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The following e-mail message was sent to WDFW Director Jeff Koenings and ODFW Director Lindsay Ball
From: Adam Novick To: director@dfw.wa.gov Date: 10/28/2003 12:16 PM Subject: Thank you for WDFW / ODFW conference on oak savanna
Dear Mr. Ball and Dr. Koenings, As a private landowner who has been trying to conserve and restore oak savanna, I would like to thank WDFW and ODFW for jointly sponsoring a recent conference on conserving oak savanna, "From Acorns to Oaks," held in Hood River on October 24, 2003. From my experience, I find our society faces new types of challenges in trying to save oak savanna, in part because it is fire-dependent and almost entirely on private land. I believe we can best meet these challenges by exchanging information, such as this conference made possible. I believe the conference was a great success in several respects. First, from handcounts, I was amazed to see extensive attendance by private landowners. I've been attending conferences on oak savanna since 1999, and until this conference, I've never seen more than a couple private landowners at any of them. I was also pleased to see extensive representation from other key players from both sides of the Columbia, including federal, state, and local government; academia; and conservation organizations. Second, the conference presented additional scientific information important to those of us who are trying to save oak savanna from conifer invasion and invasive exotic species. For example, a presentation on the canopy structure and composition preferred by the western gray squirrel has already influenced my thinking about how I go about trying to sculpt oak savanna from the thicket of Doug fir that threatens to engulf it. Third -- and to my mind, most importantly -- the conference included a discussion of the policy issues and opportunities in conserving oak savanna. At a time when public dialog is polarized by conflict over the regulation of private land (especially here in Oregon), I believe WDFW and ODFW demonstrated great leadership and stewardship by encouraging policy discussion at the conference. I believe such dialog is critical to the survival of oak savanna and offers the most promising opportunity to improve its conservation, such as through revenue-neutral policy alternatives that I believe might help habitat and landowners alike. In closing, I wish to express particular gratitude to the two people who I understand were most responsible for making this conference possible: WDFW Watershed Steward Bill Weiler and ODFW Habitat Biologist Glen Ardt. I believe their actions reflect government at its finest. Sincerely, --Adam Novick |