August 19, 2007

Gorge task examines vital signs
Gorge commission’s indicator project will look at baselines for key factors

By RODGER NICHOLS
of The Chronicle

     The proposed destination resort at the former Broughton Lumber Company millsite got most of the attention at Tuesday’s gorge commission meeting, but another item on the agenda may, in the long run, have a great deal more impact on the gorge.
     That’s the first stirrings of the long-awaited vital signs indicators project, now advanced to the planning stage. It’s designed to establish baseline information on key conditions in the National Scenic Area, then measure changes over time to see how well the Gorge Management Plan is doing toward its goals.
     Commission staff presented a set of five draft goals, further subdivided into 13 objectives, which had been reviewed and discussed by the commission’s assessment committee at its July 27 meeting.
     Assessment committee chair Dan Harkenrider said the committee had made some key decisions about the project — that it would be transparent, that it would rely on existing datasets from various agencies, rather than invent new measures, that it would be adaptive and that it would involved partnerships with other agencies, including the Forest Service and planning staffs of the gorge counties.
     The five goals introduced a new acronym to the gorge commission lexicon: SNECRs (pronounced “sneakers”).
     In the past, discussion has often revolved around SNCRs (pronounced “snickers”). The first goal of the National Scenic Area Act is to protect and enhance scenic, natural, cultural and recreational resources in the gorge, giving rise to the acronym. But the second goal of the act is to encourage economic development, and that has been included in the indicators project goals.
     That addition did not go unnoticed. In one of the few moments of levity in the long proceedings, Peter Cornelison of the Friends of the Gorge asked “When did SNCRs become SNECRs?” and held up a Snickers bar and a pair of sneakers as visual aids.
     He also asked that the Friends of the Gorge be given “a seat at the table” on the scenic, natural and recreational committees.
     “If you let us help build the indicators, we will find less fault with them in the future,” he said.
     Current plans call for establishment of a community advisory committee and a technical advisory committee with five subcommittees, one each for scenic, cultural, natural, economic and recreational resources.
     According to the staff report, technical committee members “would bring detailed knowledge of what objective measures to apply to determine gorge ‘health,’” and would represent partner agencies that would provide the data for these measurements. The technical committee and subcommittees would begin their work in September.
     The community advisory committee would be created “to bring important perspective to the project and advise the commission.” It would be formed before the commission’s Future Form event scheduled for late October.
     Advisory committees would operate under charters approved by the commission. Members would be recommended by the Assignment Committee and approved by the commission.
     The staff report suggested the committees might be able to complete their work in early 2008.