Land Use: Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area Alert

The BlueRibbon Coalition talks about the scoping of the Central Coast Ranger District / Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area as part of the Oregon Dunes Restoration Project.

The following is from the BlueRibbon Coalition, regarding the scoping of the Central Coast Ranger District / Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area as part of the Oregon Dunes Restoration Project:

Oregon Dunes

The Central Coast Ranger District / Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (CCRD/ODNRA) of the Siuslaw National Forest is initiating scoping for the Oregon Dunes Restoration Project in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The purpose of the scoping process is to identify important issues and determine the extent of analysis needed to make an informed decision on the proposed action.

This notice is intended to provide all interested parties the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed project prior to completion of the analysis and NEPA documentation. The District is preparing an Environmental Analysis (EA) that will analyze and document the effects of the proposed project. If the analysis determines there may be significant environmental effects, an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared.

The project area is located on the Siuslaw National Forest, ODNRA and a portion of Bureau of Land Management Land along the Pacific Coast from baker Beach just south of Sea Lion Caves in Lane County to Coos Bay in Coos County, Oregon

The Project is proposed, in part, because of resource concerns identified in the Oregon Dunes Restoration Strategy (2016). Based on that document and initial information gathered by the Project’s planning team, They have identified the following needs that should be addressed by the Project:

  • Promote the development of a sustainable vegetative structure, composition, and pattern to allow for natural processes to function and provide resilience against invasive species and uncharacteristic succession in the long term;
  • Restore hydrologic function and stream and estuary habitat conditions;
  • Provide for the maintenance and improvement of habitat for listed threatened or endangered species and other at-risk species such as the Pacific marten;
  • Maintain and restore recreation opportunities to meet the objectives established for the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and public expectations for developed recreation facilities and dispersed recreation opportunities in the Oregon Dunes area.

Read the Oregon Dunes Restoration Project Scoping Letter here.

Sharetrails.Org/BlueRibbon Coalition would like to commend our local OHV partner, Save the Rider Dunes (along with other stakeholders), for their efforts to collaborate on this project.

Additionally, those who are interested in the Oregon Dunes Restoration Project are encouraged to become involved in the planning process. Your comments will help the Forest Service make an informed decision about the project and will be used to help identify and resolve issues with the proposal and develop alternative ways of achieving the goals of the project. Site-specific comments are the most helpful.

Written comments should be submitted to: Michele Jones, District Ranger, c/o Donni Vogel, Central Coast Ranger District, P.O. Box 400, 1130 Forestry Lane, Waldport, OR 97394-0400; Fax (541) 563-8449. Comments may be e-mailed in common formats (.docx, .doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt) to: comments-pacificnorthwest-siuslaw@fs.fed.us.  Written comments may also be hand-delivered to the Central Coast Ranger District Office, 1130 Forestry Lane, Waldport, OR, or the Reedsport Office at 855 Hwy 101, Reedsport, OR from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday, excluding weekends. Comments are requested by January 18, 2018.
 
For additional information, contact Mick Mueller, Project Leader, Siuslaw Forest NEPA Planner, at (541)750-7077 weekdays, between 9 AM and 4:00 PM.

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