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Natural area's management discussed Opinions sought for land near Ashland By PAUL FATTIG ASHLAND -- The future of the Cascade-Siskiyou ecological region will be discussed during a meeting Saturday at Southern Oregon University. During the session, which begins at 1:30 p.m. at the science building auditorium, Bureau of Land Management officials hope to gather suggestions on how the bureau should manage nearly 50,000 acres of its land in the ecological region immediately southeast of Ashland. The session comes after three recent field trips to the region. Both the BLM's Medford District and the agency's office in Redding, Calif., are participating in a project to develop a management plan and environmental impact statement for the area. The Cascade Siskiyou Ecological Emphasis Area includes about 44,000 acres in Oregon and 4,000 in California. That includes the 5,867-acre Soda Mountain Wilderness Study Area, the 544-acre Pilot Rock Area of Critical Environmental Concern and the 1,160-acre Jenny Creek Area of Critical Environmental Concern. The "areas of concern" are designed to protect natural features. Nine miles of the Pacific Crest National Trail wind through the emphasis area, which also includes the 14,197-acre Jenny Creek Late-Successional Reserve. Such reserves are designated in the Northwest Forest Plan to promote and maintain late-successional and old-growth forest ecosystems. The draft EIS is expected in March 2000, followed by a 90-day public comment period. The public is encouraged to comment before Oct. 29 so the agency can incorporate those concerns into the plan and draft EIS. Comments should focus on "preliminary issues" that include off- road vehicle use, livestock grazing, noxious weeds, timber harvest, special designations and the Cascade Siskiyou ecological emphasis area boundary, but new issues and concerns also are welcome. Stretching from Jenny Creek on the east to the Siskiyou Summit, the area is slightly more than 12 miles wide. It is about 10 miles deep from the Horseshoe Ranch area in Northern California to Highway 66 in Oregon. Any decisions on timber harvest in the area are on hold until a plan for the area is final, officials said. Written comments should be sent by Oct. 29 to Richard Drehobl, Ashland Field Manager, Medford District BLM, 3040 Biddle Road, Medford, OR 97504. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA