Applegater Summer 2020
Bear Grub study release due soon
21
µ
Bear Grub - Potential Treatment Areas
¬
«
62
Ja
Re ckson
ser
voir ville
Rd
T37S R01W
Medford
Jacksonville
§
¦
¨
5
re
Fo
st
¬
«
Cr
99
k R
ee
Poorman Cr
eek Road
¬
«
d
238
l Road
Carpenter Hil
C
ling
St
1 eet
Str
Phoenix
Ro
ad
T38S R02W
T38S R01W
G
rif
fin
Rd
reek
T38S R03W
nee
r
La
ne
Ster
Pio
Talent
R
ton
gne
Wa
mil
Ha
n
Holte
Road
T39S R03W
An
de
rs
Ro on C
ad re
ek
Ya
nk
G
ulc
h
ag
W
Ro
ad
d
T39S R02W
Ap
ple
ga
te
R
T39S R01W
oa
d
Yale
C
Ro reek
ad
Ea
sts
ide
Ro
ad
Lit
tle
§
¦
¨
5
¬
«
62
¬
«
234
T40S R03W
¬
«
238
¬
«
T40S R02W
140
!
¬
«
99
!
Ashland
T40S R01W
Treatment areas analyzed in the EA may differ
across alternatives. Some alternatives may
not include all areas shown on the map.
FS
gat
e R
d
Medford District
Ap
ple
commercial timber opportunities as
required by the O&C Act and subsequently
the 2016 Southwestern Oregon Resource
Management Plan. Approximately two-
thirds of the potential treatment areas are
proposed for hazardous fuel reduction
treatments only, while the remaining one-
third is proposed for a combination of
commercial timber harvest and hazardous
fuels reduction.
Even in areas proposed for commercial
timber harvest, fuels reduction is a critical
component. The BLM plans to have an EA
available for public review and comment
in late spring or early summer of this
year. Learn more on ePlanning (go.usa.
gov/xvySb).
The Jack-Ash Trail Phase II is a
continuation of the Jack-Ash Phase I
project and a portion of the larger, planned
Jack-Ash trail system that would ultimately
provide non-motorized trails connecting
Jacksonville and Ashland. Phase I of the
Jack-Ash trail was completed in 2017 and
connects the north and south ends of the
Sterling Mine Ditch Trail (SMDT).
Phase II of the Jack-Ash trail would
create new mid-length loops connecting
to the SMDT system, extend the existing
Jack-Ash trail on the north, and connect
close to the East Applegate Ridge Trail to
the west. The proposed action would create
24 miles of new non-motorized trails with
no changes to current allowable uses on
adjacent existing roads and trails. There
are no designations for motorized roads or
trails being proposed in this project. The
BLM is currently evaluating the comments
received during the April comment period.
Project updates and notifications of a
decision will be posted to the ePlanning
page (go.usa.gov/xvySZ).
The BLM evaluates all of our actions,
including comment periods, on a case-
by-case basis and makes adjustments
where needed, to ensure we are allowing
appropriate public input while protecting
the health and safety of the public and our
Gulch
China ad
Ro
The Bureau of Land Management
Medford District is still hard at work
managing your public lands. To the
greatest extent possible, we are working to
maintain services to the American people
while focusing on the safety and well-being
of our employees and the public.
Forests and woodlands in southwestern
Oregon evolved with frequent low- to
mixed-severity fire. Even though we go to
great lengths to put fires out, wildfire will
likely always be a part of our landscape.
Fire patterns and forest fuels have changed
and, unfortunately, wildfire risk has
increased. The BLM is working to reduce
wildland fire risk to communities, create
conditions on the ground that improve
our ability to timely manage and suppress
wildfires safely, and make the landscape
more fire resilient.
The Integrated Vegetation Management
for Resilient Lands Programmatic
Environmental Assessment (IVM-RL EA)
proposes an array of tools for treatments
across Medford District BLM-managed
lands. This approach allows us to address
overcrowded forests through a combination
of small-diameter thinning, commercial
harvest, and controlled burning. Use of
the IVM-RL EA also reduces risks near
older complex forests and promotes more
old, complex forests in appropriate places
on the landscape.
In late 2019, we hosted a scoping
period for IVM-RL EA, which included
public meetings, two comment periods,
and draft chapters 1 and 2 of the
environmental assessment. As you read
this, we are refining alternatives and
analyzing anticipated environmental
effects based on comments submitted
during the scoping period. The EA will be
available this summer on ePlanning (go.
usa.gov/xmuJV).
The Bear Grub Vegetation Management
Project (VMP) increases the age/class
diversity of forests near the Applegate
Valley, reduces wildfire risk, and provides
Medford
T37S R02W Provolt Hwy
T37S R03W
Cherry
BY KYLE SULLIVAN
£
¤
199
Bear Grub Planning Area
Bureau of Land Management
Bear Grub Proposed Commercial Treatments
U.S. Forest Service
Bear Grub Proposed Non-Commercial Treatments
State
(Hazardous Fuels Reduction Only)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Medford District
3040 Biddle Road
Medford, OR 97504
No warranty is made by the Bureau of Land Management as to the accuracy,
reliability, or completeness of these data for individual or aggregate use
with other data. Original data were compiled from various sources and may
be updated without notification.
Private Individual or Company
0
1.5
3
6
Miles
The BLM Bear Grub Planning Area includes “treatment areas” proposed for hazardous fuel
reduction and commercial timber harvest scattered over a wide area from the Wellington
Wildlands on the northwest to Bald Mountain on the southeast.
employees. Please contact us to be added
to our mailing list, and you will be notified
when project updates are available.
During these challenging times, please
find some time to enjoy your public lands
for the values that are near and dear to
your heart, whether you are a part of the
community that relies on public lands for
employment or a part of the community
that relies on public lands for recreation,
relaxation, and meditation. And know
that we are still here, working in the
field, at home, or in the office, to fulfill
our responsibility to you. Please say “hi”
and wave to us when you see us out in
the field.
Kyle Sullivan, Public Affairs Specialist
Bureau of Land Management, Medford
District Office
ksullivan@blm.gov, 541-618-2340
COVID-19 forces cancellations
of Applegate Lake events
BY JOHN MCKELLIGOTT
We hope this finds you and your family
safe, healthy, and ready for better times
ahead. At Star Ranger Station the Forest
Service family is staying strong, supporting
one another and our neighbors. We have
missed our co-workers, the forest visitors,
all our volunteers, the contractors who
keep us up and running, and our partners.
The list of partners and friends of the
forest is long, and their contributions
are humbling.
One of these partners is the Special Use
Concessionaire, AZTOOR. The group’s
commander-in-chief, Glenn Richardson,
has helped the Siskiyou Mountains Ranger
District maintain and operate a developed
recreation program for over a decade.
Through low-water years, brutal fire
seasons, and challenging budget realities,
Glenn has tried to provide safe, reliable and
high-quality opportunities for campers,
picnicking families, boaters, swimmers,
and enthusiastic special-events groups.
The sad reality of COVID-19 effects
continues to grow, and the challenges
of getting the gates open with adequate
staffing are hurdles that the Forest Service
and their partners will navigate together as
the 2020 recreation season unfolds.
But one thing is sadly certain. There
will be no Triathlon, Swim Meet, Pine
to Palms, or any other large special event
at Applegate Lake this summer. After so
many years of friendly co-operation, the
Granite Man has had to cancel its 2020
triathlon, as have the folks who manage the
Master Swim Meet and equally dedicated
groups who have arranged more recent
events such as the Pine to Palms “Enduro.”
While these events bring visitors
and additional cash flow to our valley,
they also provide opportunities for
family-oriented and crowd-pleasing
entertainment that is a large part of the
Applegate Lake recreational experience.
We appreciate these partnerships and
plan to bring these events forward in
summers to come.
John McKelligott
Developed Recreation Coordinator
Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District
541-899-3800
Happy Father’s Day to all dads on June 21!
— Report illegal burning —
If you witness what you think is illegal burning, either of prohibited materials
or on a no-burn day, report it to the following:
• Jackson County Environmental Air Quality at 541-774-8206 or Josephine
County Environmental Health Services at 541-474-5325.
• If the fire is burning, also call your local fire department.
Penalties: $600 fine per incident and further legal action if required.
Prohibited materials include wet garbage, plastic, wire insulation, automobile
parts, asphalt, petroleum products or treated materials, rubber, asbetos, animal
remains, animal or vegetable matter resulting from the handling, preparation,
cooking or service of food, any material that emits dense smoke or noxious
odors. This applies to open/barrel burning and solid fuel burning devices such
as wood stoves. (From Jackson County Health & Human Services website at
jacksoncountyor.org.)
For more information, contact Tom White with Jackson County Environmental
Air Quality at 541-774-8206 or Josephine County at 541-474-5325.