As the Forest Service advances with their planning for the Blue Mountains Forest Plan Revision, they have diligently collaborated with the Blue Mountains Intergovernmental Council (BIC) to promote a narrative suggesting local support for policies that are actually backed by only a small group of individuals, rather than the broader local community.
The most disheartening aspect of this initiative has been the actions of currently elected officials who operate under a Cooperating Agency Agreement. This agreement enables the Forest Service to proceed as though the general public is in agreement, disregarding previous concerns and creating policies detrimental to local families and communities.
Although FAFA has asked for the final signed Cooperating Agency Agreement, neither the County Government nor the US Forest Service has provided the signed document, despite a FOIA request submitted almost 8 months ago. The Forest Service has not disclosed who signed the agreement, preventing accountability for the elected officials who decided to designate the Forest Service as the "lead agency" in a cooperating agency agreement, rather than opting for a coordinating agency approach that would enable county-by-county engagement.
We uphold the values of fairness and transparency, yet we are not receiving these from our County Officials or the Federal Employees. To clarify, between 2016 and 2018, the County Officials explicitly requested that this planning process be completed under Coordination rather than a Cooperating Agency agreement. This approach completely deviates from the promise made by Mr. Chris French to the people of Eastern Oregon in 2018 and permits another unauthorized process that ignores public concerns while enabling the Agency to pressure County Commissioners into compliance.
The draft Cooperating Agency from 2023 outlines a clear plan for the Forest Service to prevent Public and County opposition, ultimately facilitating the future closure of the Blue Mountains.












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