2017 Land Acquisition Monitoring
Program Context, History & Accomplishments • Oregon Constitution: OWEB may fund projects that secure long-term protection for land that provides significant habitats for native fish and wildlife • Late 1990s: OWEB began making land acquisition grants • 2004: the Board adopted priorities and principles for land acquisition • To date: $49 million awarded for the protection of 79,000 acres of land
Project Types & Portfolio • Fee simple purchase • Conservation easement purchase • OWEB has interests in more than 100 properties
Importance of Monitoring • Assesses easement compliance • Evaluates progress toward ecological objectives • Identifies matters for follow-up • Can assist in relationship building • Can lead to better project outcomes
2017 Monitoring • 63 properties • Contractors monitored each property for conservation easement compliance and assessed whether ecological objectives are being met
Monitoring Process • Document review; Q&A with OWEB staff • Grantee interview • Site visit • Standardized monitoring form • Property scores • 2017 data compared to 2012 data • Summary report
Monitoring Results 100% 80% 60% 2012 40% 2017 20% 0% Achieving Ecological Score of 9 or More Easement Compliance Goals
Monitoring Follow-up • Contractors noted specific needs that require follow-up • Examples: invasive species, outdated management plans, incomplete restoration work • Grantees were notified of the needs • OWEB project managers are following up
Considerations for the future • Each property should be monitored at a minimum of every 5 years • The size of OWEB’s portfolio is continuously growing. It may be necessary to split the monitoring work between years or biennia.
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