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Most forest protesters are home grown Briefing, hearing A public briefing on proposed operations at Nicore Mine on Rough and Ready Creek will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday at the Illinois Valley Senior Center, 520 East River St., Cave Junction. Public comments on alternatives outlined in a supplemental environmental impact statement will be heard from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Jan. 5, 1999, at Illinois Valley High School, 625 East River St., Cave Junction. Substantive comments, please Have something to say about plans for public lands in your neck of the woods? Federal resource managers say they want to -- and by law must -- hear your concerns. But those same laws require that they respond only to "substantive" comments, those that critique the adequacy of their analysis or discuss the merits of specific alternatives. Siskiyou National Forest planner Rochelle Desser offers these tips for making effective comments: Be specific. If possible, point out the section or page of the proposal that you're responding to. Offer alternatives. If you've got a better idea, say so. Provide evidence. Opinions based on facts and data carry more weight. Explain yourself. If you don't like the water quality analysis, for example, explain why and suggest what's missing. Survey of mining and ski area comments shows few outsiders By BETH QUINN CAVE JUNCTION -- Loggers and miners like to blame out-of-state activists for stirring up Southern Oregon's environmental protests. But an analysis of 3,532 written comments about a controversial Illinois Valley mining proposal show that most protesters are home grown. Ninety-eight percent opposed mining along a creek famed for rare and endangered plants. Although the deluge of letters included mail from 39 states, about 62 percent came from Oregon, said Siskiyou National Forest planner Rochelle Desser, who heads the interdisciplinary team charged with analyzing a proposal to mine nickel laterite ore near Rough and Ready Creek. "The majority of Oregonians would be from Southwest Oregon, and the majority of those from the Illinois Valley," she said. Add to Oregon's commentators those from Washington and California and fully 84 percent of those who took time to mail a letter concerning the proposed NICORE mine live on the West Coast. An initial evaluation of the growing mailing list for another controversial new development of national forest lands found a similar result. Ninety percent of the names on the mailing list for the proposed $36 million Pelican Butte ski resort near Klamath Falls live in Oregon or northern California, said Frank Erickson of the Winema National Forest. And half of local commentators live in Klamath Falls. Federal officials say the growing number of public comments on proposed actions are important in two ways. First, because current environmental laws require decision-makers to hear the public's concerns, and second, because substantive comments can make a big difference. That's what happened in the Illinois Valley. The draft environmental statement for the mining, issued last January, proposed building new roads with six creek crossings to access four mine sites on 35 acres. Included in the 3,532 comments were some questioning the economic assumptions of the mining plan -- why wreak such environmental damage for a money-losing venture, they asked. Others demanded the Siskiyou forest live up to the spirit of environmental, endangered species and forest management laws and protect the entire watershed. The supplemental plan released last month would require miner Walt Freeman to prove his mine would be profitable and protects the creek by mandating helicopter transport of ore samples. In addition, the Illinois Valley Ranger District now plans to explore heightened protection for the Rough and Ready watershed through a botanic area management plan. "In a big way, we responded to comments with this supplement," Dresser said. "We really do listen, and even if the responses do seem factual and dry, that's part of the nature of the the beast." At the Rogue River National Forest, planner Steve Johnson sees an increasing number of comments from the public and expects a slew about a proposed expansion of the Mount Ashland ski area. "There's no doubt that it can make a difference," he says. "It's their land and we need those comments." The seven-state inland Columbia Basin plan netted 85,000 comments because of Internet appeals, and officials at the Winema forest expect on-line activists may generate an unprecedented number on their Pelican Butte plan. "It means anything you do is open to comment by the world should the world choose to comment," Erickson said. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA