BLM to Host Salem Workshop on Western Oregon Plan Revisions

Six plans under revision cover over 2.5 million acres of public land scattered throughout western Oregon

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - The public is invited to participate in a local Western Oregon Plan Revisions workshop scheduled for Monday.

The workshop will provide information and discussions on the revisions of Resource Management Plans for Bureau of Land Management managed lands in western Oregon.

The formal scoping period for the Western Oregon Plan Revisions ended in October 2005. The public helped in defining the issues that need to be addressed in the plans.

A draft resource management plan and Draft Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to be released for public review by early 2007. Upon release of the Draft Plans, there will be a 90-day public comment period.

The Western Oregon Resource Management Plan revisions when finalized will guide management decisions on lands managed by the BLM for the next 15 years.

"I encourage people to get involved in the Western Oregon Plan revisions and attend this workshop to gather more information," said Paul Jeske, Planning Lead for the Salem District. "The workshop is not a public hearing; the agency is NOT recording public comments," he said. BLM managers and planners will be on hand to share information about the proposed management alternatives and display the agency developed planning criteria and processes and methods that will be used to analyze the effects of those alternatives.

Released to the public in January 2006, the "Planning Criteria and State Director`s Guidance" document describes five proposed management alternatives. The BLM is asking for public comments on this document by March 17.

The workshop is scheduled for 7:00 PM at BLM`s Salem District Office, 1717 Fabry Rd. SE, Salem, Oregon. The workshop is expected to last about an hour and a half.

The Western Oregon Plan Revisions document can be downloaded from the BLM`s Web site at www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr.

Paper or electric copies can be requested from the BLM`s Western Oregon Plan Revisions office at P.O. Box 2965, Portland, Oregon 97208; (503) 808-6629; orwopr@or.blm.gov.