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To enhance the transparency and increase public involvement in the western Oregon planning process, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is releasing the Purpose and Need statement for the Resource Management Plans (RMP) for Western Oregon. The Purpose and Need statement identifies the reason for the planning action and what the BLM intends to accomplish through the RMPs and EIS. It plays an important role in the formulation of alternatives that will be analyzed and considered for the draft RMP and draft EIS, leading to a preferred alternative in the Final EIS. "The Purpose and Need statement is an important part of the conversations we're having with our community partners, key stakeholders and the general public about the RMPs for western Oregon." said Jerome E. Perez, State Director for BLM Oregon/Washington. "The BLM is aware of the pressing need for dialogue about what the agency is doing to effectively manage their lands now and in the future." The Purpose and Need reflects the input that the BLM gathered from the public in a series of scoping meetings that took place March through June of 2012. As a result of those scoping meeting, the BLM identified six criteria to guide the management of BLM public lands in western Oregon to achieve the following outcomes in the design of the RMPs: provide a sustained yield of timber; contribute to the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered species; provide clean water; restore fire adapted ecosystems; provide for recreation activities; and coordinate management of lands surrounding the Coquille Forest with the Coquille Tribe. Through the planning process, the BLM will analyze various alternatives to achieve these outcomes. The BLM is revising the current RMPs for the Coos Bay, Eugene, Medford, Roseburg and Salem Districts, and the Klamath Falls Field Office of the Lakeview District. The plan revisions are necessary to address new scientific information and policies related to the northern spotted owl, and circumstances that led to a substantial, long-term departure from the timber management outcomes predicted under the area's 1995 RMPs. The BLM will continue to assist Senator Wyden and other leaders in Oregon in their efforts in developing a collaborative resolution to forest management issues in western Oregon. The statement will be made part of the Planning Criteria, scheduled for release in the summer of 2013, and the Draft RMP/Draft EIS, scheduled for release in the summer of 2014, which will both be available for public comment. For more information on the RMPs for western Oregon, or to read the purpose and need statement, visit: blm.gov