SPARKS –– Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest Supervisor Jeanne Higgins announced a series of events to provide opportunities for public discussion on the development of a new Forest Service Land and Resource Management Planning Rule.

A roundtable discussions will be held on April 8 from 1 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. at the following three locations:

• The Forest Supervisor’s Office at 1200 Franklin Way in Sparks. For more information, call 355-5322.

• The Forest Service at 2035 Last Chance Road in Elko. For more information, call 738-5171.

• The Spring Mountains National Recreation Area the Annex Conference Room in 4584 North Rancho Road in Las Vegas. For more information, call (702)839-5560.

Each public discussion will be identical. In addition to the three Humboldt-Toiyabe roundtable meetings, the Forest Service will host a national science forum, three national roundtables, eight regional roundtables and 14 roundtable meetings throughout the intermountain region on April 8 at each Forest Supervisor’s Office. The Intermountain Region covers Utah, western Wyoming, southern Idaho, Nevada and a small portion of California. Meeting locations, agenda and pre-registration can be found at www.fs.fed.us/r4 by clicking on the “planning rule” link.

Providing multiple opportunities for public participation ties directly to President Obama’s call for open government that is transparent, participatory and collaborative and illustrates Forest Service commitment to engage the public in the development of a new planning rule.

“We encourage broad public participation in our regional roundtables,” Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said. “Through collaboration we will be able to better address the current and future needs of the National Forest System such as restoration, protecting watersheds, addressing climate change, sustaining local economies, improving collaboration, and working across landscapes.”

Summaries from discussions in the science forum, national and regional roundtables, along with the individual comments received during the 60-day formal comment period on the Notice of Intent, will be used to develop the proposed rule and a draft environmental impact statement.  

To encourage widespread participation the Forest Service is using new media tools in conjunction with the public meetings, visit http://blogs.usda.gov/usdablogs/planningrule to participate in the planning rule blog and sign up to follow the Forest Service on Twitter at www.twitter.com/forestservice.

The mission of the USDA Forest Service is to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages the 193 million acres of National Forest System land, provides stewardship assistance to non-federal forest landowners and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world.