The Department of Natural Resources today announced an additional meeting in September to provide information and receive public comment on proposed management areas for a Regional State Forest Management Plan for the Western Upper Peninsula Ecoregion.

The additional meeting will be held on Thursday, Sept. 18, at 7 p.m. at the DNR's Marquette Operations Service Center, located at 1990 US 41 South in Marquette. The focus of the meeting will be all four management units in the Western Upper Peninsula Ecoregion - Gwinn, Baraga, Crystal Falls and Escanaba.

At this meeting, citizens can examine management area maps and discuss preliminary management concepts with DNR resource managers.

"Comments from stakeholder organizations and the public are an important part of this planning process," said Lynne Boyd, chief of the DNR Forest, Mineral and Fire Management Division. "We welcome and need public engagement on how the state forest should be managed over the next 10 year period and beyond."

Management areas are groupings of existing state forest land compartments that have similar attributes, such as vegetation types, landforms or ownership patterns. Specific management direction for each management area will be incorporated into the Western Upper Peninsula Regional State Forest Management Plan. This will help the DNR to provide landscape level analyses and direction that will guide operational decisions made at each Forest Management Unit through the existing compartment review process.

Additional information is available via the Internet at www.michigan.gov/dnr. Persons not able to attend the meetings or wishing to respond in writing may send correspondence by Oct. 10, 2008, to DNR WUP Eco Team@michigan.gov or by postal mail to: WUP Ecoteam, DNR Marquette OSC, US 41 South, Marquette, MI 49855.

Future public meetings will be scheduled when draft and final versions of the WUP Regional State Forest Management Plan are completed.

Individuals attending the meeting are requested to refrain from using heavily scented personal care products, in order to enhance accessibility for everyone. Persons with disabilities needing accommodations for the meeting should contact Michael Koss at 906 346 9201, a minimum of five business days before this meeting. Requests made less than five business days may not be accommodated.