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BMFPR Final Decision

Posted: Thu Mar 14, 2019 4:41 pm
by Grumpy
Here's the official action from Chris French on the Blue Mountain Forest Plan Revision...

Glenn P. Casamassa, Regional Forester, Region 6

This is my response on the objections to the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), draft Record of Decision, and Revised Land Management Plans (Revised Plans) for the Umatilla, Malheur, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. In concluding the objections process, I am ordering you to withdraw the draft Record of Decision, FEIS, and the three Revised Plans. The existing Land and Resource Management Plans, as amended will remain in place.
My reason for this instruction is that many factors compounded to produce Revised Plans that would be difficult to implement. While my review did not identify any specific violations of law, regulation, or policy, significant changes have occurred over the 15 year time period of the planning process that led to my decision. For example, a number of plan content modifications occurred that were often complex and not well understood, and there were a number of changes in elected officials, organizations, other stakeholders, and key Forest Service staff. The Revised Plans also did not fully account for the unique social and economic needs of the affected communities. The resulting plans are very difficult to understand and I am concerned that there will be ongoing confusion and disagreement as to how each Revised Plan is to be implemented.
I do not provide this instruction lightly. I recognize the hard work and commitment of your employees over the last 15 years. I also realize how much dedication, energy, time, and effort that the public has put into this process. I am confident that the information and data collected and analyzed, as well as the breadth of objection issues, can be used to inform your next steps. As you proceed, I expect you to engage with local, State, and tribal governments, elected officials, the public, and other interested stakeholders.
By copy of this letter, which will also be posted on the Regional and Forests' websites, I am notifying all parties of the conclusion of the objection process for the Umatilla, Malheur, and Wallowa-Whitman Plan revisions.

CHRISTOPHER B. FRENCH
Reviewing Officer for the Chief
USDA
America's Working Forests - Caring Every Day in Every Way

Re: BMFPR Final Decision

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 12:57 am
by SPR
What a crazy process.

Re: BMFPR Final Decision

Posted: Sat Mar 16, 2019 5:02 am
by Grumpy
That's an understatement!

Re: BMFPR Final Decision

Posted: Wed May 08, 2019 3:55 pm
by Grumpy
And now we seem to have this going on. It just never ends with these drones:


FYI for our friends that use the Malheur National Forest.

At the Harney County Restoration Collaborative this afternoon a member of the Ops Board for the Blue Mountains Forest Partners (a Sustainable Northwest affiliate organization) & a US Forest Service Employee were pushing the Harney County Collaborative to adopted a "closed forest system" in the collaboratives update to their Common Ground Principles and Goals, seen at the link below.

What is most telling is not only were they pushing for closed forest language, but they also informed the Collaborative members that Travel Management had been adopted and that when the new forest plan is adopted sometime into the future that the National Forest would be a "closed forest". Apparently, this FS employee has a crystal ball that none of us know about, and they are able to make pre-decisional conclusion prior to scoping even beginning on developing the new plan.

Both the Ops board member from the Blue Mountains Forest Partners in John Day and the Forest Service employee were very clear to state that the update to the roads and access are needed to specifically call for a "closed forest". If you look at the current Common Ground Principles and Goals of the HCRC you'll see they are fully stocked with reasons to kill motorized access to public lands, and calling for a "closed" forest system would be a death blow to our local rural communities.

This is not just a Malheur centered discussion as what Sustainable Northwest pushes thru one of its Collaborative groups shows up on the Wallowa-Whitman & Umatilla.

If you would like to see how such projects are getting developed you may want to look at this page to see what a hand-picked group of people have decided for the rest of us - https://highdesertpartnership.org/…/common-ground-principle…