October 30, 2009

Hood land deal delay
Complex trade may last past Congress date

By RaeLynn Ricarte
Hood River News

     U.S. Forest Service officials are unsure if the 64-step process to trade public land with Mt. Hood Meadows Oregon can be completed within the 16 months allotted by Congress.
     “We’re going to make a good faith effort but we’re probably not going to get through all of these steps within that time period,” said Christine Arredondo, recreation and lands staff officer for the Mount Hood National Forest.
     The agency was given a little more than one year to complete the exchange authorized by the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009. Oregon’s entire Congressional delegation voted in favor of the package that included about 160 bills and was signed into law by President Barack Obama March 30.
     The legislation expanded Wilderness by two million acres in nine states, including the addition of 127,000 more acres of Wilderness on Mount Hood. The Act also gave the nod to a land exchange that would protect the north face of Mount Hood from development.
     The Congressionally intended deadline for completion of the trade is Oct. 1, 2010. The forest service was given neither extra money in its budget nor any legislative relief from regulatory and policy requirements to conduct the exchanges.
     The federal plan is to have Meadows exchange 769 acres of its Cooper Spur holdings for 120 acres of national forest near Government Camp. The company wants to build a condominium complex in the already heavily populated area.
In return, Meadows has agreed to forgo any further development in the southern sector of Hood River County.
     Gary Larsen, forest supervisor, has estimated that it will take the agency two to three years to complete the land exchanges at a cost of $2 million.
     Meadows has been asked to contribute toward the expenses associated with the project, although no monetary amount has yet been agreed upon, according to Rick Acosta, spokesperson for the federal agency.
     He said $70,000 was found in the forest services’ fiscal year 2009 budget for work associated with the exchanges. That funding has set in motion both wetland and cultural resource surveys, as well as other environmental assessments.
     “We’ve got the preliminary efforts going and we’re moving forward,” said Acosta.
     He said the budget amount available for fiscal year 2010, which began Oct. 1, is not yet known since the federal government is operating on a continuing resolution. He said any funding cutbacks could extend the timeline to complete the trade, although the agency will do everything possible to avoid a delay.
     The land trade was intended to resolve 30 years of disputes between Meadows and the Hood River Valley Residents Committee, a local conservation group.
     The exchange of public and private properties was the central piece of a settlement agreement reached between Meadows and HRVRC in 2005. The conservation group had strongly opposed the company’s plans to build residences on its timbered properties in the southern sector of Hood River County.
     David Meriwether, county administrator, assisted with the mediation process between the two parties. He said the local government now plans to advocate for federal funding to make the exchange a reality as soon as possible.
     “It’s something that all parties to the settlement and supporters of the legislation want to see accomplished,” Meriwether said.
     Arredondo said the exchange process involves numerous studies to determine the potential impact on resources. In addition, each property must be appraised and any differential in values worked out by adjusting boundaries or taking other mitigation measures.