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Committee hears bipartisan bill to fund rocky‑habitat stewardship and community grants
Summary
Lawmakers heard testimony supporting House Bill 3587 to fund a permanent coordinator at the Department of Land Conservation and Development and to create a grant program for local stewardship of rocky shoreline habitats; witnesses emphasized ecological and visitor‑use pressures but the committee took no vote at the March 5 hearing.
Lawmakers held a public hearing March 5 on House Bill 3587, a bipartisan measure to implement the state’s Rocky Habitat Management Strategy by funding a permanent coordinator at the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) and creating a grant program to support local stewardship and nonregulatory visitor management.
Representative David Gomberg introduced the bill briefly and said it complements other coastal bills to protect nearshore and eelgrass habitats. Joe Lee Bezite, co‑chair of the Oregon Ocean Alliance and statewide conservation director for the Bird Alliance of Oregon, told the committee rocky habitats make up about 40% of Oregon’s coastline and support seabirds, pinniped pupping areas and kelp beds; he said the habitats face ecological stress from marine heat waves and increasing visitation.
Bezite said the Rocky Habitat Stewardship Bill is a modest biennial investment (proponents described a $600,000 biennial ask) with two main components: a permanent DLCD coordinator position to implement the strategy and a $300,000 competitive grant fund for community stewardship and outreach. He and other witnesses emphasized that nonregulatory, boots‑on‑the‑ground stewardship (for example, the Haystack Rock Awareness Program) is necessary to reduce disturbance from increasing visitation.
Annie Merrill, marine conservation manager for the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition and co‑chair of the Oregon Ocean Alliance, testified in support of HB 3587 and related bills. Merrill said the rocky habitat strategy update completed in 2022 established a nomination process and that capacity at state and community levels is insufficient to implement the strategy without dedicated staff and grants.
Committee members asked about agency capacity and whether funding to DLCD would be sufficient. Witnesses said the bill’s permanent coordinator position is intended to address capacity limits and that NOAA funding the current temporary position is not a secure long‑term solution. Support letters and sign‑ons from conservation groups, tribes and local governments were noted during testimony.
No formal committee action or vote occurred during the hearing; committee staff closed the public hearing at the end of the testimony period.
