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Forums set on new land management idea Four public forums will be held this week on a new land management approach designed to protect endangered species and private landowners alike. The Applegate River Watershed Council is sponsoring the forums, which will examine the Gulf Coast Prairie Safe Harbor Program. Representatives from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also will discuss the safe harbor idea. The safe harbor program protects landowners who improve habitat on their property from future regulatory actions that could decrease the value or usefulness of their land. Landowners who follow the guidelines receive a guarantee that, if they follow agreed-upon land management practices, they may make any lawful use of their property in the future, even if such use results in the loss of threatened or endangered species or their habitats. The forums will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at Applegate Elementary School; 9 a.m. to noon and 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Southern Oregon Extension Service auditorium, 569 Hanley Road, Central Point; and 9 a.m. to noon Friday at the Josephine County Extension Service East Room, 215 Ringuette, Grants Pass. For more information, call Jack Shipley at 846-6917 or Rose Marie Davis at 734-3143. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA