(1) The
department shall prioritize WAUs for the purposes of this section and for
reviews under WAC
222-22-090 in cooperation with
the departments of ecology and fish and wildlife, affected Indian tribes,
forest landowners, and the public. The prioritization shall consider the
availability of landowner participation and assistance and the availability and
assistance that may be provided by affected Indian tribes and local
governmental entities.
(2) The
department may undertake a watershed analysis on any WAU. When conducting a
watershed analysis, the department shall include available qualified expertise
from state agencies, affected Indian tribes, forest landowners, local
governmental entities, and the public.
(3) The owner or owners of ten percent or
more of the nonfederal forest land acreage in a WAU may notify the department
in writing that the owner or owners intend to conduct a level 1 assessment,
level 2 assessment, or both, and the prescription recommendation and management
strategy processes on the WAU under this chapter, or conduct a reanalysis under
WAC
222-22-090, at their own expense.
The notice shall identify the teams proposed to conduct the watershed analysis
or reanalysis, which shall be comprised of individuals qualified by the
department pursuant to WAC
222-22-030. The department shall
promptly notify any owner or owners sending notice under this subsection if any
member of the designated teams is not so qualified. Within thirty days of
delivering a notice to the department under this subsection, the forest
landowner or owners shall begin the level 1 assessment under WAC
222-22-050 or, at its option, the
level 2 assessment under WAC
222-22-060, or the reanalysis
under WAC
222-22-090. An approved forest
landowner team shall, while and only for the purposes of conducting a watershed
analysis or reanalysis in a WAU, be a duly authorized representative of the
department for the purposes of
RCW
76.09.150. The board encourages forest
landowners conducting assessments under this chapter to include available,
qualified expertise from state and federal agencies, affected Indian tribes,
forest landowners, local governmental entities, and the public.
(4) Before beginning a watershed analysis in
a WAU, the department or the forest landowner conducting the analysis shall
provide reasonable notice, including notice by regular United States mail where
names and addresses have been provided to the department, to all forest
landowners in the WAU, and to affected Indian tribes. The department or the
forest landowner conducting the analysis shall also provide reasonable notice
to the public and to state, federal, and local governmental entities, by, among
other things, posting the notice conspicuously in the department's office in
the region containing the WAU. The notice shall be in a form designated by the
department and give notice that a watershed analysis or reanalysis is being
conducted, by whose team, the time period of the analysis or reanalysis, and
the dates and locations in which the draft analysis or reanalysis will be
available for review and comment.