Northern Great Basin conservation bank approved in Oregon, sponsors tell Baker County they offer mitigation credits

Doug Himas, co‑owner and sponsor of the Northern Great Basin Conservation Bank (NGBCB), and Charles Klinger of TerraWest Consulting presented the bank to the Baker County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 6. They said Oregon Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) and other agencies recently approved the bank, the first in Oregon under state guidance. Himas and Klinger said the bank preserves roughly 40,000 acres of private ranchland under conservation easement to provide pre‑approved mitigation credits for projects that otherwise would need to find, acquire, or place other acreage under easement. They said developers can purchase credits rather than completing mitigation themselves — a process they described as faster and less costly than assembling mitigation on a project‑by‑project basis. The presenters described long‑term stewardship and a publicly reviewable endowment that pays for monitoring and management; they said the landowner retains private ownership while the conservation easement runs with the property in perpetuity. They said the bank’s long‑term obligations run with the land and are monitored by a third‑party land trust and consultant. Commissioners asked about public access, private ownership and whether conservation easements would allow hunting and grazing; speakers said the ranch will remain a working cattle ranch that may allow hunting and that access remains subject to private‑land rules. Speakers said the bank does not add new easements as part of every credit sale — credits are sold from preauthorized conserved acreage. Ending: The presenters asked commissioners to refer prospective developers to the bank when mitigation options are needed; no formal county action was taken.