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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT

Oregon / Washington

Roseburg Newsroom

Bureau of Land Management offices post News Releases to share news or let you know upcoming plans for their area. If you have questions regarding a specific News Release, contact information is at the top of each News Release. Please feel free to contact the Roseburg Office with your questions or comments, at 541-440-4930 or by email.

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Roseburg News Releases in 2017
Oct 17 2016BLM Completes Comprehensive Update of Its Oil and Gas Measurement Rules

Announcements

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Stouts Fire Closure Order

Date: 08/07/15

The Bureau of Land Management, Roseburg District, South River Resource Area and is issuing a temporary emergency closure of public lands in Douglas County Oregon. This closure affects public lands within and adjacent to the Stouts Fire, on lands administered by the BLM.

This closure affects public lands inside the established perimeter of the Stout�s Creek road and is specific to BLM lands and routes only. This emergency closure is necessary to ensure public safety, land health, and resource integrity during firefighting activities. The fire is not contained or controlled, and ongoing suppression and restoration activities preclude safe public access. The areas affected by this closure order will be posted with appropriate regulation signs at main access and entry points.

news photo

Cable Crossing Fire Closure Order

Date: 08/07/15

The BLM Roseburg District is issuing a temporary emergency closure of public lands in Douglas County, Oregon. This closure affects public lands within and adjacent to the Cable Crossing fire, on lands administered by the BLM.

This emergency closure is necessary to ensure public safety, land health, and resource integrity during firefighting activities. The fire is not contained or controlled, and ongoing suppression and restoration activities preclude safe public access. The areas affected by this closure order will be posted with appropriate regulation signs at main access and entry points.

BLM Releases Draft Plan for Western Oregon

Date: 04/24/15

RMP EIS

The Bureau of Land Management has released draft alternatives for the future management of 2.5 million acres of BLM-administered lands in western Oregon to better achieve social, economic and ecological objectives. The 90-day public comment period includes 16 open houses or workshops in the region. Five alternatives are detailed in the Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for western Oregon, which is available online at: http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/meetings.php

For more information, check out our website:
http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/

Watch videos:
http://www.blm.gov/or/plans/rmpswesternoregon/videos.php

News Release:
http://www.blm.gov/or/news/files/BLM_Oregon_RMP_Draft_DEIS_RMPs_Press_Release.FINAL_.pdf (PDF)

Date: 12/10/14

Jordan Cove Poster

The BLM has released the next series of its popular vintage poster collection and it includes a poster of the San Juan Islands National Monument (SJINM). The SJINM encompasses about 1,000 acres of land spread across rocks and islands managed by BLM. The vintage-style drawing featured on the poster is of Patos Island and its lighthouse, which is a dominant feature of the area.

Stop by your local BLM Office to free copy of this spectacular poster!

Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Jordan Cove Energy and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline Projects

Date: 11/07/14

Press Release

The Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service have announced the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's release of Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Jordan Cove Energy and Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline Projects. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is the lead Federal agency for this proposed project. The Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, and Bureau of Reclamation are cooperating agencies and these agencies' actions are included as part of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's analysis. The Bureau of Land Management has authorities under the Natural Gas Act to issue rights-of-way on behalf of itself and other Federal agencies.

History of the GLO in Oregon

Date: 07/10/2014

History of the GLO in Oregon

BLM is proud to announce the release of this new book that provides an in-depth look at Oregon's history through the eyes of the General Land Office. The General Land Office GLO is an integral piece in the mosaic of Oregon's history. Today the imprint of the GLO on Oregon's landscape is unmistakable in its cardinally-oriented roads and property lines. However, the story of the GLO in Oregon runs deeper than mapping and surveying the lands. As agents of the United States, GLO surveyors operated under the umbrella of United States' public land laws and policies and treaty-making with Indian tribes. This free book is just a small, but fascinating piece of Oregon's history and the role played by the GLO! Download your free copy here (PDF).

Date: 08/19/13

The Bureau of Land Management, Medford District, Grants Pass Resource Area and Roseburg District, South River Resource Area are issuing a Temporary Emergency closure of public lands in Douglas County & Josephine County, Oregon. This closure affects public lands within the perimeter of the Douglas Complex fire, on lands administered by the BLM.

Date: 09/21/12

Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline (PCGP) Notice of Intent

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service announced that they will consider amendment of their land management plans to make provision for the Pacific Connector Gas Pipeline (PCGP). The Notice of Intent to initiate the public scoping process for this effort was published in the Federal Register on September 21, 2012.

Western Oregon Forests

BLM Initiates Planning Update for Western Oregon Forests

Date: 03/09/12

On March 9, 2012, the BLM announced it was beginning the process of revising Resource Management Plans (RMP) for 2.5 million acres of forested lands across six BLM Districts in western Oregon. The BLM is seeking public input on the issues and alternatives the new RMPs should address.

BLM State Director Ed Shepard stated: "The BLM welcomes new and innovative ideas that result from this scoping process. The planning process will recognize the importance of the social, cultural, and economic dimensions of natural resource management in western Oregon. Integrating public values and perspectives into the planning process is critical to finding a sustainable path forward."

Forestry

Secretary Salazar Proposes Expansion of Ecological Forestry in Western Oregon and Update Resource Management Plans

Date: 02/22/12

During a visit on February 21 to one of three ecological forestry pilot projects in Oregon, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will apply ecological forestry principles on a broader landscape to restore forest health and to provide sustainable timber harvests for local mills and the communities who rely on the timber industry for jobs and economic strengths.

Forestry

Forestry Pilot Projects Report

Date: 02/14/12

Following up on the December 8, 2010 meeting in Washington, D.C. the BLM committed to immediately develop action plans for both the Roseburg Pilot Project and the Middle Applegate Watershed Pilot Project. Throughout 2011, the BLM, along with Drs. Norm Johnson and Jerry Franklin, held a series of public meetings, workshops, and field trips to discuss the pilot projects and learn more about the principles of ecological forestry. In February 2012, the BLM released a report regarding the Drs. Johnson and Franklin's observations about the Forestry Pilot Projects.

Secure Rural Schools

BLM Distributes Final Payments to Counties

Date: 01/20/12

The BLM announced today that it has issued payment to 18 counties in western Oregon eligible under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act extension (Public Law 110-343). The amount paid to the Oregon & California (O&C) counties was $40,037,160.

Date: 09/21/11

Interior Conservation Awards to BLM-Led Partnerships

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar presented his "Partners in Conservation" Awards to a number of outstanding conservation partnerships at a ceremony on September 21, 2011. The awardees included four BLM-coordinated partnerships: Oregon's Jefferson Conservation Corps; the Gila Watershed Partnership of Arizona; New Mexico's Permian Basin Memorandum of Agreement Program; and the nationwide Project Archaeology program.

A video profile about the Jefferson Conservation Corps is available on YouTube at:

In addition, an article about the Jefferson Conservation Corps is available in winter 2010 issue of BLM's magazine, NW Passage:

Date: 08/23/11

Socioeconomic Impacts of the BLM

The BLM has the privilege of protecting and maintaining some of the Nation's most unique treasures. We manage over 15.7 million acres of public land in Oregon, and approximately 436,000 acres in Washington, together with some 23.4 million acres of federal subsurface minerals. The BLM lands provide for a variety of multiple uses throughout the Northwest, all of which contribute to the well-being of local communities through economic activities, social contributions, and land stewardship programs. Take a look around at these socio-economic contributions; we think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Secure Rural Schools

BLM Releases 2011 Secure Rural Schools Estimates

Date: 08/05/11

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act (Public Law 110-343) provided transition payments to the 18 western Oregon O&C counties through Fiscal Year 2010 and established another formula for calculating O&C county payments for Fiscal Year 2011. In developing the estimate for the Fiscal Year 2011 payment under the other formula, the BLM found an error in its preliminary calculations. The correct estimate was published in the President's Fiscal Year 2012 Budget Justifications submitted to the Congress in March 2011. Because of the nature of the variables for calculating payments as established in the Secure Rural Schools Act, the final amount of O&C county payments for Fiscal Year 2011 cannot be determined until the end of Fiscal Year 2011—after September 30, 2011. The final payment amount is subject to review and audit before the payments are made to counties 6 to 8 weeks following the close of the Fiscal Year 2011.

Soda Mountain

BLM Restores Guidance for Managing Lands with Wilderness Characteristics

Date: 02/25/11

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) today issued guidance to its field managers describing how the agency will use its land use planning process to enable local communities, States, Tribes, the public, and stakeholders to help determine how to manage public lands with wilderness characteristics.

The guidance will ensure public lands with wilderness characteristics are inventoried, described, and managed in accordance with Secretarial Order 3310, issued by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar in December.

The BLM: A Sound Investment for America

President Proposes $1.13 Billion for BLM in Fiscal Year 2012 To Protect Resources and Manage Uses of Public Lands

Date: 02/14/11

President Obama today requested $1.13 billion in appropriations for the Interior Department's Bureau of Land Management in Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, a decrease of $12.0 million from the 2010 Enacted/2011 Continuing Resolution level. The budget makes strategic investments in support of Administration and Secretarial initiatives, and offsets funding increases for these priorities with $25.5 million in administrative and management savings, shifting $42.4 million in energy and minerals inspection costs to industry, and reducing lower-priority programs.

Under the President's proposed budget, the BLM will focus on a number of priorities, including: Renewable Energy; Cooperative Landscape Conservation, including Sage-grouse Habitat Management; Youth in the Great Outdoors; Abandoned Mine Lands and Hard Rock Mining Reform; Wild Horse and Burro Program; and the Secretary's Western Oregon Strategy.

yellow starthistle
BLM staff and Nature Conservancy volunteers pulling yellow starthistle

BLM Releases Decision for Vegetation Treatments

Date: 10/01/10

On October 1, 2010, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon State Office announced the release of a Record of Decision for the Vegetation Treatments Using Herbicides on BLM Lands in Oregon. Weeds are currently spreading on BLM lands in Oregon at an estimated 12 percent per year, or 144,000 acres per year. This decision expands herbicide use beyond noxious weed treatments to include: the treatment of all invasive plants, the control of pests and diseases, and the control of native vegetation in rights-of-way and administrative sites, and recreation sites.

Task Force Report

BLM Releases Western Oregon Forest Management Report

Date: 07/22/10

Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Director Bob Abbey today announced the findings of the interdisciplinary Western Oregon Task Force and an interagency approach for moving forward in the management of BLM-managed forests in western Oregon.

President Proposes $1.1 Billion for BLM in Fiscal Year 2011

BLM Budget

Date: 02/01/10

With a focus on renewable energy development, climate change adaptation, and other key priorities, President Obama today requested $1.1 billion in appropriations for the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management in Fiscal Year 2011. This represents an $8.0 million increase from the BLM's FY 2010 enacted funding level. The President's request reflects his continuing commitment to be prudent with taxpayer dollars while setting priorities for spending.

BLM Distributes Payments to Counties

Date: 11/25/09

Westside Districts

The Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act was reauthorized as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 signed into law in October 2008 (Public Law 110-343). The reauthorized act provides declining payments to 18 westside Oregon Counties from Fiscal Year 2008 through 2011. Eligible counties in Oregon and several other �transition� States will receive declining payments from Fiscal Years 2008 to 2010 based upon their Fiscal Year 2006 payments. Then, in Fiscal Year 2011, counties will receive payments based on a new formula detailed in the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. The Act included other changes, such as limiting how counties may spend their Title III project funds. The Oregon/Washington BLM made payments to each of the eligible western Oregon counties for Fiscal Year 2009 on November 25, 2009.

Secretary Salazar to Discuss Next Steps for Western Oregon Forest Management

Date: 10/14/09

Forestry Photo

On Wednesday, October 14, 2009, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar hosted a news media teleconference to discuss a schedule of timber sales on public lands in Western Oregon and initial steps for forest management in the area.

To provide additional certainty to local mills and local communities, the BLM released a list of about 60 proposed timber sales scheduled over the next 12 months. The program of work reflects an interim approach as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife continues to work on refinement of the northern spotted owl recovery plan via a number of technical workgroups.

BLM Prepares for Upcoming Oil and Gas Lease Sale

Date: 3/4/09

Oil and Gas Lease Sale

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Oregon State Office has announced that it will offer four parcels totaling approximately 5,342 acres, in Oregon, at its March 12, 2009 Oil and Gas Lease Competitive Sale. All four parcels to be offered are in Wheeler County near Mitchell, Oregon. The sale will be held at 9:00 AM, Thursday, March 12, at the Robert Duncan Plaza Building, 333 SW 1st Avenue, Portland, Oregon in the 3rd floor conference rooms.

Formosa Mine Investigation

Formosa Mine - The Formosa Abandoned Mine site near Riddle is a high priority for environmental investigation and cleanup. Toxic metals from this former mine site have contaminated about 18 miles of Middle Creek and South Fork Middle Creek.