Plan includes input on management proposals; deadlines near to apply for grants, training

By Shaun Hall, Rogue Valley Times

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has issued a report summarizing public comments the agency received about its efforts to revamp management of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Issues from the public included concerns about wildfire, logging and grazing, among others.

The monument, located southeast of Ashland, includes 113,506 acres, or about 177 square miles, in Jackson, Klamath and Siskiyou counties. It’s managed by the BLM under three different agency management plans, depending on location. A draft new plan to manage the monument is due out in early 2024.

In its “scoping report” of Dec. 5, the BLM stated it received 189 formal letters, emails and communications regarding management of the monument. The BLM held four open houses this past summer attended by a total of 128 members of the public.

Top concerns from the public and the percent of comments that focused on those concerns were water, 4.6%; climate change, 4.8%; rangeland management, 6.5%; recreation, 6.7%; fish, 8.4%; fire, 9.8%; logging, 10.2%; vegetation, 10.7% and wildlife, 14.4%. Comments were received both for and against logging, grazing and off-road vehicle use.

Four locations within the monument were suggested by the public as “areas of critical environmental concern” to be specially managed. The locations included the Mariposa Reserve wildlife crossing over Interstate 5; Buck Prairie, Cottonwood Glades and unspecified “priority wildlife connectivity areas.” However, some commenters suggested that no new areas of critical environmental concern be created. The agency stated that it would look at creating additional areas for focused management:

“The BLM is considering establishing several potential administrative designations through this land use planning process including areas of critical environmental concern, research natural areas, extensive recreation management areas, and national scenic and historic trail corridors,” the report stated.

Next up is a draft plan open for public comment for 90 days, with a final decision due out in the fall. Collette Streight, executive director of the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, expects the draft plan to be out in a few months.

“We’re kind of waiting and seeing,” she said Wednesday.

Earlier this year, the Friends organization listed some of its priorities for the plan, stating that the organization favored continued land acquisition, beaver protection, thinning of tree plantations and closure of non-essential roads. The organization also had concerns about livestock trespassing, grazing and documentation of past actions that were taken to implement current management plans.

“We need to know what’s been done,” Streight said.

To view the scoping report, go to bit.ly/3GZvdhO. For more information, call the BLM planning team, at 458-246-8861.

Deadline nears to apply for first round of conservation grants

A deadline is fast approaching for organizations to apply for first-ever conservation grants offered pursuant to Oregon’s Private Forest Accord of 2021. The deadline to apply for the first round of grants is the end of the day Sunday.

About $15 million is available annually for the grant program, which aims to fund projects that would benefit fish, wildlife and the environment, in an effort to reduce impacts from logging and forest road building. Priority projects are those that would help protect threatened and endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.

The accord and related legislation is the result of a compromise reached between environmental and industry interests. One key provision aims to increase the depth of streamside buffers that would be off-limits to logging. Another provision requires new standards and maintenance for forest roads.

“We need to do a better job right by our fish-bearing streams,” state Sen. Jeff Golden, D-Ashland, said Wednesday, after he posted a notice about the deadline via social media.

Projects that might be funded under the grant program include wildfire resiliency, invasive species removal and fencing off of riparian areas to reduce impacts from livestock grazing. Other projects might include woody debris placed in streams, beaver reintroduction and conservation easements, among others.

The grant program is administered by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. The agency’s website has details about the program, formally called the ODFW Private Forest Accord Grant Program.

“The investments will be big, the projects on the ground will be large, and the benefits to Oregon’s fish and wildlife will be huge,” according to the agency. “Watershed-scale investments in projects like stream habitat restoration, removal of barriers to fish passage, cold water and flow protection, beaver-modified habitat creation, and more will create statewide benefits for the species covered by the Private Forest Accord Habitat Conservation Plan.”

For more information, go to bit.ly/41EPnan.

In a related matter, the Oregon Department of Forestry is offering accord-related grants to help small forestland owners with road improvement projects that benefit fish, including replacement of culverts or fords and the repair of abandoned roads. For more information, go to bit.ly/48zXlng.

Deadlines near to apply for internships, training

Two programs aimed at giving young people experience in forestry-related jobs and other occupations are accepting applications:

• The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has extended the deadline for students to apply for paid internships. The new deadline is Jan. 8. The agency seeks 100 students. Anyone 16 years or older and enrolled or soon to be enrolled in school is eligible.

Internships are available in wildland firefighting, natural resources, environmental protection, civil engineering and surveying, among others, including information technology, geographic information systems and administration. Other internships are available in public affairs, grant writing, contracting, budgeting and human resources.

Jobs are listed online, at usajobs.gov. Potential applicants might want to watch a related informational video at bit.ly/3NK8slw.

• In another training opportunity for young people, Lomakatsi Restoration Project in Ashland is accepting applications through Dec. 31 for its Ecological Forestry Training & Employment Program, for people ages 18-26. Successful applicants will join a 10-member crew and work outside to help reduce community wildfire risk.

The program, funded through the Oregon Conservation Corps, provides experience in forest restoration, controlled burning and wildland fire response. The skills learned can be applied to careers in natural resources, such as a wildland firefighter, restoration forestry sawyer or restoration technician.

Training is paid. Program dates are Jan. 22-May 24, 40 hours a week, $20 per hour. Apply at lomakatsi.org/applyOCC.

Reach Rogue Valley Times outdoors and environmental reporter Shaun Hall at 458-225-7179 or shall@rv-times.com. This story first appeared in the Rogue Valley Times.

Jan. 1: Photo credit corrected.