Directs the Office of Outdoor Recreation to establish a rural community and land stewardship technical assistance and planning pilot program.

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83rd OREGON LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY--2025 Regular Session
House Bill 2409
Sponsored by Representative LEVY B (Presession filed.)
SUMMARY
The following summary is not prepared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject
to consideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor’s brief statement of the essential features of the
measure as introduced. The statement includes a measure digest written in compliance with applicable readability
standards.
Digest: The Act tells an agency to create a pilot program for local stewardship of natural re-
sources. The Act gives money for the program. The Act ends the program on January 2, 2031.
(Flesch Readability Score: 61.1).
Directs the Office of Outdoor Recreation to establish a rural community and land stewardship
technical assistance and planning pilot program.
Appropriates moneys out of the General Fund for the program.
Sunsets the program on January 2, 2031.
Declares an emergency, effective on passage.
A BILL FOR AN ACT
Relating to local stewardship of natural resources; and declaring an emergency.
Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:
SECTION 1.
(1) To help local communities build capacity for, convene around and develop
place-based solutions to local stewardship of natural resources, the Office of Outdoor Re-
creation established by ORS 390.241 shall establish and operate a rural community and land
stewardship technical assistance and planning pilot program.
(2) The pilot program must facilitate:
(a) The prioritizing of local, community-based stewardship of natural resources; and
(b) The employment of local community members to achieve the stewardship of natural
resources.
(3) Under the pilot program, the office shall award grants to support:
(a) The conservation of wildlife;
(b) The restoration of fisheries or streams;
(c) The restoration of watersheds or forests;
(d) Activities that promote resilience to wildfire; or
(e) The development of renewable energy on public or private land.
(4) In awarding grants, the office shall prioritize projects to benefit communities that
identify challenges to the stewardship of natural resources that:
(a) Arise from outdoor recreation activities; and
(b) Impact community development, housing or workforce development.
SECTION 2.
(1) The Local Stewardship Fund is established in the State Treasury, sepa-
rate and distinct from the General Fund. Interest earned by the Local Stewardship Fund
shall be credited to the fund.
(2) The fund consists of moneys appropriated by the Legislative Assembly for deposit in
the fund, grant funds received by the State Parks and Recreation Department and other
moneys appropriated to, allocated to, deposited in, credited to or transferred to the fund by
NOTE: Matter in boldfaced type in an amended section is new; matter [ italic and bracketed] is existing law to be omitted.
New sections are in boldfaced type.
LC 2397
HB 2409
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the Legislative Assembly or otherwise.
(3) Moneys in the fund are continuously appropriated to the department, for distribution
to the Office of Outdoor Recreation, for purposes described in section 1 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 3.
(1) On or before September 15, 2030, the Office of Outdoor Recreation shall
report on the pilot program established under section 1 of this 2025 Act, in the manner pre-
scribed by ORS 192.245, to committees or interim committees of the Legislative Assembly
related to natural resources.
(2) The report must include recommendations concerning further advancement of the
stewardship of natural resources by local communities.
SECTION 4. (1) Sections 1 to 3 of this 2025 Act are repealed on January 2, 2031.
(2) Any moneys remaining in the Local Stewardship Fund established under section 2 of
this 2025 Act that are unexpended and unobligated on the date specified in subsection (1) of
this section shall revert to the General Fund.
SECTION 5. In addition to and not in lieu of any other appropriation, there is appropri-
ated to the State Parks and Recreation Department, for the biennium beginning July 1, 2025,
out of the General Fund, the amount of $500,000, for deposit in the Local Stewardship Fund
established by section 2 of this 2025 Act.
SECTION 6. This 2025 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2025 Act takes effect
on its passage.
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