Rio Grande Valley Broadband • Entered by Susan Ostlie on June 29, 2021
3 Forest Land Mgmt Plan preliminary informational meeting
April 28, 2021
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | 1 |
| Post Admin hours | 1 |
| Activity Hours | 1 |
| Participants | 2 |
| Total Hours | 4 |
Key Issue: Landscape Planning (Forest Plans, RMPs, TMPs, etc.)
Activity Type: Grant Funded Climate Education & Stewardship Program
Key Partners: Cibola, Santa Fe and Carson National Forests
Short Description of Activity
Webinar for those with MOU’s (not NGO’s) on how to sell the restoration plan for the 3 northern NM forests to the public. See below for analysis/reaction.
Reflection/Evaluation
Reply and summary to Michael Casaus – TWS: I sat in on the 3 forest webinar with Virginia Seiser, and it was unfortunately the usual – NGO’s were not supposed to be a part of the conversation – it was a call for the “cooperating agencies” – as in the “Landscape “ teams for the Cibola – those with MOU’s – to put together a video of how to “sell” the plan to the greater communities. I asked if NGO’s were a part of this stage in the process, and Sarah Browne replied it was only those with MOU’s – “Governmental groups.” In fact the Carson calls them GWG’s – Governmental Working Groups. My response to Sarah was “OK then. We are left out again.” Or something similar.
However, Jay Turner did speak up and say that for the Cibola, he planned to ensure that collaborative participants did have a voice, whatever that means. Of course that probably leaves out TWS and NMWA because you haven’t joined in on collaborative meetings on a regular basis. At least that’s how I interpret it. (Understand that I am not trying to diss you by interpreting it this way.)
I also asked if the responses to comments appendices were available for the public to look at, like they would be for the cooperating agencies, but they are not available until August…so again, this is their effort to forestall/defuse any objections to the final DEIS and Forest Plan ROD. I thought this meeting was about the similarities in management for the three forests, but I must have totally misinterpreted the intent. I’m pretty annoyed by it all at this point in time.