Preservation Idaho, Friends of Minidoka, and the Japanese American Museum of Oregon are co-hosting a virtual session with Brian Chaffin, Associate Professor in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana. This meeting will be helpful for people to understand how and where the draft EIS sits in the decision-making process and what the background is to help make substantive comments. Learn how comments can be more effective based on knowledge and history of the EIS process and how it is used in larger agency decision-making and subsequent judicial review of agency decisions.

Hosted by: Preservation Idaho, Friends of Minidoka, and the Japanese American Museum of Oregon

What: A virtual information session and Q & A with Brian Chaffin, Associate Professor in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana

Session goal: To provide information as an overview of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the EIS public participation opportunities for the Lava Ridge Project

Why attend: Participation will highlight that citizens are concerned and want the project to be sensitive to historic preservation as well as environmental, cultural, and economic issues. Preservation Idaho will be reviewing the draft EIS and will respond regarding the Minidoka Historic National Site and other potentially significant historic and cultural sites, including many that have not been properly surveyed, that are in the path of the project.

Date: Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Time: 5:30 – 6:30 PM (PST) | 6:30 – 7:30 PM (MST) | 8:30 – 9:30 PM (EST)

Cost: Free to the public; advanced registration is required

Registration: Kindly register by Monday, February 13, 2023. Register online HERE, by phone at (208) 424-511, or by email at kellie@preservationidaho.org.

The Zoom meeting link and call in number will be provided by email before the meeting.

Speaker: Brian Chaffin is an Associate Professor in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry & Conservation at the University of Montana. His teaching and research focus on complex questions of natural resources policy and governance, including the emerging realities of administering water and land policy amidst a changing climate and ecological transformation. A human geographer by training, Dr. Chaffin leverages quantitative and qualitative research methods to better understand how aspects of water, land, and climate governance (e.g., formal law and policy, social norms, collaborative networks) influence social-ecological outcomes on the landscape. Dr. Chaffin works closely with ecologists and hydrologists in a focused effort to span boundaries between disciplinary science, interdisciplinary synthesis, and environmental decision-making. Brian’s profile: https://www.umt.edu/environment/personnel/faculty.php?ID=4123