The area around the upper reaches of Pipe Fork Creek in Josephine County are protected by the federal Bureau of Land Management as a research natural area (RNA). It's the adjacent lands owned by the county that concern local residents and conservation groups.
The county has long considered selling timber off the land, with clearcuts a possibility. A conservation group has an offer on the table to buy the land outright, but so far Josephine County commissioners have rejected the offer as too low.
The story has dragged on for three years since the last time we took up the issue on the JX; Williams Community Forest Project board members Chas Rogers and Secretary Cheryl Bruner update their efforts.