PAOLI – In an unprecedented recent development, Senator Mike Braun has arranged for Dr. Homer Wilkes, Undersecretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the United States Department of Agriculture will share with the public the new Land and Resource Management Plan for the Hoosier National Forest on Monday, April 3.
The meeting will be from 1 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. at the Orange County Community Center at 1075 Sandy Hook Road in Suite 2, in Paoli.
The public meeting will also be available via teleconference for those that can’t attend in person. For more information on the teleconference option, people are encouraged to contact Senator Braun’s office in Washington D.C. at 202-224-4814 or Indianapolis, IN at 317-822-8240.
Undersecretary Wilkes is in charge of the entire United State Forest Service. This is the second time in less than a year that the undersecretary has come to Orange County to meet citizens regarding this 20,500-30,000 acre Buffalo Springs project for timbering, road building, burning, and herbicide treatments.
Currently, the Hoosier National Forest is managed under the 2006 Land and Resource Management plan. This plan is out of date and is required to be updated after 16 years.
Officials are encouraging the public to submit their comments on the need for a new forest plan and an alternative for the Buffalo Springs proposal to Gina Owens, United State Forest Service Regional Forester for the Eastern Region, via email at Gina.Owens@usda.gov.
