Officials want public 'engaged' in the decision process

A 90-day comment period begins today for the draft environmental impact statement for the BLM's Western Oregon Planning Revisions (WOPR).

"We put a lot of credence on public comments but it is not voting," said Tim Reuwsaat, the BLM's Medford District manager.

Merely sending in a postcard and "voting" for an alternative without offering substantive opinions isn't the way to sway the agency, he said.

Instead, comments should offer input that points out errors, makes thoughtful observations or suggests how the agency can tweak the draft to improve it, he said.

"We really do want people engaged in the management of our public lands," he said.

During a conference call with reporters Thursday afternoon, Dick Prather, the WOPR project manager, noted the draft is not an effort to create a regional plan. Rather, the draft is a guide to revising district plans.

"When we are all done, each district will have separate management plans just like they do today," he said, noting the district management plans would take the focus off the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan.

The draft alternative preferred by BLM was selected because it best meets the timber harvest goals of the agency and the federal laws that govern the land, he said.

That alternative would leave "no green tree retention" following a harvest, he said of a regeneration harvest which he acknowledged amounts to a clearcut.

The final environmental impact statement for the plan is expected to be out late next spring with implementation of the plan in August of 2008.

Six meeting will be held in Jackson and Josephine counties in September and October to allow the public to learn more about the draft WOPR's potential impact on the BLM's Medford District.

To learn more about the draft plan and how to comment electronically, visit the Web site at: www.blm.gov/or/plans/wopr

Comments can also be sent to Western Oregon Plan Revisions, P.O. Box 2965, Portland, OR 97208.