The Bureau of Land Management kicked off a series of public meetings Tuesday on how to manage its forests in Western Oregon. The so-called O & C Lands were once owned by the Oregon and California railroad, but are now used, in part, to produce income for county services.
In April the BLM released a draft Resource Management Plan featuring five different paths forward. The options differ in various ways – from how much land is open to logging (and generating timber receipts for the counties) to how to protect waterways and wildlife.
This dichotomy is often where the public debate about forest policy lies. But other factors are being considered in the current revision as well.
One of these is recreation.
“Twenty percent of all recreation use happens in BLM lands in Western Oregon. And we have roughly 5.5 million recreation visits a year that take place on lands within this planning area,” says agency Recreation Planner Zach Jarrett.
Over the past three years the agency has been soliciting input from Oregonians on what kinds of recreational opportunities they want to pursue on the O&C Lands.
For example, Off-Highway Vehicle riders in Roseburg and Coos Bay made it clear that they want designated riding areas near within an hour’s drive of town. People in Eugene, Corvallis and Portland focused more on trails for mountain biking, hiking and equestrian use.
Officials compiled a wish-list of sorts, featuring new trails, campgrounds and hunting and fishing access.
But at this point, under the agency’s preferred alternative (Alternative B), recreation opportunities would not expand. That is, unless the broader public makes the case it wants more.
“As we move through this process… we will be taking feedback on some these areas and trying to gauge whether that will be moving through as part of our proposed plan,” Jarrett says.
Over the next month, the BLM will hold public meetings in several communities to get feedback specifically about recreation. Other meetings will focus on economics, forest management and river health.
Open Houses:
Eugene/Springfield, May 20, 4-7 p.m., Springfield Interagency Office, 3106 Pierce Parkway
Salem: May 21, 4-7 p.m., The Willamette Heritage Center, 1313 Mill St. SE
Klamath Falls: May 26, 5-8 p.m., Shilo Inn, 2500 Almond St.
Medford: May 27, 4-7 p.m., Ramada Medford Hotel and Convention Center, 2250 Biddle Rd
Coos Bay: May 28, 4-7 p.m., Mill Casino Hotel, 3201 Tremont St.
Recreation Workshops:
Roseburg: June 11, 4-7 p.m., Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St.
Grants Pass: June 18, 6-9 p.m., Grants Pass High School, 830 NE 9th St.
Salem: June 23, 4-7 p.m., Salem District Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE
Eugene/Springfield: June 24, 4-7 p.m., Springfield Interagency Office, 3106 Pierce Parkway
Socio-Economic Workshops:
Salem: June 9, 4-7 p.m., Salem District Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE
Roseburg: June 10, 4-7 p.m., Douglas County Fairgrounds, 2110 Frear St.
Forest Management and Wildlife Workshops:
Salem: June 16, 4-7 p.m., Salem District Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE
Medford: June 17, 4-7 p.m., Ramada Medford Hotel and Convention Center, 2250 Biddle Rd.
Riparian Workshop:
Eugene/Springfield: June 25, 4-8 p.m., Springfield Interagency Office, 3106 Pierce Parkway
Public Meeting with Elected Officials:
Salem: June 30, 4-7 p.m., Salem District Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE
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A mountain biker shoots down Lower Missing Link, an illegal trail outside of Ashland, Oregon.
