Forest Service starts new round of wilderness planning
Late next week, the Deschutes National Forest will host two public open houses to discuss wilderness management, visitor trends and resource impacts in our Central Oregon Wildernesses.
The open houses will highlight how the public can engage in a new planning process, which will consider management strategies for these wildernesses, that the Deschutes and Willamette National Forests are kicking off this spring.
The five Central Cascade wildernesses included in the planning process are Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak and Waldo Lake.
The open houses will be held at the Deschutes National Forest Supervisor’s Office, 63095 Deschutes Market Road, in Bend at the following times:
Friday, March 17, 2017 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 18, 2017 from 9 to 11 a.m.
Two brief presentations will be given at the start of each open house. The first presentation will be a broad overview of wilderness, current trends and issues in Central Oregon and the Forest Service’s responsibility for Wilderness management. The second presentation will be an overview of Troy Hall’s, Oregon State University Department Head for Forest Ecosystems and Society, social science research on these Wildernesses.
Following the presentations, people can visit with Forest Service employees and leadership about Wilderness issues or questions and can provide input on management approaches and tools. People also can visit with Professor Troy Hall about her research in these Wildernesses. The public is welcome to come anytime during each open house’s two hour timeframe.
In addition to the Forest Service, there will be groups representing volunteer organizations doing work in these Wildernesses. The public will be able to learn more about the groups and their volunteer opportunities.
For more information about the open houses, people can contact: Jean Nelson-Dean, Public Affairs Officer, 541-383-5561 or jnelsondean@fs.fed.us. For more information about the planning process, people can contact: Beth Peer, Special Projects Manager, 541-383-4761 or bpeer@fs.fed.us
