Below you will find a press release that went out yesterday announcing Public Scoping meetings related to juniper management on public lands in Northeastern California.  These meetings are the first step towards putting together an Environmental Impact Statement for sagebrush-steppe ecosystem management aimed at juniper removal.  Tim Burke with the Alturas BLM field office has been leading this effort and is working with both the Modoc National Forest and the Klamath National Forest.  This plan will make management recommendations on over 6 million acres and will pave the way for large scale juniper treatment (e.g., 50,000 acres/year according to Burke) following its implementation.  Once the plan is completed it will become part of the BLM land management plan and also amend the National Forest plans.

 

The closest meetings will be held in Tulelake on August 24 at the Tulelake Community Partnership and in Macdoel on August 25 at the Goosenest Ranger District.  Both meetings start at 7 p.m. 

 

I see this as a positive first step towards wide scale watershed improvements, esp. around the Clear Lake area while at the same time improving habitat for sage grouse, as it continues to become a species of concern.  Please plan on attending one of the meetings to offer your input.

 

Bryan

 

Bryan Vogt
District Manager
Lava Beds-Butte Valley RCD
PO Box 861
Tulelake, CA 96134
(530) 667-3473

 

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USDI Bureau of Land Management                                         USDA  Forest Service

Alturas Field Office                                                                                                                                                   Modoc National Forest

 

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:      August 10, 2004                                            CA-N-04-85

Contact:                                  Public Affairs Officers:

Jeff Fontana, BLM (530) 252-5332

Nancy Gardner, Modoc National Forest  (530) 233-8713

 

PUBLIC WORKSHOPS PLANNED ON RANGELAND RESTORATION

            A series of public workshop meetings will be held in Northeast California communities in August and September to begin development of a coordinated plan to improve conditions on sagebrush-steppe ecosystems throughout the region.

            The Bureau of Land Management, Modoc National Forest, Modoc County and the North Cal-Neva Resource Conservation and Development District are leading the effort to develop the plan.  It will focus heavily on improving management of western juniper across a 6.5 million-acre area.

The workshops will be designed to encourage discussion about encroachment of juniper into sage-steppe ecosystems – landscapes comprised of brush and grass, interspersed with woodlands and occasional aspen stands.  Participants will have the opportunity to provide ideas about how to improve the diversity of vegetation and health of these landscapes, according to Tim Burke, manager of the BLM’s Alturas Field Office.

            The workshops, all beginning at 7 p.m., will be held as follows:

Ø      Tulelake:  Tuesday, Aug. 24, Tulelake Partnership Building, downtown Tulelake.

Ø      Macdoel:  Wednesday, Aug. 25, Modoc National Forest Goosenest Ranger District Office

Ø      Fall River Mills:  Thursday, Aug. 26, Lassen National Forest Hat Creek Ranger District Office

Ø      Bieber:  Tuesday, Aug. 31, Veterans Memorial Building

Ø      Likely:  Wednesday, Sept. 1, Likely Fire Hall

Ø      Alturas:  Thursday, Sept. 2, Modoc National Forest Headquarters conference room

Ø      Cedarville: Tuesday, Sept. 14, Bureau of Land Management Surprise Field Office

Ø      Susanville: Wednesday, Sept. 15, Bureau of Land Management, Eagle Lake Field Office.

 

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WORKSHOP MEETINGS  2  2  2

 

“These public workshops are the first steps in developing a management plan and  Environmental Impact Statement for the sagebrush-steppe ecosystems that have been impacted by expansion of juniper woodlands,” Burke said.  “Left unmanaged, these encroaching juniper stands crowd out brush and grass species that are important to wildlife such as deer, antelope, sage grouse and other animals.  Heavy juniper stands also reduce rangeland productivity for livestock grazing, and cause livestock management problems.”

Burke said that when completed, the sagebrush-steppe management plan would become part of the BLM’s land use plans, called Resource Management Plans, and would amend National Forest plans as well.

Management plan development is supported by a wide variety of regional groups, with funding provided by the Modoc County Resource Advisory Committee and by the BLM’s Cooperative Conservation Initiative.

     

     

-BLM-