Dayton Chronicle - Your Hometown News Source

PENDLETON, Ore. (April 16, 2024) - The Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests (Blue Mountains) continue to host public meetings that bring awareness and provide an opportunity for the public to engage in the Forest Plan Revision process. Public participation will help the Forest Service to gain local knowledge about existing forest conditions, understand community concerns and resource impacts. To allow for robust in-person public engagement, the Blue Mountains National Forests are announcing a venue change for the La Grande, OR public meeting on April 25.

The public meeting in La Grande, OR will now be held at the Union County Fairgrounds (Mt. Emily Building), located at 3604 N 2nd Street, La Grande, OR. Times will remain the same with doors opening at 4:30 p.m. and the meeting officially starting at 5 p.m. These meetings are also offered in a virtual format to ensure the public has ample opportunity to engage. Additional information about the public meetings is available at the end of this News Release.

The Forest Service aims to complete the three Forest Plans for the Malheur, Umatilla and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests within 2-3 years. These Forest Plans will be comprehensive documents that guide forest resource management, use, and protection. They are intended to balance multiple uses and sustain yield of forest resources. They will set forth a vision for land management, describe the desired conditions within each Forest, and lay out specific objectives, standards, and guidelines for how to achieve those desired conditions. These documents will be strategic in nature and will not approve projects or actions on National Forest lands.

Information about the Forest Plan Revision process, public meetings, the draft Assessment, and supporting documents can be located on the Forest Plan website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/home/?cid=fseprd1066821.