Forest Service Proposing New Set of Road Closures and Decommissioning on Malheur National Forest - Austin Project
- keepitopenfafa
- Jun 15
- 1 min read
The Malheur National Forest Staff plans to close several miles of roads in the "Austin Project" area. Ironically, the communities of Austin and Bates will receive minimal protection from fuel loads, yet they will face increased road closures. These closures will heighten wildfire risks, slow response times from an already sluggish National Forest, and further isolate these impoverished communities from essential resources for their homes and families. The road closures and decommissioning will limit access for people in Eastern Grant County to firewood, supplemental food sources, and quiet spaces they have cherished for over a century.
The agency staff is considering bypassing Objections by designating the project as an emergency, potentially creating future emergencies by hindering effective responses to accidents and wildfires.
If you believe these closures are inappropriate and unwarranted, we urge you to contact the individuals below to express your concerns, as the Malheur National Forest staff seems uninterested in the local communities' views on this issue.
Link to the Austin Project information - https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/malheur/projects/53678
Tom Schultz - Chief of the US Forest Service - tom.schultz@usda.gov
Chris French - Deputy Chief of the US Forest Service - cfrench@fs.fed.us
Complaint Hotline USDA - program.intake@usda.gov
Congressional Representative Cliff Bentz - or02cb.outreach@mail.house.gov
The forest service has no right to close roads, these are all easements that belong to the county or state.