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Port Orford residents press commissioners on logging, wildfire planning; board moves to consider Natural Resources Advisory Committee and review Smith River re‑
Summary
Port Orford residents used the March 5 public‑comment period to press Curry County commissioners to reconsider proposals tied to logging on public lands and to endorse community-based wildfire planning and a Natural Resources Advisory Committee.
Public comments during the March 5 Curry County meeting in Port Orford focused heavily on natural-resource topics: multiple residents urged the board to drop proposals that would enable logging in federal forest lands, requested more analysis of watershed and fisheries impacts, and urged formation of a broadly representative Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC). Commissioners said they would pursue committee formation and review legislation to expand the Smith River National Recreation Area.
What residents said: Bob Morrow and Anne Schmear (identified in public comment) raised concerns about the Pacific High Forest concept and potential county involvement in harvesting timber on federal lands. Schmear urged commissioners to consider road maintenance, invasive-weed management on federal lands, impacts on community water resources, sedimentation and fish habitat, and the potential for litigation if the county pursued logging without appropriate experience and safeguards. “Salmon runs are at a critical point,” Schmear said, warning that logging and poor roads can harm spawning and rearing habitat.
Other commenters supported county action on related items and emphasized community-led wildfire planning. Several speakers urged the board to form a natural resources advisory committee with broad representation (tribes, conservation groups, timber, recreation, watershed councils). Supporters said such a committee can coordinate with state and federal agencies and bring local perspectives to resource decisions.
Commissioner discussion and next steps: Commissioners described a short briefing they received from Senator Jeff Merkley’s staff and noted the Smith River National Recreation Area Expansion Act would add roughly 58,000 acres in Oregon to the recreation area and designate certain rivers as components of the Wild and Scenic Rivers System. One commissioner said the county would review the bill text, seek consensus among commissioners and, if supportive, prepare a letter of support by the end of the week.
On the NRAC, commissioners said counties that form natural-resource advisory committees may have a formal avenue to interact with state and federal agencies and that the standard model is a seven-member panel appointed by the board. Commissioners emphasized the need to ensure the committee would be active, representative and resourced so it did not lapse into inactivity.
Why it matters: Residents framed the issue as a question of local control, environmental stewardship and protection of drinking-water sources, fisheries and tourism-dependent businesses. The proposed Smith River additions and any county involvement in forest management would affect federal-state-county relations and could have legal and financial implications, including possible litigation and added maintenance responsibilities.
Ending: Commissioners asked staff to review the Smith River bill language, gather any public input and return a recommendation; they also directed preliminary steps toward creating a Natural Resources Advisory Committee with attention to representative appointments and resourcing.
