APPLEGATE VALLEY, Ore. – The Bureau of Land Management, also known as BLM, is moving forward with a nearly 5,000 acre logging operation in the Applegate Valley and Jacksonville area. The project has many local residents concerned.
“Bear Grub is actually a timber sale rather than a vegetation management project,” said George Sexton, the Conservation Dir. for KS Wild in Ashland.
He’s been following the BLM’s Bear Grub Management Vegetation Project in the Applegate Valley since it started.
“They use euphemisms and a lot of flowery language,” said Sexton.
Last week the government agency released it’s 250 page environmental assessment of the project.
“The public hasn’t had really a ton of information about this project until the last week when we released the environmental assessment. And unfortunately because of that there’s a lot of misinformation floating around,” said BLM’S Kyle Sullivan.
Sullivan says while this project is partly a timber sale, that’s not the whole story.
“The Bear Grub Vegetation Management Project is designed to address critical fuel reduction work near Jacksonville and the Applegate Valley,” said Sullivan.
However, the BLM addresses vegetation management is undecided.
“There’s not really one direction we have in mind. That’s really where the public can help us out,” said Sullivan.
The BLM will hold a pair of public meetings next week to hear residents concerns and answer questions about the project.
“The BLM manages your public lands, public input is essential,” said Sullivan.
The virtual meetings are June 23, 2020 from 6-8 p.m. and June 25, 2020 from 1-3 p.m. Attendees must register, in order to participate. The deadline to register is June 21, 2020.
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