Oregon Revised Statutes Water Resources: Irrigation, Drainage, Flood Control, Reclamation § 541.423

(1) As used in this section, “stewardship agreement” means an agreement voluntarily entered into and signed by a landowner, or representative of the landowner, and the State Department of Agriculture or the State Board of Forestry that sets forth the terms under which the landowner will self-regulate to meet and exceed applicable regulatory requirements and achieve conservation, restoration and improvement of fish and wildlife habitat or water quality.

(2) The State Department of Agriculture and the State Board of Forestry may, individually or jointly, enter into stewardship agreements with landowners.

(3) The purposes of a stewardship agreement are to provide:

(4) The State Board of Forestry and the State Department of Agriculture, in consultation with the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, shall adopt by rule procedures and criteria for stewardship agreements. The procedures and criteria shall include, but need not be limited to:

(5) Each government agency that is a party to a stewardship agreement shall conduct periodic audits on lands subject to the stewardship agreement to determine whether the land management plan is being implemented and whether the agreement should be continued, revised or discontinued.

(6) Stewardship agreements may provide benefits to landowners that include, but are not limited to:

(7) Within a stewardship agreement and on a case-by-case basis, the State Department of Agriculture or the State Board of Forestry may provide a landowner with an increased level of regulatory certainty regarding state rules. The stewardship agreement may identify specific voluntary landowner actions that exceed regulatory requirements. In return, the State Department of Agriculture or the State Board of Forestry may agree to exempt the landowner from future changes to a specific rule.

(8) The State Department of Agriculture and the State Board of Forestry may, individually or jointly, make a binding determination that activities undertaken by a particular landowner, or a representative of the landowner, as part of a stewardship agreement are consistent with the purposes and policies of any relevant Safe Harbor Agreements or Candidate Conservation Agreements entered into between the State of Oregon and agencies of the United States Government, pursuant to the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-205, 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and federal regulations.