Western Oregon Resource Advisory Council to host a field tour and meeting
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Coos Bay, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management’s Western Oregon Resource Advisory Council will meet virtually and in-person, with a tour of public lands in the Roseburg area on June 22, 2023. The meeting and the field tour are open to the public.
Agenda items for the June 22 meeting include a presentation on fee operations at the Smullin Visitor Center along the Rogue River, updates from the District Managers about current events in Western Oregon, and the opportunity to provide feedback to the BLM on re-development of recreation sites that were damaged in the 2020 western Oregon wildfires.
The meeting will be held both in-person and over the Zoom platform from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Pacific Time. A public comment period is scheduled for noon. Participants must register for the Zoom meeting at blm.zoomgov.com/j/1607358086?pwd=NEJ3TWxxR2dLdnVTbExSYUxsRFRoZz09. For those wishing to participate in person, the meeting will be held at the North Umpqua Ranger Station in Glide, Ore. at 18782 N. Umpqua Highway.
During the field tour, advisory council members will visit public lands east of Roseburg, Oregon, along the Umpqua River to review completed Title II projects, post-Archie Creek Fire forest management, and recreation site rehabilitation. The participants will see the Bureau of Land Management’s efforts to restore the forest after the fire. They will also tour campgrounds damaged in the fire and discuss the proposed redevelopment of the areas to meet visitor needs. Members of the public are welcome on the field tour but must provide their own transportation and meals. Those planning to attend must RSVP at least one week before the field trip. Anyone attending who needs a reasonable accommodation, such as sign language interpretation, should let Megan Harper, Advisory Council Coordinator, know when RSVPing at m1harper@blm.gov or 541-751-4353.
“The advisory council members play a vital role in providing input to the agency on land management issues in western Oregon. I am especially looking forward to discussions with them on how we could reimagine some of the BLM’s recreation sites that were damaged in the Archie Creek Fire,” said Heather Whitman, Roseburg District Manager.
The Western Oregon Resource Advisory Council meets multiple times a year. It is one of several citizen advisory councils throughout Oregon/Washington. The council’s 15 members are appointed by the Secretary of the Interior and represent a broad range of public land interests, including environmental, local government, recreation, timber, and commercial activity. The Western Oregon RAC advises the Bureau of Land Management’s Coos Bay, Medford, Roseburg, Northwest Districts, and parts of the Lakeview District.
For more information about the Western Oregon RAC, visit: www.blm.gov/get-involved/resource-advisory-council/near-you/oregon-washington.
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.