Land Management in the Digital Age
Organization:
BLM Office:
Media Contact:
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon State Office announced the launch of a innovative website that will allow the public to comment online. On August 9, the BLM released for public review and comment a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for future management of 2.5 million acres of public lands in Western Oregon. These resource management plans have guided BLM's management since 1995.“This is an exceptional planning effort and I want to make sure that we reach everyone in western Oregon -- not just the people at the ends of the debate. This tool is a great opportunity for everyone to participate in this process. It'll allow the public to get in to the planning documents as much or as little as they want. But, more importantly it'll help the public get a full sense of the complexity of the issues that we currently face," said Ed Shepard, Oregon and Washington BLM State Director.In December 2006, Daylight Decisions was hired by the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution to work with the BLM in western Oregon to develop an interactive website. The Daylight Decisions team consists of experienced mediators and facilitators who are residents of western Oregon, and technical specialists, who are skilled in designing simple-to-use web-based tools to facilitate public participation in new and meaningful ways. In February 2007, the BLM and Daylight Decisions held a series of meetings to determine what the public would like to see in a website and ways that the public would like to interact electronically act with the planning document. An easily accessible version of the draft EIS, interactive maps, and commenting tools are available on the Daylight Decisions website. The public can now access this interactive commenting tool, the draft EIS, and background information at: blm.gov/or/plans/woprThe release of the draft EIS document started a 90-day public comment period. Comments and suggestions from the public along with ideas from cooperating agencies will be used by the BLM to craft proposed resource management plans that will be analyzed in a Final EIS next year. Comments must be received or postmarked before November 10, 2007. The public can either electronically enter in their comments using the interactive commenting tool, or they can be mailed to the BLM: Western Oregon Plan Revisions P.O. BOX 2965 Portland, OR 97208Copies of the document can be reviewed in many libraries and BLM offices in western Oregon. Paper documents and electronic documents on Compact Disk are available from the BLM as well. Throughout the public comment period the BLM will also be holding a series of open houses and workshops in western Oregon. Additional information about these upcoming meetings can be found at: blm.gov/or/plans/wopr/files/calendar.pdf
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.