S-4404.3  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6731

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     2000 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Parks & Recreation (originally sponsored by Senators Spanel and Gardner)

Read first time 02/04/2000.

Creating a Lake Whatcom landscape plan.

    AN ACT Relating to Lake Whatcom; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The Lake Whatcom landscape management pilot project is created.

    The department of natural resources shall develop a landscape plan regarding state-owned forest lands in the Lake Whatcom watershed area.  Where appropriate, the department will consult with other major forest landowners in the watershed and shall involve watershed residents in management activities.  The department shall consult with the Lake Whatcom management committee on proposed timber harvest and road management activities.  The department may establish an interjurisdictional committee to review the site-specific activities and make recommendations.  The interjurisdictional committee shall include two members of the public who have an interest in these activities.  The landscape plan shall address at least the following topics:

    (1) Establishing riparian management zones along all streams, as classified under chapter 5, Laws of 1999 sp. sess.  The department shall manage lands within such zones to protect water quality and riparian habitat, and interdisciplinary technical teams may recommend to the department restrictions upon timber harvest and yarding activities on a case-by-case basis;

    (2) Harvest and road construction upon unstable slopes should be carefully regulated, including limiting new road construction and old road reconstruction on unstable slopes, including windthrow buffers during harvest, as necessary;

    (3) Creating and implementing a sustainable yield model specific to the Lake Whatcom watershed that encompasses the revised management standards and that is consistent with the sustained yield established by the board of natural resources;

    (4) The department should build on the existing draft Lake Whatcom landscape plan and incorporate both new information from the community and new scientific information when available; and

    (5) The development of a road management plan for the watershed.

    The landscape plan shall be completed and implementation initiated by June 30, 2001.  Timber harvest in the watershed on state land shall be delayed until the plan is completed.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The sum of two million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 2001, from the forest development account to the department of natural resources to expedite the development and implementation of road management for the Lake Whatcom watershed.  The plan is to be completed by December 31, 2001, and implementation shall begin immediately upon completion.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  If specific funding for the purposes of section 2 of this act, referencing section 2 of this act by bill or chapter number or section number, is not provided by June 30, 2000, in the omnibus appropriations act, section 2 of this act is null and void.

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