May 22, 2015

Ecotrust forest deal returns an Oregon tribe to its ancestral lands May 22, 2015, 2:35pm PDT //= $authorImg ?> Picasa In a first for Ecotrust Forest Management, a for-profit arm of Ecotrust, the organization… more In a first-of-its kind deal for Ecotrust Forest Management, the for-profit arm of Ecotrust has sold forestland. EFM said it sold 3,200 acres of Curry County forestland it’s held since 2006 to the Coquille Indian Tribe. It is the first time EFM has exited a property. It owns and manages more than 12,000 acres of Northwest forestland to meet conservation as well as financial goals. Terms were not disclosed, but the transaction is a rare opportunity for an Oregon tribe to reclaim access to the lands where ancestors hunted, gathered and lived. Dry Creek runs through the… more Business Pulse See All Homes of the Day The tribe renamed the site "Sek-wet-se. " It used tax credit financing and other support to close the deal. Tribal Chairwoman Brenda Meade said the Coquille have worked to regain access to its ancestral lands since being recognized by Congress in 1989. Tribal recognition did not come with a reservation so the tribe has been working to secure sites to reconnect to its history. It will manage the Sek-wet-se under Forest Stewardship Council standards, which includes harvesting timber as well as promoting ecological and biological diversity. Meade said timber operations will provide much-needed employment to tribal members. But more important, she said, is the chance to walk in the same footsteps as tribal ancestors. “We recognize that we’ve lost a lot of our culture. When we take elders and our young people up on that land, that’s how we regain our culture and how those stories come back,” she said. Ecotrust Forest Management purchased the property in 2006 from a family-held corporation that operated it as conventional timberland. Ecotrust managed it to FSC standards. Bettina von Hagen , co-founder and CEO of EFM, said selling forest lands to suitable partners is a key part of its strategy. It will purchase sites when it can identify a conservation-oriented owner to take it over down the line. That can be a tribe or a municipal water system seeking to gain control over its watershed area. She said the Sek-wet-se is an important ecological site that supports a variety of wildlife, including threatened species. Just south of the coastal city of Bandon, the Sek-wet-se includes Dry Creek, spawning grounds for most Chinook in the Sixes River system. It has its back to the Grassy Knob Wilderness and other wilderness areas within the U.S. Forest Service’s Siskiyou National Services. The forestland is covered with hardwoods as well as Douglas Fir and provides habitat for a wide variety of species, including the Great Northern Spotted Owl. “It’s a piece of property that’s destined for a strategy,” she said. Meade said the Coquille already have identified ancestral villages and culturally important sites. A blessing ceremony is planned. “This property gives us the ability to be on the Sixes River, to gather eels and take care of salmon habitat,” Meade said. Industries