The Climate Trust Awards Contract to the Deschutes Resources Conservancy to Capture Atmospheric Carbon through Riparian Reforestation

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Climate Trust Awards Contract to the Deschutes Resources Conservancy to Capture Atmospheric Carbon through Riparian Reforestation

OREGON, BEND, Aug. 7 -/E-Wire/-- The Deschutes Resources Conservancy (DRC) and The Climate Trust signed an innovative Carbon Dioxide Offset Purchase Agreement. Under the Agreement, The Climate Trust will provide the DRC with $780,000 in carbon dioxide offset funds to help landowners in the Deschutes Basin restore riparian areas. The Climate Trust funds will be matched over a five year period by federal funds available through the DRC.

"We're please to have such an excellent project in Oregon that restores degraded land and water while reducing the harmful effects of global warming," said Diana Bodtker, Board Chair of The Climate Trust.

"What makes this project unique is the impact it will have throughout the Basin," said Gail Achterman, Executive Director of the DRC. "This project will demonstrate how organizations can work together to restore riparian areas for water quality and fish and wildlife habitat while sequestering carbon to improve air quality. Equally important, it will compensate landowners for restoring their property."

Funding from The Climate Trust and the DRC will pay for recruiting private landowners in the Deschutes Basin, expanding riparian areas beyond federal guidelines, sophisticated monitoring and verification of restored riparian areas and extending landowner commitments to ensure the trees are maintained for 52 years. The Climate Trust will acquire the sequestered carbon offsets from the DRC. By 2006, 1500 to 1800 acres of riparian habitat will be restored and actively sequestering carbon. The majority of the landowners will be concurrently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) or Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). These programs will reimburse landowners for the costs incurred while implementing a conservation plan on their land. This includes the cost of trees, planting, weed and animal control, and fencing. Ongoing monitoring and verification will determine whether or not credits earned from CRP and CREP programs will be valid under future regulations.

The DRC developed this innovative project in cooperation with the Wy'East Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D;). Dan Ericksen, RC&D; President said "Our purpose is to demonstrate how riparian restoration projects can be designed and implemented across a mix of public and private lands to achieve multiple benefits." Some of these benefits include reforestation of riparian areas, improved water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife, and carbon sequestration to offset global carbon dioxide emissions.

A signing ceremony between the DRC and RC&D; will be held on August 13, 2002 at the Imperial River Company in Maupin, Oregon during the summer meeting of the Wy'East Resource Conservation and Development Council (RC&D;). The signing will take place at 11:30 with a complimentary lunch to follow.

The first landowner contract expected to sign up for the program will also attend the August 13 event. Mike Davis owns land in Butler Canyon near Tygh Creek, south of The Dalles. He will be enrolling 70 acres of riparian land in the project.

The Climate Trust is a nonprofit organization formed in 1997 in response to landmark Oregon legislation requiring new power plants to counter their global warming impact. This innovative legislation allows power plant developers to meet this carbon dioxide (CO2) emission standard by making a payment to The Climate Trust, which uses the funds to stimulate projects that avoid, displace or sequester CO2 emissions. These projects are called offsets because they offset the production of CO2 from new Oregon power plants. This project was chosen for funding from The Climate Trust's 2001 solicitation for offset projects.

The Climate Trust is now completing negotiations for six other offset projects also funded by new power plants owned or operated by Calpine Corporation, Avista Corporation, PacifiCorp Power Marketing, Inc., and NW Natural.

Further information about this and other offset projects funded by The Climate Trust is available at www.climatetrust.org.

Gail Achterman, Deschutes Resources Conservancy, [REDACTED-PHONE], [REDACTED-EMAIL],

Erica C. Graetz, The Climate Trust, [REDACTED-PHONE], [REDACTED-EMAIL],

Merlin Berg, WyâEast RC&D;, [REDACTED-PHONE] x117, [REDACTED-EMAIL],

http://www.climatetrust.org

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************