BLM ACTIVITY IN THE
SEVEN BASINS WATERSHED

Timber Mountain/Johns Peak Off-Highway Vehicle Management Plan

The Bureau of Land Management has been working for some time on a management plan for an area that will affect part of the Seven Basins Watershed. You can read all about the project at the BLM web page, http://www.or.blm.gov/Medford/planning/timbermt_ohv_home.htm

The position taken by the Seven Basins Watershed Council is stated in a letter to the BLM (below).

October 10, 2004 Mr. Tim Reuwsaat District Manager Bureau of Land Management 3040 Biddle Road Medford, Oregon 97504 Re: Proposed Timber Mountain/Johns Peak Off-Highway Vehicle Project Dear Mr. Reuwsaat: This letter is in regards to the proposed Timber Mountain/Johns Peak Off-Highway Vehicle project. As board members of the Seven Basins Watershed Council (SBWC), we want to go on record voicing our concerns regarding the above mentioned project. We feel this activity is inconsistent with the Oregon Plan for Salmon and Watersheds. This proposed land use is located in the headwaters of three streams (Foots Creek, Galls Creek, and Kane Creek) in the Seven Basins Watershed (SBW). These streams are designated as 303(d) (water quality limited) by the Department of Environmental Quality. In addition, both Foots Creek and Kane Creek are prime habitat for steelhead. As members of the SBWC our primary concern is the health and viability of the watershed. We have already seen what off-highway vehicle activity has done in other portions of the SBW (i.e. the West Fork of Evans Creek) as well as other areas in the general vicinity (e.g. the Johns Peak area) and we do not want this to be repeated in other portions of the SBW watershed. It is our experience that once this type of activity is started the impacts to the watershed are cumulative and only become worse with time. Issues that we are most concerned with are degradation of existing water quality, increased sedimentation, and wildfire. We would like the opportunity to discuss the proposed project with you and determine what can be done to mitigate impacts to the watershed before this action is implemented. Sincerely, SEVEN BASINS WATERSHED COUNCIL,   Paul Howell, Chairman, SBWC

 

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