HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 2001-4627, by Representatives Haigh, Eickmeyer, Woods, Talcott and Darneille

      WHEREAS, Simpson Timber Company was founded in Mason County, Washington in 1890 and is in its fifth generation of family ownership; and

      WHEREAS, Simpson Timber Company today owns and manages nearly 300,000 acres of timberland in the state of Washington and provides forest products for millions of people; and

      WHEREAS, On October 13, 2000, Simpson Timber Company signed an innovative fifty-year multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and with the National Marine Fisheries Service; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan protects fifty-one species of fish and wildlife, several of which are listed as "threatened" under the Federal Endangered Species Act; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan is the first in the nation to also provide for compliance with federal Clean Water Act requirements; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan covers 262,000 acres of timberlands owned by Simpson Investment Company on the Olympic Peninsula in the state of Washington; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan has been adopted as a total maximum daily load for water quality purposes by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan represents the first time federal Endangered Species Act and Clean Water Act issues have been tackled together under a single plan for an entire ownership; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan relies on a landscape approach to habitat protection, taking into account the geologic setting and physical processes on area habitats and varying habitat protection strategies according to these criteria; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan offers a model for future conservation partnerships; and

      WHEREAS, The Habitat Conservation Plan sets the standard for future opportunities to link water quality and wildlife conservation;

      NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives formally commends and offers its appreciation to the Simpson Timber Company for its dedication to wildlife habitat conservation and sound environmental stewardship; and

      BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be immediately transmitted by the Co-Chief Clerks of the House of Representatives to Colin Moseley, Chairman of Simpson Investment Company, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, Gary Locke, Governor of the State of Washington, Doug Sutherland, the Commissioner of Public Lands for the State of Washington, Tom Fitzsimmons, Director of the Washington Department of Ecology, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

          I hereby certify this to be a true and correct copy of

         Resolution 4627 adopted by the House of Representatives

                             March 21, 2000.

________________________________             _____________________________

Timothy A. Martin, Co-Chief Clerk          Cynthia Zehnder, Co-Chief Clerk