CANNON BEACH The Cannon Beach City Council adopted four planning goals and hired a consultant to help prepare a management plan for the Ecola Forest Reserve Tuesday night.

The goals will provide the framework for the management plan an advisory committee will develop for the 1,040-acre city-owned forest reserve in Cannon Beachs watershed.

The goals are:

Protect and restore the low-elevation coastal temperate rain forest: This includes restoring forest habitats to nurture the conifer forests within the watershed and working with other partners to connect the forests within the area.

Protect municipal water quality: This means preserving existing springs and water intakes, reducing stream sedimentation and enhancing the natural water filtration of streams in wetland areas.

Protect and enhance salmon habitat: To do this, existing floodplain forests, wetlands and habitats will be preserved, and degraded riparian wetlands and habitats will be restored.

Foster community involvement with the forest reserve: Provide opportunities for public education focusing on the forest reserves ecosystem and allow passive recreation within the reserve that are compatible with all of the goals.

The Council also agreed to hire Trout Mountain Forestry to consult the advisory committee as it prepares the forest reserves management plan. City staff recommended Trout Mountain Forestry after receiving bids from that firm as well as PC Trask and Associates.

Trout Mountain Forestry estimated its cost to be $49,990. City Planner Rainmar Bartl noted that this years city budget includes $50,000 for the plans preparation.

Trout Mountain Forestry will survey the wildlife and fish in the reserve and take an inventory of man-made features, such as roads, culverts and power lines. Recreational opportunities also will be considered.

The consultants will identify what other information may be needed about the areas habitat to manage the reserve, identify management issues and develop strategies and policies to address those issues, map the area and prepare a management plan to present to the community.

Throughout the process, which is expected to last at least another year, three community open houses will be conducted.

Of the 1,040-acre Ecola Forest Reserve, 805 acres was acquired from the Oregon Department of Forestry last year. Voters approved a $4 million bond measure two years ago to finance the purchase of eight privately owned timberland parcels in Clatsop County that the city traded to the forestry department for the 800 acres.

Another 220 acres was purchased from Weyerhaeuser by the city several years ago. The remaining land consists of a small tract previously deeded to the city.