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Seattle/Western Wash. News Releases for Tue. Mar. 19 - 12:18 am
Fri. 03/15/24
BLM seeks input on proposed Grassy Mountain Gold Mine Project in Oregon
Bureau of Land Management Ore. & Wash. - 03/15/24 10:58 AM

VALE, Ore. — The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public input on the proposed Grassy Mountain Gold Mine Project near Vale in Malheur County to inform the scope of analysis for the environmental impact statement. The most helpful comments include potential local concerns and opportunities, identification of potential alternatives and issues to be analyzed, and possible measures to minimize or avoid adverse environmental impacts relevant to the proposed action.

Calico Resources USA Corp. proposes to develop an underground mine with a dedicated chemical processing mill and associated storage. If approved, the project would cover about 470 acres of public lands and about 19 acres of private lands. The development and production at the mine would take place over a 10-year period and be followed by four years of reclamation. 

The BLM is hosting public meetings to discuss the project in Jordan Valley and Ontario, Oregon. BLM will announce the public meeting dates and on the BLM National NEPA Register, including a virtual option for the Ontario meeting. Please contact Larisa Bogardus at 541-219-6863 for the meeting link to attend virtually. 

A notice will publish in the Federal Register on Monday, March 17, and begin a 30-day scoping period scheduled to close April 17, 2024. The public can submit comments through the BLM National NEPA Register (preferred), emailed to blm_or_vl_grassymtn@blm.gov or delivered to: Attn: Grassy Mountain Gold Mine Project c/o Malheur Field Office, 100 Oregon St., Vale, OR 97918.

-BLM-

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.


Thu. 03/14/24
Bellevue Schools Foundation in Partnership with the Bellevue School District, Hosts a "Garden" of Philanthropic Support
Bellevue SD - 03/14/24 11:13 AM

BELLEVUE, Wash. The Bellevue Schools Foundation is hosting its annual Spring for Schools fundraising event on Saturday, March 30, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue. This year’s event is themed as a garden party, centering attendees around the Foundation’s goal to cultivate the next generation of leaders enrolled in Bellevue public schools.   

The evening will feature the organization’s signature Education Showcase and remarks from Bellevue School District Superintendent Dr. Kelly Aramaki. Bellevue Schools Foundation Trustee Jerry Nguyen will serve as master of ceremonies, guiding attendees through a dynamic program of awards and speakers.  

Dr. Aramaki says, “The Bellevue Schools Foundation plays a critical role in enhancing funding for programs and services that are important to our community. This is particularly important given the significant budget deficits facing our district - now and into the future. Although our ability to raise funds through our local levy is limited, our ability to raise funds through the Bellevue Schools Foundation is unlimited. I encourage district families, community members, and business leaders to come and witness the amazing things happening in Bellevue’s schools at BSF’s Spring for Schools, and then help us close the budget gap by donating to the Bellevue Schools Foundation.” 

“Spring for Schools uniquely offers guests the chance to engage directly with educators and students who benefit from programs and opportunities made possible through the Foundation’s funding. Attendees have a chance to learn about the breadth and depth of the support BSF provides throughout the year and to connect with other attendees who are inspired and motivated to make a philanthropic impact in the education sector,” shares the Foundation’s Executive Director, Juliet Buder. “We look forward to welcoming anyone in the community who wishes to learn more and amplify the Foundation’s mission.” 

BSF is hoping to raise $500,000 from Spring for Schools to fund essential District programs including Mental Health, Computer Science, Early Learning, Fentanyl Prevention, and Arts, Enrichment, and Innovation classroom grants. 

Spring for Schools Chair and President-Elect of the Bellevue Schools Foundation Susan Ishii-Yin offers, "This is a wonderful opportunity to see first-hand how families' donations impact students. I encourage the community to join together to secure funding for our enrichment programs."  

To register for the event and donate to the Bellevue Schools Foundation, visit www.bsfdn.org 

ABOUT THE BELLEVUE SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: Established in 1979, Bellevue Schools Foundation (BSF) is the first foundation dedicated to supporting public K-12 initiatives in Washington State. Its mission is to promote and fund the best possible learning opportunities for all students in Bellevue’s public schools. This year, the Foundation is supporting $979,500 of programming in the Bellevue School District. 

The Bellevue School District, with over 18,000 students and 28 schools, is a diverse and dynamic district in East King County, Washington. Its mission is "To serve each and every student academically, socially, and emotionally through a rigorous and relevant education that is innovative and individualized. As a learning community that values one another's humanity, we provide courageous support for an equitable and exceptional education for all students."  

 

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BLM proposes stronger greater sage-grouse conservation plans
Bureau of Land Management Ore. & Wash. - 03/14/24 8:23 AM

Analysis uses best available science and lessons learned to benefit species and western communities

 

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing a draft plan to strengthen greater sage-grouse conservation and management on public lands, informed by the best-available science and input from local, state, federal, and Tribal partners. The draft plan is built on decades of partnership, research, and on-the-ground knowledge and experience in maintaining, protecting and restoring healthy sagebrush habitats. 

Greater sage-grouse rely on sagebrush lands for all aspects of their life cycle to meet seasonal needs for food, cover and reproduction. A local population may need up to 40 square miles of intact landscape to stay healthy. Populations once in the millions now number fewer than 800,000, largely due to habitat loss exacerbated by climate change, such as drought, increasing wildfires, and invasive species. Protecting and restoring sagebrush on BLM-managed public lands across the West is critical not just for greater sage-grouse, but also for the health of western communities and other iconic Western species that rely on healthy sagebrush, including mule deer, pronghorn, and the pygmy rabbit. Additionally, these collaboratively developed landscape-level plans will ensure that other multiple uses of BLM sagebrush lands – including clean energy projects – move forward in a manner that limits impacts to sensitive resources and can also help combat climate change—a main driver of greater sage-grouse habitat loss. 

“The majesty of the West and its way of life are at stake. Sagebrush lands are places where people work and play, and they are the headwaters for the West’s major rivers,” said BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning. “Joint efforts to conserve the greater sage-grouse and its habitat led to the largest collaborative conservation effort in our history, and we are building on that work, together with our partners, to ensure the health of these lands and local economies into the future.” 

The BLM manages the largest single share of sage-grouse habitat in the United States—nearly 67 million acres of 145 million total acres. The draft plan offers a range of alternatives for sustainable management of these lands. Balancing a consistent management approach across the range while addressing conditions and policies unique to individual states, BLM will be able to work more effectively with state and local managers to protect and improve sagebrush habitats on public lands.  

Alternatives in the proposal build on the most successful components of the plans that the BLM adopted in 2015 and updated in 2019. The draft plan incorporates new sage-grouse conservation science and lessons learned, accommodating changing resources conditions while increasing implementation flexibility. The agency considered nearly 1,900 comments gathered during an initial public scoping period and information shared by state, local, federal, and Tribal partners in more than 100 meetings.  

The BLM will hold 13 public meetings to answer questions and take further comments on the draft alternatives and analysis. Information on public meetings will be posted in the events column on the main page of the BLM website

In addition to actions guided by the greater sage-grouse management plans, the BLM is actively restoring and conserving sagebrush habitat across the West through the Biden Administration’s Investing in America agenda. Annually, the BLM invests approximately $35 million of its congressional appropriation in sagebrush ecosystem projects, supplemented by $123 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and complemented by investments by state and local governments, Tribes, stakeholder groups, and private landowners.   

The draft environmental impact statement and plan amendments will open for public comment on March 15, 2024. The comment period will end on June 13, 2024. More information on how to comment on this draft will be posted at https://www.blm.gov/sagegrouse. A final environmental impact statement is expected this fall, followed by Records of Decision in each state.  

-BLM-

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.