City of Ashland

PARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION

STUDY SESSION
MINUTES

September 17, 2007

ATTENDANCE

Present:         Commissioners Eggers, Gardiner, Lewis, Noraas; Director Robertson; Superintendents Gies and Teige

Absent:          Commissioner Rosenthal; City Council Liaison Navickas

CALL TO ORDER

Eggers called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM at the Parks office, 340 S. Pioneer.

PRESENTATION BY SOUTHERN OREGON LAND CONSERVANCY

Robertson welcomed Diane Garcia, Executive Director of the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy, and invited her to speak to the commission.

Garcia talked about the special relationship between the Parks Commission and the Southern Oregon Land Conservancy. She said that the SOLC, founded in 1978, is a local, non-profit land trust that assists landowners, in five southern Oregon counties, in protecting their land. Current SOLC-protected properties were reported to include working farms and ranches, forest and woodlands, hiking and nature trails, and riparian areas in the Rogue Basin and surrounding areas. Garcia clarified that SOLC-protected lands are typically not owned by the conservancy but are privately and sometimes publicly owned, and the lands have permanent restrictions, which are voluntarily placed on the land by the landowner to protect important conservation values. She distributed a listing of public and private properties protected by the SOLC, most of which were reported to be conservation easements, with a total 8,166 acres identified.

Garcia spoke about the value of collaborating on properties such as the Oredson-Todd Woods—which was donated to the SOLC and is managed by the Parks Department—and expressed interest in jointly working on obtaining easements within additional City of Ashland properties. She suggested working with the commission to place a conservation easement in Lithia Park, which would protect the park from future sale or development.

Discussion Among Commissioners

Commissioners asked a number of questions related to the SOLC and the suggested conservation easement in Lithia Park. Garcia agreed to send a sample easement to Robertson so he could review the wording with the commission.

Commissioners thanked Garcia for her presentation.

ADJOURNMENT – By consensus, with no further business, Eggers adjourned the meeting at 7:00 PM.

Respectfully submitted, Susan Dyssegard, Ashland Parks and Recreation