Letter: BIC doesn’t speak for Eastern Oregon

Published 6:15 am Wednesday, November 23, 2022

To the Editor:

From Oct. 25 through Nov. 9, the Forest Service’s Blues Intergovernmental Council (BIC) held a series of meetings to unveil their “desired conditions” for the upcoming forest plan revision talks. The BIC’s desired condition for access is incorrectly stated and must be revised. The public in Eastern Oregon has stated their desired condition for access is an open forest. They have stated this since the beginning of travel management in 2007, and through the withdrawal of the forest plan revision in 2018.

The BIC states that “The public has a desire to be well informed on forest access, therefore a current and comprehensive inventory of all forest roads and trails that is displayed on an easily read map which clearly lists status is essential. Any proposed changes to the status of the road system would be evaluated and analyzed at the project level through the NEPA process in coordination with the local and tribal governments and with comprehensive public notice and involvement. Where applicable, road and trail systems available for public use should be maintained according with their designated purpose. Any use restrictions previously reviewed and approved through the NEPA process are clearly and effectively posted for the public and reflected on updated maps.”

This statement is in support of travel management, closure of cross-country travel and closure of motorized access to roughly 95% of the national forest in Northeastern Oregon. The statement must be changed to “The BIC has a desire to be well informed…” as the BIC developed these desired conditions outside public participation and without consideration of past public comments or objections filed.

The BIC’s documents should reflect it speaking for itself, and not representing itself as a voice of the residents of Eastern Oregon, as it is not a representative body of Eastern Oregon.

John George

Bates