Document text
Together for land's sake Agencies focus on resources of upper Illinois River By PAUL FATTIG The Medford District of the Bureau of Land Management has teamed up with the Forest Service to launch a joint analysis of the upper Illinois River watershed. The unique collaborative effort will result in joint land and resource management decisions on a variety of projects, from timber sales to use of prescribed fire and watershed restoration. "It's a little harder to do, but we need to get past all that," observed Joel King, ranger in charge of the Illinois Valley Ranger District. "It's in each agency's interest to act as one government," he said. "We all want to make sure we are informed. We want to make good decisions. Working together like this in more efficient in the long run." Particularly since the land in question is all in the same watershed, he added. Generally, the BLM has lower elevation land while the Forest Service's national forests are located higher in the mountains. But their lands are intermingled in the east and west forks of the upper Illinois River watershed. The project is first formal joint venture of the two agencies in the region, said BLM employee Doug Parker, who is supervising his agency's side of the project. "But we've been working more and more with the Forest Service in a multitude of areas," Parker said. "We've been making a strong effort to do that." The move makes sense to work together, he noted. "Instead of both agencies working in a vacuum, we can share information," he said. "It's better for everyone if we get together and only analyze the area once." The joint analysis is expected to direct the agencies watershed management in the area for the next five years. "It's a sizeable analysis," Parker said, then added, "It seems to be working pretty good so far." King, noting that the goal is to complete the analysis by the end of the year, agreed. "We all want the government to serve the public well, to be efficient," King said. "This is a good way to accomplish that." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA