Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Refuge Planning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Malheur Refuge launches early, community-led update of 15-year conservation plan
Summary
Malheur National Wildlife Refuge manager Jess Wennick told Harney County Court the refuge will begin a community-focused update of its 15-year comprehensive conservation plan, with the first public hybrid meeting set for Jan. 29 and a facilitated stakeholder core group to guide habitat management planning.
Jess Wennick, manager of Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, told Harney County Court on Nov. 18 that the refuge is launching an early, community-led update of its 15-year Comprehensive Conservation Plan and a companion, more detailed habitat management plan. The refuge moved the planning effort forward three years ahead of schedule to address "significant issues" it has identified and to develop concrete actions and strategies.
The process will be professionally facilitated by Hybexa Partnership, Wennick said, and the refuge plans to hold the first public meeting on Jan. 29 in the local Chamber of Commerce conference room with hybrid (Zoom) access. Meetings are scheduled every other month after that. Outreach will include a listserv, local radio appearances and a feature in the First Times Herald, and the refuge plans a roughly 12-member CCP core group drawn from diverse local interests to synthesize meeting input and help shape subsequent agendas.
"We're doing this now because we're seeing significant issues on the refuge," Wennick said, describing the effort as "truly an organic process" and noting that the refuge does not yet know what the final plan will look like. He emphasized transparency and opportunity for public involvement throughout the planning timeline. Wennick asked the court to consider Rob Frank as the county's representative to the core group; commissioners responded that Frank's expressed interest would be acceptable.
Why it matters: the CCP guides the refuge's management priorities and land-use decisions for roughly a 15-year period. A collaboratively crafted plan could shape habitat management, recreation, and local partnerships on issues that affect county residents and land users. The Hybexa-facilitated meetings and hybrid access are intended to broaden participation.
The refuge's next steps include finalizing the communication plan, launching the listserv, assembling the core group and holding the Jan. 29 public meeting. The court and interested residents were asked to watch the outreach materials and consider participating or endorsing a county representative for the core group.
