Oregon’s Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber had high
hopes that his plan for saving coastal coho salmon from extinction
could stave off listing the fish as endangered, and set an example
of stewardship for other Western states.
The
“Oregon Plan” featured collaboration among private landowners, who
own 65 percent of the salmon’s habitat, the local timber industry
and citizens concerned about the disappearance of the once-abundant
native fish.
Kitzhaber last year won the support
of a key federal agency that lists species as endangered – the
National Marine Fisheries Service. But now, Kitzhaber’s plan seems
dead, and a listing of the fish
inevitable.
Ruling on a lawsuit filed by
environmentalists, federal Judge Janice Stewart has given the
Fisheries Service until Aug. 3 to reconsider its decision not to
list the coho. The judge was convinced by statements from critics
such as Bill Bakke, director of the Native Fish Society, who said,
“It’s going to take many Kitzhaber-type administrations and
follow-through by government and at the local level to make this a
success story. And we don’t have any assurance that’s going to
happen.”
Kitzhaber, clearly upset at the judge’s
ruling, ordered the state to appeal. Represented by the Justice
Department, the Fisheries Service said it also would appeal the
judge’s decision.
Kitzhaber’s collaborative plan
hinged on a state tax on timber, but included a clause terminating
the tax if a federal endangered listing were approved.
Environmentalists had attacked the clause as “blackmail,” while
Judge Stewart called it a “self-inflicted wound.”
* Carlotta
Collette
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Judge nixes salmon plan.
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