OAR 635-430-0027: Property Enrollment Criteria

(1) The Department will only enroll properties in the Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program that the Department determines will create or maintain a conservation benefit. The Department will evaluate properties based on habitat type, parcel size, connectivity, native vegetation functionality, and commitment of cooperating agency and resources. (2) To be eligible, properties must be or have: (a) Large acreage. The Department will define minimum acreage requirements for each Watershed District and may periodically revise those requirements as needed. Requirements will be posted to the Department’s webpages; (b) A large proportion of property in a native habitat of conservation concern; (c) Intact habitat; (d) Connectivity or overlap with Department mapped priorities such as those identified by the Oregon Conservation Strategy or adjacent to other public or private lands managed for conservation objectives; (e) A cooperating agency, or other person meeting criteria in ORS 635-430-0010(1), willing to provide technical assistance, including development and review of the Plan, and possibly conducting field inspections; (3) Landowner must demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the cooperating agency and Department, that they have the ability and resources to accomplish the short and long-term goals of the Program on their property. (4) The Department shall prioritize enrolling properties that offer protection of intact native habitats over those that need active or ongoing restoration; (5) The Department may establish a limit on the number of Plans that can be approved in each calendar year for each Watershed District. Limits will be posted on the Department’s webpages. (6) The Department may establish annual deadlines for review of Plans. Deadlines will be posted on the Department’s webpages. (7) Based on Watershed District conservation needs, the Department may identify specific Watershed District priorities or exceptions for each of the above criteria. The department will post any specific priorities or exceptions on the department webpages. The Department may revise these Watershed District priorities and exceptions to these criteria periodically as needed. (8) Properties enrolled in the Wildlife Habitat Conservation and Management Program prior to the adoption of these rules will not be subject to the criteria described in subsections 2(a)-(e) of this section.