The Central Coast Ranger District – Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on the Siuslaw National Forest is seeking public comment on the proposed Bull Run Dunes Restoration Project. The project is needed to restore historic open sand conditions on the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. The area proposed for restoration is located north of the Bull Run Staging Area in an area designated for Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use (see map).

The Project is located in an area that has, over the past 50 years, been colonized by European beach grass, Scot’s broom, and shorepine. The Project proposes to manually and mechanically clear vegetation from approximately 60 acres of hummocks in an area north of the Bull Run Off-Highway Vehicle Staging area. The use of herbicides is not proposed as a treatment method. It is estimated that the Project will take 3-5 years to complete. This Project is being proposed concurrently with the development of a Dunes Restoration Strategy that should be completed in the next year or two.

The legal notice, published in the Eugene Register-Guard on June 7, 2013, serves as both a scoping notice and a notice of availability of the proposed action for the 30 day public review and comment period. The comment deadline is July 7, 2013. These actions are disclosed in the scoping/30-day comment letter, which is available at Forest Service offices in Waldport, Reedsport and Corvallis. Scoping documents are also available online at: http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=42168

In the event that the comment period ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or Federal holiday, comments will be accepted until the end of the next Federal working day.

The Forest Service would like your comments. Comments should be sent to: Michele Jones, District Ranger, 1130 Forestry Lane, P.O. Box 400, Waldport, OR 97394. Written comments should include:

Your name, address, and (if possible) telephone number;
Title of the proposed project on which you are commenting;
Specific facts or comments along with supporting reasons that you believe the Responsible Official should consider in reaching a decision; and
Your signature as an individual or representative of an organization.
Comments may be e-mailed to: comments-pacificnorthwest-siuslaw-centralcoast@fs.fed.us. Although written comments are preferred, oral comments are also accepted. To provide oral comments or to receive additional information, contact Mike Northrop at (541-271-6045) weekdays, between 8:30 AM and 4:30 PM.

Contact Michael Northrop (541-271-6045) on weekdays for further information.

Thanks in advance and, as always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact BRC.

Ric Foster
Public Lands Department Manager
BlueRibbon Coalition
208-237-1008 ext 107