(Hines, OR) The Bureau of Land Management is taking public comments on the draft environmental impact statement for the Bridge Creek Area Allotment Management Plans in Southeast Oregon. The analysis proposes several alternatives for livestock management and related actions in the 26,420-acre project area on Steens Mountain, near the town of Frenchglen.
“There is a high level of interest in this project, and BLM welcomes public participation to reach a sound decision,†said Don Rotell, BLM Oregon/Washington’s Andrews/Steens Field Manager.
The project includes four allotments: Hammond, Mud Creek, Hardie Summer, and Hammond Fenced Federal Range allotments.
The alternatives in the draft analysis consider issuing 10-year grazing permits and the approval of four allotment management plans that outline seasonal grazing systems, grazing utilization thresholds, monitoring, and range developments, among other terms and conditions that could be required under a grazing authorization. The draft also considers options to address community concerns regarding fire danger and that respond to changing conditions on the landscape.
There is no grazing preference nor any grazing authorizations associated with the four allotments in the project area, all of which have been largely ungrazed since 2014. Following issuance of the final EIS, BLM would sign a record of decision. If the decision selects livestock grazing as an action, BLM would issue a separate decision allocating forage and grazing permits as required by the grazing regulations, including those applying to conflicting applications at 43 CFR 4130.1-2.
A Notice of Availability, [RP1] Eplanning Bridge Crk EIS, will publish in Friday’s Federal Register to begin a 45-day public comment period. Additional information is available at the BLM National NEPA Register. Please submit public comments no later than Feb. 24, 2025, through the “Participate Now†option at the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred), by email to BLM_OR_BU_BCA_AMP@blm.gov, or mail to 28910 Hwy 20 W., Hines, Oregon, 97738. Please reference “BCA AMP†when submitting comments..
For more information, please contact the project lead at 541-573-4400.