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Watershed analysis is critical. Among other benefits it allows the BLM to design timber sales and 

 other projects consistent with sound environmental standards, which in turn improves our ability 

 to withstand legal challenge. The BLM has completed Watershed Analysis on 44% of the western 

 Oregon lands encompassed by the BLM districts, and we anticipate finishing all of it in the next 

 two years. 



The BLM developed expedited procedures for consultations with the Fish and Wildlife Service 

 (FWS) on Forest Plan projects in the six western Oregon BLM districts to ensure protection for 

 threatened or endangered species or critical habitat. Under these expedited procedures, the 

 districts rapidly completed consultation on ail FY 1995 projects, have already finished 80 to 90% 

 of the FY 1996 projects, and are hard at work on FY 1997 projects. These expedited procedures 

 cut our consultation time by more than half— the agencies are now receiving reports for informal 

 consultations in 17 days, and biological opinions for formal consultations are done in 43 days. 

 This is a vast improvement over the three to four months that consultations routinely took before 

 the Forest Plan was implemented. 



Our procedures were also used as a prototype for the May 31, 199S, interagency process signed 

 by National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, 

 and the BLM. 



Goal #4 Ensure Federal agencies work together as one government 



The President directed the Federal regulatory and land management agencies to work together in 

 carrying out the Forest Plan. This order to the agencies — to work better together — was 

 unprecedented in a region as large as that covered by the Forest Plan. But we did it, and things 

 are working better than we hoped. 



The President's direction resulted in the agencies coming up with different ways of learning to 

 talk to each other, and doing it quickly. Some new positions were added to keep this 



