5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form OCRF Project Proposal Form Thanks for your interest in applying for a grant from the Oregon Conservation & Recreation Fund. More information, including information on the Conservation & Recreation Advisory Committee's program priorities, available funds, and guidelines for preparing your application are available online here: https://www.dfw.state.or.us/conservationstrategy/OCRF/committee.asp. Questions can be referred to the Department of Fish and Wildlife via email: [email protected] or by phone: 971-719-1192. Email * [email protected] Project Information Project Title * Rainforest Reserve https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 1/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Project Overview * Please provide a short summary that could be used to describe your project on the OCRF website. (2000 character max) Unprecedented in Oregon, the Rainforest Reserve project will conserve 3,500 acres of coastal rainforest and rocky bald habitat adjacent to Oswald West State Park, Cape Falcon Marine Reserve and the proposed Arch Cape Community Forest creating a resilient sea to summit conservation corridor stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the crests of the Coast Range. Located in Clatsop County, the project is characterized by steep forested slopes, rocky outcrops featuring state and federal plant species of concern, and the headwaters of salmon streams and the drinking water sources for the communities of Cannon Beach, Falcon Cove, and Arch Cape. The direct land-sea interface of the coastal-fronting watersheds within the Rainforest Reserve results in a landscape that is home to a rare mix of plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. The Nature Conservancy and Oregon State Land Board first identified this landscape as exceptional and in need of conservation in the 1970s when surveys revealed “one of Oregon’s outstanding rare plant assemblages” and a rare coastal population of silver fir clinging to the rocky soils and near-vertical rock faces surrounding Onion Peak. The Rainforest Reserve is the continuation of decades of work by Oregon State Parks, The Nature Conservancy, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, the City of Cannon Beach, the Arch Cape Water and Sanitary District, which is working to protect the Arch Cape Community Forest, and North Coast Land Conservancy, and is supported at federal, state, county, city, and individual levels. NCLC and its partners laid the groundwork for this exceptionally rare opportunity to acquire and protect this significant landscape. Funding from OCRF will allow NCLC to leverage years of project development to seize this opportunity and ensure the Rainforest Reserve is managed in perpetuity for its conservation and community values. Primary Contact Person * katie voelke Primary Contact Email Address * [email protected] Primary Contact Phone number * 5034405648 https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 2/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Lead Organization * north coast land conservancy Mailing address * PO Box 67 Seaside Oregon 97138 Lead Organization Federal Tax ID Geography/Ecoregion * Consult the Oregon Conservation Strategy Ecoregions: https://oregonconservationstrategy.com/ecoregions/. Check all that apply. Blue Mountains Coast Range Columbia Plateau East Cascades Klamath Mountains Nearshore Northern Basin & Range Willamette Valley West Cascades https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 3/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Project Location (City) * Arch Cape Project Location (County) * Clatsop Project Start Date MM DD YYYY 01 / 01 / 2016 Project End Date MM DD YYYY 12 / 31 / 2021 Funding Amount Requested * 500000 Total Project Cost * 10000000 Project Description Tell us about your project. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 4/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Project goals and objectives * Please describe the project goals and objectives. (2500 character max) Preservation of the 3,500 acres will advance several Conservation Strategy objectives, namely improving connectivity, protecting a large intact area, complementing existing ecological networks and protecting a site with exceptional biodiversity values. This acquisition is 3,500 acres linked to the 2,500 acre Oswald West State Park, the proposed 1,500 acre Arch Cape Community Forest and the Cape Falcon Marine Reserve. The entire expanse will form a 32-square-mile protected area from the nearshore ocean to the tips of the coast range. Permanent protection of the Rainforest Reserve property will strengthen the conservation values of the surrounds by limiting edge effects on Oswald West State Park and the proposed Arch Cape Community Forest, and provide connectivity to the Marine Reserve. The Rainforest Reserve itself harbors important habitat in need of protection: coastal temperate rainforest, salmon-bearing streams, and rare rocky bald habitats with plant species found nowhere else on earth. Opportunities for permanent protection of coastal rainforest are infrequent, particularly in Clatsop County, where 94% of land is designated as forest land, 67% of which is in private ownership and managed for repeated timber harvest. In Clatsop County, where only 2.5% of forestland lies within parks or land trust habitat reserves, forest conservation generally requires the acquisition of working forests. Unlike most large forest tracts in the region, much of this property contains stands more than 50 years old; in many areas, active timber management has not occurred for several decades. This has allowed for the development of a mixed-aged forest with a high level of structural complexity, particularly on the south slope of the Angora Peak complex. Acquisition by NCLC will provide a rare opportunity to steward the forest to late seral conditions, protect drinking water sources, state priority species and habitat, and conserve endemic species. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 5/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Outcomes and Measuring Success * Please describe the expected outcomes of your project and how success will be measured. (2500 character max) The Rainforest Reserve is in good condition and acquisition will allow it to continue to grow into a mature temperate rainforest. The key long-term management needs for the property are protection of sensitive rock garden habitat, protection of streams and wetland seeps, conservation and enhancement of forest habitat, maintenance of roads needed for stewardship activities, monitoring and controlling invasive species, and managing for balanced public recreation. To address these long-term needs, NCLC will draw upon its more than 30 years of experience stewarding thousands of acres on the northern Oregon coast. NCLC’s long-tenured staff have been working in the vicinity of the Rainforest Reserve for over a decade. Understanding the scale of the Rainforest Reserve, NCLC has consulted outside experts in the fields of forestry, botany, biology, carbon markets, and recreational land management to supplement our evaluation of the property. NCLC will also continue to work in close collaboration with other managers of coastal rainforest, including OPRD, TNC, adjacent private timberland owners, and forestry consultants to apply the best available habitat restoration and forest management science to develop and implement a long-term stewardship and management strategy for the property. A small portion of the Rainforest Reserve was replanted following clearcut harvest and is heavily stocked. NCLC plans to thin dense stands and manage for species and structural diversity to improve habitat and increase resiliency to climate change. NCLC is working with local forestry experts to evaluate the property’s existing logging road network and identify segments for future decommissioning. The protection of rare plant communities found on the Rainforest Reserve’s rocky balds and subalpine meadows is also a critical element of the property’s stewardship. Management of invasive plant species and rare plant communities will be ongoing and recreational access restrictions will be designed accordingly. NCLC will continue to apply our experience coupled with the most relevant science and expertise from project partners to manage the Rainforest Reserve in a way that ensures successful ecological outcomes. NCLC will secure $2 million in stewardship funding to ensure the Rainforest Reserve is carefully managed in perpetuity https://docs.google.com/forms/d/15SPONjWoM1axoxSBULKwVi2dKUPY9nBWXP3qlqBLmJI/edit#response=ACYDBNhT3XQvnOikuPw9vkAlLgLiKA… 6/13 5/13/2021 OCRF Project Proposal Form Project Narrative * Please describe your project in full. (8000 character max) NCLC plans to purchase in our to bring it into conservation for its natural and recreational values. The Rainforest Reserve features an unusually compressed, biogeographically concentrated coastal-fronting forested watershed. Mountains with rocky peaks featuring globally rare plant species rise sharply from the sea and streams cascade directly into the ocean through diverse forests. The Rainforest Reserve is in good condition and its conservation will put it on a trajectory toward