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Council adopts 20-year Mill Creek Watershed Forest Stewardship Plan; plan supports Arrowhead Ranch acquisition
Summary
The Dalles adopted a 20-year Mill Creek Watershed Forest Stewardship Plan funded by a $150,000 Drinking Water Provider Partnership grant; staff said the plan supports an application for $675,000 (OWEB) and identifies Arrowhead Ranch (about 3,642 acres) as a priority acquisition to protect water quality and explore carbon-credit opportunities.
The Dalles City Council unanimously adopted the Mill Creek Watershed Forest Stewardship Plan on Dec. 16, a 20-year management plan for city-owned forest lands intended to protect water quality and promote healthy, fire-resilient forests.
Public Works Director Dave Anderson said the city received a $150,000 grant from the Drinking Water Provider Partnership to fund development of the plan (administered by the U.S. Forest Service) and contracted with Springboard Forestry and Skookum Resource Management for plan development and inventories. Anderson said the plan provides a 10-year operations recommendation, supports potential carbon-credit program evaluation, and includes information supporting the city's option agreement to acquire Arrowhead Ranch — a roughly 3,642-acre parcel that staff and partners hope to purchase with OWEB ($675,000 request) and U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy funding (~$2,000,000 from the Conservation Fund partner).
Councilors asked about maps and acreage; Anderson said Arrowhead Ranch is shown in the plan’s later maps and acknowledged a small error in the option agreement that listed 3,400 acres rather than the correct total (about 3,642 acres). Councilor Dan Richardson moved to adopt the plan and Councilor McLaughlin seconded; the motion carried unanimously.
Next steps: staff will use the plan to support grant applications and future watershed projects; if grant awards come through, the city expects to minimize direct city expenditures on the Arrowhead Ranch acquisition.
