtual open houses is to present the project, introduce the consultant and technical team, who will in turn explain the data they collected and how they did so. Staff will explain options for moving forward with a potential wildlife inventory update to the Comprehensive Plan and how that could take shape. Both open houses will prominently feature question and answer sessions with the public (via Zoom and/or Facebook Live, as done in the wildfire outreach process), where the technical experts will be available to shed further light on their process and experience.

Just as with the wildfire outreach program, the open house presentation will feature an online StoryMap, which will illustrate aspects of the project with maps and other visuals, and likely a short online survey to help gauge the public’s interest in moving forward with an inventory update process. These online tools will be available to the public for approximately a month.

It is important to note—and this will be emphasized throughout the outreach process—that this

Staff understands that the decision to undertake a Goal 5 wildlife inventory update will be multifaceted, encompassing larger land use and conservation concepts beyond just the hard data.

What can be done with that data in terms of integrating some or all of it into the Comprehensive Plan, regulatory and non-regulatory scenarios, and the details of what this could mean for property owners in various locations will be addressed in future phases of the project if the Board of County Commissioners (Board) chooses to pursue it.

IV. Next Steps

Staff will return to the Planning Commission prior to the first open house to discuss meeting logistics. After the two virtual open houses, staff will prepare a summary report that will include the data collected by the IWG team, additional maps, and a summary of the public process, to be shared with the Planning Commission and the Board. This report will include options for potential next steps if the Board chooses to pursue that direction. The DLCD TA Grant will conclude on May 31, 2021.

Attachment:

Deschutes County Goal 5 Wildlife Inventory Update Report – Mason, Bruce & Girard, consultant

In document AGENDA DESCHUTES COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION MARCH 25, 2021, 5:30 PM BARNES SAWYER ROOMS DESCHUTES SERVICES CENTER 1300 NW WALL STREET BEND, OR, 97703 (Page 53-57)