YellowSub1962
12-27-2001, 12:03 AM
don't let this happen people... once there is a wilderness designation, it can easily increase exponentally due to "buffer" zones and other "special" circumstances....
Placer land eyed for Wilderness Act
Four areas in county's Tahoe National Forest have been identified
By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer
With U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer poised to champion an omnibus Wilderness Act designation taking in millions of acres of public land in California, Supervisor Rex Bloomfield is attempting to gain the support of the Placer County Water Agency board to include four areas in Placer County's Tahoe National Forest.
Led by the California Wilderness Coalition, the California Wilderness Heritage Campaign has identified 7.4 million acres of government-owned land that could be rolled into protections under the 1964 Wilderness Act.
Proponents say Wilderness Act rules keeping motorized vehicles, logging and road building out of designated areas will preserve the forest environment for perpetuity. Opponents argue that the Wilderness Act keeps some user groups out and can hurt tourism.
Last year, the U.S. Forest Service approved a plan for protecting nearly 60 million acres of roadless areas in national forests. The plan included 150,000 acres in the 800,000-acre Tahoe National Forest. Environmentalist groups said at the time that it was one more step toward permanent protection.
Bloomfield said he has verbal agreement on the four areas from several environmental groups. His request for support from the Water Agency board would be his first foray into the political arena. The Meadow Vista-area supervisor, whose district takes in eastern Placer County, wants to have the plan on Boxer's desk early in the new year.
Under the Forest Service's roadless plan, logging is allowed for "stewardship" purposes, to maintain or improve roadless characteristics. Environmentalists see it as a legal loophole that could be closed with wilderness area designation.
Bloomfield submitted a request for support last week to the Placer County Water Agency board. On Thursday, the board received information on Wilderness Act plans for Placer County but put off a formal presentation and discussion until its Jan. 3 meeting.
Areas proposed for designation are already part of the roadless areas designated by the Forest Service last year.
Addressing concerns the Water Agency had over including an area that covers the Duncan Creek Dam in Duncan Canyon, Bloomfield said that it had been pulled out of the wilderness area plan and the boundary would now be above the Western States Trail through the canyon.
Areas proposed for the wilderness designation are:
n North fork of the American River n all roadless area land south of Big Bend, west of the Palisades Creek Trail, north of Foresthill-Soda Springs Road, and east of Sailor Flat, Cherry Point and Big Granite Chief trails.
n Granite Chief Wilderness n All land identified as roadless that is adjacent to the Granite Chief Wilderness on its western boundary.
n Duncan Canyon n Since the recent Star Fire burned portions of Duncan Canyon, the Forest Service will be allowed to develop, implement and maintain a restoration plan using "whatever means necessary."
n Black Oak n Land adjacent to the north fork of the middle fork American River already designated roadless, except the roadless areas northwest of the Western States Trail and west of Deadwood Road. Also included are the roadless portions of Antoine, Secret and Screwauger canyons. The Western States Trail would split the wilderness area into two sections and provide a western boundary on the southern section.
Bloomfield said he has verbal agreement on the four areas from the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, American River Wildlands, Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, Protect American River Canyons, International Mountain Bicycling Association and the Wilderness Coalition.
A total of 1 percent of all lands and 14 percent of all public lands in California are now designated wilderness area, the Wilderness Coalition has calculated. Designation takes congressional approval. Allowed uses would include hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, swimming, backpacking, horseback riding, rafting, skiing and snowshoeing. Mining and grazing would not be allowed unless a claim was established before wilderness designation.
Auburn Journal
1030 High Street · P.O. Box 5910
Auburn, California
(530) 885-5656
:usa:
Placer land eyed for Wilderness Act
Four areas in county's Tahoe National Forest have been identified
By Gus Thomson, Journal Staff Writer
With U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer poised to champion an omnibus Wilderness Act designation taking in millions of acres of public land in California, Supervisor Rex Bloomfield is attempting to gain the support of the Placer County Water Agency board to include four areas in Placer County's Tahoe National Forest.
Led by the California Wilderness Coalition, the California Wilderness Heritage Campaign has identified 7.4 million acres of government-owned land that could be rolled into protections under the 1964 Wilderness Act.
Proponents say Wilderness Act rules keeping motorized vehicles, logging and road building out of designated areas will preserve the forest environment for perpetuity. Opponents argue that the Wilderness Act keeps some user groups out and can hurt tourism.
Last year, the U.S. Forest Service approved a plan for protecting nearly 60 million acres of roadless areas in national forests. The plan included 150,000 acres in the 800,000-acre Tahoe National Forest. Environmentalist groups said at the time that it was one more step toward permanent protection.
Bloomfield said he has verbal agreement on the four areas from several environmental groups. His request for support from the Water Agency board would be his first foray into the political arena. The Meadow Vista-area supervisor, whose district takes in eastern Placer County, wants to have the plan on Boxer's desk early in the new year.
Under the Forest Service's roadless plan, logging is allowed for "stewardship" purposes, to maintain or improve roadless characteristics. Environmentalists see it as a legal loophole that could be closed with wilderness area designation.
Bloomfield submitted a request for support last week to the Placer County Water Agency board. On Thursday, the board received information on Wilderness Act plans for Placer County but put off a formal presentation and discussion until its Jan. 3 meeting.
Areas proposed for designation are already part of the roadless areas designated by the Forest Service last year.
Addressing concerns the Water Agency had over including an area that covers the Duncan Creek Dam in Duncan Canyon, Bloomfield said that it had been pulled out of the wilderness area plan and the boundary would now be above the Western States Trail through the canyon.
Areas proposed for the wilderness designation are:
n North fork of the American River n all roadless area land south of Big Bend, west of the Palisades Creek Trail, north of Foresthill-Soda Springs Road, and east of Sailor Flat, Cherry Point and Big Granite Chief trails.
n Granite Chief Wilderness n All land identified as roadless that is adjacent to the Granite Chief Wilderness on its western boundary.
n Duncan Canyon n Since the recent Star Fire burned portions of Duncan Canyon, the Forest Service will be allowed to develop, implement and maintain a restoration plan using "whatever means necessary."
n Black Oak n Land adjacent to the north fork of the middle fork American River already designated roadless, except the roadless areas northwest of the Western States Trail and west of Deadwood Road. Also included are the roadless portions of Antoine, Secret and Screwauger canyons. The Western States Trail would split the wilderness area into two sections and provide a western boundary on the southern section.
Bloomfield said he has verbal agreement on the four areas from the Mother Lode Chapter of the Sierra Club, American River Wildlands, Sierra Foothills Audubon Society, Protect American River Canyons, International Mountain Bicycling Association and the Wilderness Coalition.
A total of 1 percent of all lands and 14 percent of all public lands in California are now designated wilderness area, the Wilderness Coalition has calculated. Designation takes congressional approval. Allowed uses would include hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, swimming, backpacking, horseback riding, rafting, skiing and snowshoeing. Mining and grazing would not be allowed unless a claim was established before wilderness designation.
Auburn Journal
1030 High Street · P.O. Box 5910
Auburn, California
(530) 885-5656
:usa: