Deadline to register for the the Midnight Restoration Project Tour is November 15

information released by the USFS

Photo above: In late September members of the public participated in a Forest Service lead field trip to the Mission Restoration Project to share information about the designation by prescription approach used on the project. Forest Service Representative Mike Borowski describes the evaluation process and shows participants key features of the tree stand that were selected to remain on this forest health treatment and why (September 30, 2023). Credit: Forest Service, D. Kelly

Learn about the Midnight Restoration Project

Join us Friday, November 17 for an informational field trip up the Twisp River Valley to learn more about the Forest Service’s Midnight Restoration Project that lies west and northwest of Twisp, WA. The field trip will be from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 2:00 p.m.

If you plan to attend, please register in advance via this link by 4:30 pm on November 15: https://forms.office.com/g/3YRVYDUqST.

Meeting location and logistics information will be sent to registered participants in advance of the field tour. Participants will need to provide their own transportation, or ride with other participants, and bring a lunch, water and boots and cold weather gear. If we encounter poor weather or access limitations for the field visit, the trip will be cancelled.

Several members of the project inter-disciplinary (planning) team will be available to share information and answer questions about the proposed restoration treatments in the upper Twist River, Rader Creek, and lower Wolf Creek drainages. The proposed activities will help restore the landscape to conditions more consistent with naturally occurring disturbance regimes and expected impacts of climate change.

Proposed treatments will also help reduce wildfire risk to communities and adjust the transportation system to reduce sediment impacts and provide more options for exit routes during wildfires. Proposed actions including thinning, prescribed fire, and road related actions like closing, decommissioning, and building roads.

The initial scoping period for the Midnight Restoration occurred in May 2023. The draft environmental analysis with a 30-day comment period is anticipated this winter, with the final EA, draft decision, and objection period in Spring 2024.

To view more information about the project proposal and public scoping comments visit the Midnight Restoration Project webpage

If you have questions regarding the field trip arrangements, please contact Meg Trebon (Margaret.Trebon@usda.gov) or Deborah Kelly (Deborah.Kelly@usda.gov).