Ladies and Gentlemen:

I have been an Oregon resident for 55 years.  I am 56 years old.  I grew up in Forest Grove Oregon and in Rockaway Oregon.  It was during those times that I first learned how our forests were ravaged by the logging industry.  A trip to Rockaway will especially tell the story of what result you obtain using clear cutting practices.  I am aware of just how rare old growth trees are since you have to travel great distance just to find any to view.  Besides the unacceptable degradation of our planet, the practices being put forward by the Western Oregon Plan Revisions are appalling.  I have several concerns.  I worry about dirty streams and rivers from excessive erosion and contamination killing fish and other aquatic life if these plans are implemented.

It appears that each of the three alternatives being considered reduces stream and riparian protection to levels that are unacceptable.  We have spent much time and money repairing native habitats to produce healthy populations of sensitive native fish and aquatic life so why would we take any action that would reverse this to the detriment of our Oregon lands?

Your agency's analysis and studies seem based on a flawed approach that discounts the ecological importance of BLM's lands and the agency's legal duties with regard to freshwater aquatic ecosystems. 

Riparian buffers near streams and waterways would be drastically reduced while areas harvested are drastically increased. If I understand correctly, this will reduce valuable protection to streams banks.  By the BLM's own analysis, these areas are already significantly degraded so making the situation worse makes no sense to me at all!

And we must protect more than just the aquatic species found in the Endangered Species Act.  We must protect our headwaters used by trout, amphibians and other aquatic life.  These species must be protected as outlined in the Clean Water Act.

It is my sincere belief that the US government MUST come through to compensate our state because of the land they hold preventing Oregon counties from their legitimate right to taxation.  The draft EIS is a poor attempt to remedy the problem and I am concerned we are about to sell our souls for temporary gain.

Also...I am a fairly educated person and very familiar with the use3 of a personal computer.  I found the web site created to educate people like me about the proposed plans to be very confusing and near inaccessible.  It appears the plan for disseminating this information is about as bad as the proposed EIS.

I want our forests to be reconstituted not clear cut.  We as a country made serious mistakes when we let our forest get into the hands of uncaring lumber barons and unfortunately, we now must pay the price of our errors.

Thank you!

Fred May
Veneta Oregon