Senate approves Morton bill to provide incentives for private landowners to support endangered species habitat

March 11, 2009

Olympia…Sen. Bob Morton, R-Kettle Falls, won unanimous Senate approval of his bill to increase the preservation of habitat on private land for federally listed threatened and endangered species. 

Since 2001 the state Department of Natural Resources has purchased 583 acres of land where stream water is prone to move and where the movement would result in a potential near-term loss of stream bank (riparian) forest. 

These lands cannot be harvested and are acquired to comply with the state’s Riparian Open Space Program under the state Forest Practices Act. 

Morton’s bill, Substitute Senate Bill 5401, would expand the program to include land outside of stream channels.  Private landowners would receive fair market compensation. 

The idea for Morton’s bill came from a work group organized to settle ongoing litigation over the northern spotted owl. 

“Once an endangered species is identified in a forest area, that protected species pretty much ‘owns’ the land,” Morton said. “My bill creates an option for the ‘human owner’ to sell the land to the government entity involved if he or she so chooses.” 

The measure is supported by the Washington Farm Forestry Association, the Audubon Society, the Washington Forest Protection Association, the Weyerhaeuser Company, and the state Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources departments.

The Senate approved SSB 5401 on March 6. A companion measure, House Bill 1484, was approved by the House of Representatives on March 5. 

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Additional contact: Penny Drost (360) 786-7522 or drost.penny@leg.wa.gov