Public meeting discussing a management plan on the East Moraine forest
By Paul Hall on Monday, August 30th, 2021 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
ENTERPRISE, OR – A public Input meeting is scheduled for September 1, at 6:00 pm on the Management Plan the final Management Plan that will govern management and stewardship activities on the East Moraine Community Forest. If you attend in person, please wear a mask. The meeting will be held at the Cloverleaf Hall in Enterprise.
The meeting will also be available via Zoom: Meeting ID: 837 0833 2173 Passcode: 113148.
See the Draft Multi-Use Management Plan on the Wallowa County website. It is the result of over a year’s work by the Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership, Oregon Department of Forestry, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Nez Perce Tribe, and uses the best science available to balance use over the landscape.
The Plan will be a living document, meant to adapt to changing conditions and science over time. It is designed to reflect a commitment to preserving a working landscape, where forestry and grazing activities will continue while also protecting the cultural values of the East Moraine and the habitat for wildlife which exists there. We are also committed to providing low-impact public access respectful of the landscape.
Public Survey
You can also provide input on the draft Plan through a community survey, available here. Comments can also be submitted via email to eastmorainecommunityforest@gmail.com or mailed to 101 South River Street, Enterprise, Oregon 97828, attention: East Moraine Community Forest Management Plan. A single, bound copy is available to be read onsite in the Commissioners’ office on the third floor of the Wallowa County Courthouse. The 60 day public comment period ends October 2.
The History of this Project
In 2011, The Wallowa Lake Moraines Partnership—comprised of Wallowa County, Wallowa Resources, Wallowa Land Trust, and Oregon State Parks and Recreation Department—formally committed to protect the East Moraine from development so that it may continue to be a cornerstone of Wallowa County culture, nourishing both people and nature.
Thanks to the generosity of our community, in January 2020 the Partnership was able to acquire 1,791-acres of what was known as the “RY Timber Property” on the East Moraine, and convey that property into public ownership. Formally renamed the East Moraine Community Forest, the property is now owned by Wallowa County.
You can see the Partnership’s Campaign for the East Moraine video here on Wallowa Resources’ YouTube channel, to hear about why this place is special to so many in our community.
