State seeks input on forests

PORTLAND — State forest managers are seeking public input on the future of Oregon’s forests through a series of “community conversations” this month.

The series will kick off with a virtual meeting followed by in-person gatherings in Cornelius, Madras and Grants Pass.

Oregon’s Kitchen Table, a nonprofit public policy initiative housed in the Mark O. Hatfield School of Government at Portland State University, is moderating the discussions. Comments will be used by the Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon Board of Forestry to help update the state’s strategic forest plan. The management blueprint was last updated in 2011.

Among the questions the conversations seek to answer are these:

• How are you connected to the forests of Oregon?

• How would you like to be more connected to forests? What could help make those connections possible for you?

• What do you hope to see for the future of forests in Oregon?

The virtual meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 13, on Zoom. You can register online at https://tinyurl.com/oregonforests-convos.

Mining plans up for comment

BAKER CITY — The Bureau of Land Management wants to hear from the public about two proposals to conduct placer mining operations for gold in southwestern Baker County.

To be considered, comments must be received by March 6.

The proposed placer mines are called Kast Sundog and Hidden Nugget. One is on 35 acres of public land in Poker Gulch, with the other on 18 acres of public land in Blue Canyon and French Gulch. Both will be evaluated in a single environmental assessment.

Both plans call for seasonal placer mining outside riparian areas from April through November. Both would use mechanized equipment in quarter-acre increments with concurrent reclamation over 24 years, plus two years of monitoring after reclamation.

The two processing sites would cover half an acre each and would use gravity separation equipment with recirculated water from a pond or well.

The lands have been mined intermittently since the 1860s and as recently as 2013. The project areas are bordered by the state-owned Elkhorn Wildlife Area to the south, west and northwest and by private lands to the east and northeast.

Written comments can be submitted by email at BLM_OR_BK_Mail@blm.gov with “Comments on Kast Gold Mine” in the subject line. Comments can also be mailed to Attn: Kast Expansion Project c/o Baker Field Office, 3100 H St., Baker City, OR 97814.

To view planning documents or submit comments online, go to http://tinyurl.com/yyzr3jcj. For additional information, contact Lisa Bogardus at 541-523-1407 or lbogardus@blm.gov.