QUILCENE — A Washington Natural Heritage Program proposal to expand the Dabob Bay Natural Area Preserve goes before the public tonight.

Jefferson County residents can ask questions and make comments about the proposal that would add up to 3,565 acres of upland and 2,440 acres of aquatic lands to the natural area preserve.

The state Department of Natural Resources has scheduled the meeting for 5:30 p.m. at Quilcene School multipurpose room, 294715 U.S. Highway 101 in Quilcene.

A brief presentation will be given at 6 p.m., and the public hearing will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Resources has adjusted the boundary in the last three months, Heidi Eisenhour, Jefferson Land Trust executive director, said.

The land trust holds some conservation easements with land owners in the Tarboo Valley, the watershed feeding into Tarboo Bay, which adjoins the larger expanse of Dabob Bay.

“It is a project area where we have worked actively,” Eisenhour said.

Remote bay

Remote Dabob Bay is known for its salt marsh estuaries, marine riparian shorelines and the oysters that grow in its clean waters deeply embedded between Toandos Peninsula and the Olympic Mountains.

Dabob is one of the least developed bays remaining in Puget Sound.

It is 87 percent undeveloped, say county and state conservation groups.

The pristine bay is at the heart of the state’s largest concentration of oyster farms along Hood Canal. The shellfish growing operations on the bay, home of the famous Dabob oysters, are to a great extent why Washington state today leads the nation in oyster producers.

The Navy also has an interest in what happens to Dabob Bay.

It has an anti-encroachment program with interests stemming from its undersea warfare test range in Dabob Bay.

Dabob shellfish growers have said that poor upland forestry management practices have flooded shellfish beds with silt.

Oct.31 deadline

Once the public hearing is conducted and written comments are submitted by an Oct. 31 deadline, the Board of Resources will take up the preserve expansion recommendation, possibly at its next meeting on Nov. 4.

Doug Sutherland, commissioner of public lands, would ultimately sign off on the Board of Resources’ recommendation.

The new boundary would allow Resources to work with its own trust lands, and additional willing private landowners, to ensure that priority lands are preserved as part of an expanded natural area.

The Dabob Bay preserve now protects 195 acres of coastal spits and estuary habitats with native vegetation.

Shellfish farms support plan

The proposed area of expansion includes coastal bluffs and shorelines that provide sediment and woody debris needed for continued healthy ecological function of the coastal spits — good news for the Dabob shellfish industry who have been actively supporting this proposal.

The expanded boundary designation would not impose additional regulatory or restrictive requirements on privately owned land that may be within the boundary.

Natural areas are acquired through gift or purchase from a willing seller.

The state’s Natural Areas Program includes 126,000 acres in 81 sites.

In the 2007-2009 Washington state budget, the Legislature appropriated $5 million to the Trust Land Transfer program for the Dabob Bay preserve.

The funds are to intended to preserve forest lands owned by the state by compensating Resources for timber value and land value.

The portion allocated for land value then would buy additional trust lands.

Lands management activities undertaken by Resources for school construction generate revenues which are put in a statewide trust.

Local trust lands do not necessarily fund local school construction. Timber harvest revenues from Jefferson County trust lands often fund school construction in distant parts of the state.

When Resources’ Natural Areas Program acquires land from a willing seller, it maintains a policy of making a making a payment to the county in lieu of taxes on that land, so that the county does not lose revenue through the program.

The land to be preserved through the $5 million allotment is largely on steep slopes adjacent to Dabob Bay. Trees there wouldn’t be harvested under current forest practices.

Under the program, revenue to Jefferson County will increase through payments in lieu of taxes.

The three Jefferson County commissioners have pledged to work with Resources to ensure no loss of funds to junior taxing districts — such as fire and water — through an exchange of land to keep the applicable trust acreage whole within each respective junior taxing district.

The acreage is used to generate funds for critical activities such as fire fighting.

Jefferson Land Trust constituents plan to car-pool to tonight’s meeting.

They will leave the Haines Place Park and Ride at 4:30 p.m. today, and stop at the Jefferson County Library parking lot in Port Hadlock at 4:45 p.m.

To join the car-pool, phone Caroline Robertson at 360-379-9501.

Written comments on the Dabob Bay proposal can be sent to Janet Kearsley, Natural Area Manager, 411 Tillicum Lane, Forks, WA 98331-9271 or by e-mail to janetkearsley@wadnr.gov.

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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com