Agenda items include work on potential land transactions at the South Slough Reserve and appointment of members to the Oregon Ocean Science Trust

SALEM, Ore. – The State Land Board will meet on Tuesday, December 12 at 10 a.m. at the Department of State Lands building in Salem.

Agenda items the Land Board will consider include:

• Authorize due diligence for a potential land trade of 0.29 acres at the Visitor Center entrance to the South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
  A neighboring landowner operates a business on adjacent land and has requested commercial truck access to their property. Initial research on ownership boundaries identified existing encroachments on both properties. A land trade would be a mutually beneficial solution to resolve both the encroachments and access issues.
   
• Authorize due diligence for a potential sale of 80 acres of forestland from the Common School Fund to the South Slough Reserve.
  The forest habitat offers high conservation value, and the Reserve is seeking grant funding to acquire this parcel. The Department does not own the mineral rights on this property, but acquiring these rights would strengthen the grant proposal. Further due diligence is needed to confirm ownership and obtain mineral data and appraisals.
   
• State Land Board appointment of five voting members to the Oregon Ocean Science Trust.
  Voting members of the Trust help ensure a thriving coastal environment and economy for future Oregonians through research and collaboration with policymakers.

The Land Board will also hear updates regarding the work to establish the Elliott State Forest as a research forest, and the annual report of our aquatic resource management program.

Meeting Details and Agenda 

Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 10 a.m. 
Department of State Lands
Land Board Room
775 Summer St. NE, Salem

The full meeting agenda and materials are available on the DSL website. The meeting will be livestreamed to the DSL YouTube channel. 

The public may submit written testimony or sign up to provide spoken testimony (in person, by video, or phone) during the meeting. Advanced sign-up is required, and the deadline is 10 a.m. on Monday, December 11.

If you need assistance to participate in this meeting due to a disability, please contact Arin Smith at 503-986-5224 or arin.n.smith@dsl.oregon.gov at least two working days prior to the meeting. 

Visitors are not permitted to bring backpacks, bags, or large purses into the Department of State Lands building prior to, during, or following Land Board meetings. Purses, medical bags, and diaper bags are permitted, but may be subject to inspection by the Oregon State Police.

About the State Land Board and the Department of State Lands: The State Land Board consists of Governor Tina Kotek, Secretary of State LaVonne Griffin-Valade, and State Treasurer Tobias Read. Established by the Oregon Constitution in 1859, the Land Board oversees the state’s Common School Fund. The Department of State Lands is the Land Board’s administrative agency, managing the lands and resources that help fund Oregon’s public schools and protecting the state’s waterways and wetlands for the many benefits they provide.

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www.oregon.gov/dsl