Forest Plan Revision December Public Meeting

PENDLETON, Ore.–The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service (AFS) will hold public meeting to revise Land Management Plans for Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests (Blue Mountains National Forests) on December 4 at the Columbia County Fairgrounds, 5 N. Pine St. at 5-8 p.m.

AFS is revising the Land Management Plans for the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests (Blue Mountains National Forests) and hosting a series of public meetings to bring awareness to the upcoming National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Meetings will be offered in person and virtually to ensure the public has ample opportunity to engage.

As the plan revision effort transitions from the Assessment into the NEPA process, the Forest Service invites the public to attend informational public meetings about the important upcoming scoping period estimated to occur in early 2025.

The Blue Mountains National Forests aim to publish a Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) and release a draft Land Management Plan addressing the need to change from the 1990 Land Management Plans. This will initiate a formal scoping period for the public to review the materials and provide input. Land Management Plans do not authorize any specific projects or actions on the ground but instead guide future decision-making on the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests.

The preliminary agenda for the upcoming December public meetings aims to cover the following:

• The draft Preliminary Need to Change from the 1990 Land Management Plans.

• The development of the draft Land Management Plan.

• Updates on the National Wild and Scenic Rivers review, the preliminary Species of Conservation Concern lists, and the review of lands that may have Wilderness characteristics.

• The NOI approval process along with the forthcoming EIS development.

• The formal scoping period commencing when the upcoming NOI is published in the Federal Register in early 2025, along with the associated public engagement tools.

The Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision website has up to date information including public participation tools, public meeting calendar with virtual links, informational webinars, background information, and much more.

Have questions about the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision process or want to sign up for the mailing list? Email the revision inbox at [email protected] or call (541) 278-3716.

Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision December 2024 Public Meeting Schedule

All public meetings will be held from 5 – 8 p.m. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. Virtual links and information will be available at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/home/?cid=fseprd1200075