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About Illinois Valley news. (Cave City, Oregon) 1937-current | View Entire Issue (May 30, 2007)
Page 9 Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, May 30, 2007 BLM Grants Pass Resource Area staff dedicated to management of O&C land By SCOTT JORGENSEN IVN Staff Writer From the front window of the Bureau of Land Man- agement (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service joint office in Grants Pass, forester Tom Dierkes can see some of the land he’s charged with main- taining. But he wouldn’t have it any other way. On Friday, May 25, Dierkes began his day at the Spalding Street office, with Abbie Jossie, who serves as BLM field manager for the Grants Pass Resource Area. The two plan to tour some of the federal O&C land located in Josephine County to view the progress of projects the agency has worked on during the years. The continued contro- versy regarding federal tim- ber payments to rural coun- ties has prompted much re- cent discussion on O&C land. But less is known about what actually occurs in these areas, and what BLM is doing to maintain its mission as stew- ards of those lands. Federal O&C land covers most of Josephine County, and is laid out in checkerboard patterns in 20-mile sections. BLM foresters maintain the land, but operate under poli- cies laid out under the 1994 Northwest Forest Plan. And since BLM is included in the federal Dept. of the Interior, it also must follow that agency’s administrative rules. As such, Jossie said, BLM deals with “multiple layers” of management plans. Its first obligation, under law, is protection of endangered species habitat. All these converging policies mean that BLM for- esters often find themselves in a delicate balancing act between producing timber receipts for counties; follow- ing the letter of the law with regard to environmental con- cerns; and the overall long- term health of the forests. Jossie said that it’s all part of the job description for her and other BLM officials. “Where there are com- promises to be made, we make them,” Jossie said. After a briefing in Jos- sie’s office, Dierkes fetches the BLM field vehicle, an olive green Ford Expedition, and drives it to the office en- trance. He takes a minute to point out the Savage Green area, located directly in front of the vehicle and visible from the freeway. Dierkes points out that Savage Green was part of a BLM project in the late 1990s. The area was thinned through a combination of helicopter logging and light under-burning, and its healthy appearance suggests the suc- cess of that operation. However, Dierkes said that the area may require more work during the next five or so years, as part of cotinuing maintenance. A love of the outdoors prompted Dierkes to begin his career with BLM in 1982. He’s currently two years from retirement, but Dierkes said that his passion for the job has never waned. Jossie hopped in the back seat, and Dierkes headed down the road to the Bird- seye-Jones site. According to Jossie, site names are based on geographic references stemming from nearby creeks and watersheds. Fuel reduc- tion and log-harvesting pro- jects have been proposed for Birdseye-Jones, but are still in the planning stages, accord- ing to Dierkes. Much of the O&C land is bordered by private property, and increasingly so. This ur- ban encroachment means that BLM officials often must work with citizens to address concerns. “Most peo- ple are pretty favorable about what we’re try- ing to do,” Jos- sie said. “With every project, we make new friends.” There’s also the issue of liti- gation from en- vironmental groups. Dierkes said he has seen many more law- suits against the agency than when he first began working Forester Tom Dierkes views some O&C land for BLM. Such suits many trees grow in a limited 12 percent of the tend to drag out projects, space, they then must com- land can actually sometimes for up to 10 years. pete with each other for water be logged. Some projects proposed dur- and other needed nutrients. “There are ing 2002 still are being liti- That overcrowding leads to places in the land- Dierkes and Abby Jossie (Photos by Scott Jorgensen/‘IVN’) gated, which has halted any diseases and infestations by scape where BLM work on the land. bark beetles and other bugs. has never done a Jossie and Dierkes still have a “We have projects that “We’re losing trees every ronmental groups. But Jossie timber sale,” Jossie said. “A job to do. were designed, analyzed and year,” Jossie said. said that in her 20 years with lot of the land doesn’t lend Dierkes navigated the sold in the ‘90s that are just Many misconceptions BLM, spanning Republican itself to that.” Ford Explorer onto Interstate now out of litigation,” Jossie still exist as to the extent of and Democratic presidential BLM’s fuel reductions 5, toward Merlin. Jossie de- said. BLM’s commercial activities. administrations, that such a budget is kept separate from scribes that town as a The Ford Expedition The Grants Pass Resource scenario has not been her timber sales, despite many “community at risk” for wild- pulled up to the Bloody-Jones Area covers approximately experience. assumptions to the contrary. fires. site. Plans call for this area to 250,000 acres, 80 percent of “There are extra layers Jossie said that funds for rec- After taking a quick tour be used as a helicopter pad so which are set aside from tim- (of environmental protec- reation projects on BLM land of O&C land in Merlin, Jos- logs can be collected, put on ber sales. Much of the land is tions) that we didn’t have 10 are “harder to come by” than sie and Dierkes made their trucks and transported, but inaccessible, and riparian years ago,” Jossie said. “The most would think. way back to the Grants Pass environmental groups have areas are also off-limits to rules have not changed dra- It would be easy to as- office. For Dierkes, the sur- protested the proposal. logging, further reducing the matically.” sume that BLM is caught in rounding landscape is just Much of the federal amount of acreage available But while issues regard- the constant political crossfire another reminder of the work O&C land is facing what for harvesting. ing timber harvests and envi- between timber industry- he has thus far done, as well Dierkes refers to as “density- All those combined fac- ronmental policy continue to backed Republicans and De- as that which remains. related mortality.” If too tors mean that between 7 to be part of the public debate, mocrats supported by envi- -RVHSKLQH&RXQW\ t r o p e R l a i c e p S ,VVXH 0D\ $5(<28$&2817<25$&,7<5(6,'(17" E\&RPPLVVLRQHU'DYH7ROHU ,W¶VDFRPPRQPLVFRQFHSWLRQWKDWZHKHDUDOOWKHWLPH³, OLYH LQ WKH FLW\´ RU ³, OLYH LQ WKH FRXQW\´ %XW DFWXDOO\ ZKHWKHU \RX OLYH LQ *UDQWV 3DVV &DYH -XQFWLRQ RU UXUDO SDUWVRIRXUJUHDWFRXQW\ZHDOOOLYHLQ-RVHSKLQH&RXQW\ $QG WKHUH¶V QR EHWWHU H[DPSOH RI WKDW WUXLVP WKDQ RXU -RVHSKLQH&RXQW\FULPLQDOMXVWLFHV\VWHP7KH-RVHSKLQH &RXQW\'LVWULFW$WWRUQH\VHUYHVDOOFLWL]HQVRIWKLVFRXQW\ UHJDUGOHVVRIZKHUH \RXOLYHLQWKHFRXQW\7KHVDPHFDQ EH VDLG IRU RXU -RVHSKLQH &RXQW\ DGXOW MDLO LW KROGV ERWK FLW\ UHVLGHQWV DQG UXUDO UHVLGHQWV RI RXU FRXQW\ 'LWWR IRU RXU -RVHSKLQH &RXQW\ -XYHQLOH 6KHOWHU DQG RXU -XYHQLOH 'HWHQWLRQ &HQWHU $V IRU 6KHULII¶V SDWUROV HYHU\ WLPH D GHSXW\ LV GHSDUWLQJ IURP RU DUULYLQJ WR WKH &RXUWKRXVH *UDQWV3DVVUHVLGHQWVEHQHILWIURPWKHLUSUHVHQFH 7KH WUXWK LV ZKHWKHU \RX UHVLGH LQ WKH FLWLHV ZLWKLQ RXU FRXQW\ RU LQ WKH UXUDO DUHDV RI RXU FRXQW\ \RX EHQHILW IURP WKH VHUYLFHV RI \RXU -RVHSKLQH &RXQW\ FULPLQDO MXVWLFHV\VWHP :+(17+(/(9<)$,/6 :LWKWKHORVVRIWKH0D\OHY\WRIXQG-RVHSKLQH&RXQW\¶V FULPLQDOMXVWLFHV\VWHPWKH%RDUGRI&RXQW\&RPPLVVLRQ HUVLPPHGLDWHO\PRYHGWRLPSOHPHQWWKHEXGJHWSDVVHGE\ WKH %XGJHW &RPPLWWHH D EXGJHW WKDW UHIOHFWHG D GHFOLQHLQUHYHQXHWRSD\IRU&RXQW\VHUYLFHV 7KH %RDUG WRRN WKH YHU\ GLIILFXOW VWHS RI FXWWLQJ SRVLWLRQV LQ WKH &RXQW\ /D\ RIIV DIIHFWHG HYHU\ SURJUDP LQ WKH FRXQW\ LQFOXGLQJ &RPPXQLW\ -XVWLFH )LQDQFH &RPPXQLFDWLRQV &RPPLVVLRQHUV¶ 2IILFH 7HFKQRORJ\ /HJDO &RXQVHO /LEUDU\ 3XEOLF +HDOWK 3XEOLF :RUNV 6KHULII¶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±VRPHWKLQJUDUHO\VHHQLQWKHSXEOLFVHFWRU -LP5DIIHQEXUJ&KDLU 'DYH7ROHU9LFH&KDLU 'ZLJKW)(OOLV&RPPLVVLRQHU 9LVLWRXUZHEVLWHIRU FXUUHQW&RXQW\LQIRUPDWLRQ ZZZFRMRVHSKLQHRUXV 35(3$5,1*)257+()8785( (YHQ WKRXJK ZH DUH UHFHLYLQJ WKH VDPH GROODUV ZH UHFHLYHG WKLV ILVFDO \HDU IURP WKH IHGV ZH DQWLFLSDWH VDYLQJ DW OHDVW RIWKRVHIXQGV$GGWKDWZLWKWKHPLOOLRQZH WXFNHGDZD\LQWKLV\HDU¶VEXGJHWDQGZHZLOOKDYHEXLOWXSD UHVHUYHRIDWOHDVWPLOOLRQIRUWKHILVFDO \HDU 7KDW¶VDUHVHUYHWKDWLVRYHURIRXUJHQHUDOIXQGEXGJHW $JDLQWKDWNLQGRIILVFDOFRQVWUDLQWLVUDUHO\VHHQLQWKHSXEOLF VHFWRU $V ZH XVH WKHVH RQH WLPH IHGHUDO IXQGV WR EXLOG RXU UHVHUYHV WKLV ZLOO LPSURYH RXU VLWXDWLRQ IRU WKH ILVFDO\HDU $1'%(<21' 7KH OLNHOLKRRG RI UHFHLYLQJ 2 & VDIHW\ QHW GROODUV WKH IROORZLQJ \HDU VHHP SUHWW\ VOLP 7KH ORQJ WHUP VROXWLRQ WR IXQGLQJ RXU FULPLQDO MXVWLFH V\VWHP SXEOLF KHDOWK OLEUDULHV DQG RWKHU FRXQW\ VHUYLFHV ZLOO PRVW OLNHO\ LQYROYH D VWURQJ SDUWQHUVKLS EHWZHHQ WKH FLWL]HQV RI -RVHSKLQH &RXQW\ WKH IHGHUDO JRYHUQPHQW ZKR PDQDJHV WKH 2 & ODQGV DQG KRSHIXOO\WKH6WDWHRI2UHJRQ$OOWKUHHSDUWQHUVZLOOQHHG WRVWHSXSWRHQVXUHZHKDYHORQJWHUPVWDEOHIXQGLQJIRUWKHVH YLWDOVHUYLFHVWKDWPDNHRXUFRPPXQLW\DJUHDWSODFHWRZRUN UDLVHRXUIDPLOLHVDQGUHWLUHLQ 3XEOLVKHGELPRQWKO\E\WKH -RVHSKLQH&RXQW\ %RDUGRI&RPPLVVLRQHUV Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an under- standing of ourselves. - Carl Jung - 21(025(<($52)2 &3$<0(176 &RXQW\&RXUWKRXVH 1:6L[WK6WUHHW *UDQWV3DVV2UHJRQ 3KRQH )D[ HPDLOEFF#FRMRVHSKLQHRUXV
