County Land Ownership
Owner:
Acres:
• Federal
847030
• WA State
84906
• Pri. Timber (tax at harvest) 103753
• Reduced, or no tax. 11309
• Pri. Property taxed 19251
Percentage:
79.5
8.0
10
.7
1.8
98% Protected and Heavily Regulated.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
90% = Federal regulated:
Gifford Pinchot National Forest 80%:
Mt. St. Helens National Monument - Mt. Adams Wilderness Area
Trapper Creek Wilderness - Indian Heaven Wilderness 19% County.
Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. 10% of County.
Pierce National Wildlife Refuge - Frantz National Wildlife Refuge.
3 National Fish Hatcheries.
Spotted Owl Critical Habitat. 59% of County.
8% = WA State regulated:
• Beacon Rock State Park. 2 WA State Fish hatcheries.
• Department of Natural Resource lands.
Demographics
• Population:
• Average Median wage Income:
11,137
$ 32,539
• Local Govt. wage Income:
• Acc. and food services wage Income:
• Unemployment rate:
32%
15%
11.5% (3/2013)
2010 - 2013 County Budgets:
• reduced from $ 50 Million, to $ 25 Million total.
• 100 permanent and temp employees have been laid-off.
• 4/10 hour work days to reduce costs, which provide the
bare minimum of WA state required services.
Funding Sources:
86% work specific federal, state, contract, and grant funds,
14% non-specific generated by the County itself. (SRS $1.8
million)
Labor Costs: 87%
No 2014 SRS authorization at current level: 25 less employees.
County Revenue Budget
14% Self generated. 86% federal, state, grant, contract specific.
Services Fund
10%
Special Revenue Funds
45%
Non Dept. Revenue
31%
Current Expense
14%
“All we are asking is the right to control our own
destiny, create more family-wage jobs for our citizens
and provide stable and adequate funding for our
schools and other public mandated services.”
1.
2.
3.
Reauthorize SRS, until federal forests are healthy forests, providing
jobs and revenues to Counties.
Full conveyance of the Wind River Nursery site (400 acres) from the
Forest Service to the County. Support the Biomass Heat and Power
project, and, a new Carson sewer system.
Build a new Federal Office Building at the new Bonneville Industrial
site, Port of Skamania County; for all federal government agencies.
USFS, FWS, COE, BPA, CRGNSA, BIA, USGS, etc. Direct the Forest
Service to move their Forest Supervisor and Mt. Adams Ranger
District Headquarters to, at or near Stevenson, WA, where
employees will become part of the social and economic community
of this County (in compliance with NEPA, 42 USC 101 (a);and NFMA, Section (e)(1)(C)). Currently there are only a handful of National Forest
employees who live in this County. Nearly all reside in other Counties. 80% of Skamania County is the Gifford Pinchot NF, and over 2/3 of the entire forest.
Healthy forests, provide jobs and
revenues to Counties.
1.
2.
Require the Forest Service to manage for Plantation
Restoration and Sustained Yield. 30 years of thinning
possible.
Authorize 25% of all receivable federal funds generated on
federal forest lands to Skamania County, including all
“stewardship” contracting,
Once established, SRS would not be authorized,
3.
4.
When land is transferred, from private to federal ownership,
require in-kind exchange of current federal lands to Skamania
County for public services or private property development.
Amend NEPA and ESA to streamline and expedite the
environmental assessment and final decision making process,
and minimize the current extremely lengthy unproductive
litigation process.