Sean C. Morgan
The U.S. Forest Service Sweet Home Ranger District will complete a final draft of its Cool Soda restoration and management plan at the end of the month.
The document will be available for viewing at the Ranger District office on Oct. 1. The Ranger District will host a field trip to the Cool Soda area in October, so that members of the planning group and the public can view the area with plan in hand.
A draft of the plan was presented on Aug. 21, and officials are preparing the final draft for presentation to the public. Following the presentation, the plan will enter the National Environmental Policy Act process, giving the public the opportunity to comment on the plan.
The draft is the result of a series of meetings with members of the public, Cascade Timber Consulting, conservation organizations and various agencies, cooperatively developing plans for the Soda Fork drainage area, which is owned by the Forest Service and private interests, primarily the Hill family, whose land is managed by CTC.
“There are a lot of things we can do, but instead, they’ll be connected with the private land,” said Sweet Home District Ranger Cindy Glick.
Those participating in the meeting examined the current conditions of the land and identified the benefits that can be drawn from it. Based on that information, they developed proposed projects to be included in the plan.
CTC is already working on plans using an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife grant to enhance wildlife habitat, which also will help protect seedlings in the Soda Fork area, by planting vegetation favored by deer and elk.
CTC isn’t bound by the same regulations that bind the Forest Service, Glick said, so it can implement things more quickly.
Other possible projects include trails, protecting lands of interest to Native American tribes and harvesting timber and other forest products, such as bear grass and firewood, which could help fund restoration projects.
Still others include the removal of noxious weeds, replacement of undersized culverts and hauling away sidecast to stable waste areas.
“What we’re hoping is that we’ll generate all kinds of different work,” Glick said. The plan involves tending the forest as well as getting forest products output from the land.
The plan will enter the NEPA process in October and November. The Forest Service will host a field trip to the Cool Soda area in October.
Members of the public will have the opportunity to comment then, Glick said. “Hopefully, they’ll like it.”
The process was meant to involve the people, agencies, conservation groups, researchers, industry groups and citizens, who would normally comment and address their concerns and desires.
The major property manager in the area, CTC, has “been outstanding working with us,” Glick said. “I think it’s been inspiring having worked with all these different people.”
For more information about the process or to view the plan when complete, contact the Sweet Home Ranger District at (541) 367-5168 or stop by the office at 4431 Hwy. 20.