Inyo National Forest Plan Update The Inyo National Forest released their Final Environmental Impact Statement and a preview of the Final Plan on September 20, 2019. The Final Record of Decision is expected to be signed by the Forest Supervisor on or near October 21, 2019. After a 30 day waiting period the final plan will take effect. Implementation of the new plan will begin at this time with future planning processes such as Comprehensive River Management Plans for the Forest’s Wild and Scenic Rivers and winter travel management. Since 2012, Friends of the Inyo has worked to shape the new…
Forest Planning
Friends of the Inyo and conservation groups around the county are fighting back against a terrible rule change that would fundamentally undermine the Forest Service’s NEPA policies and practices. Specifically, the proposed changes would create loopholes to increase the speed and scale of resource extraction, including logging and mining, while eliminating public awareness and input on up to 93% of proposed projects. Additionally, the Forest Service has proposed several new “categorical exclusions” that would allow the agency to move project planning behind closed doors by excluding the public from the decision-making process and eliminating any science-based review of impacts to water, wildlife, and recreation. Read…
Comments needed by August 12 The USFS is proposing sweeping changes to its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) rules. NEPA law requires the agency to take a hard look at the environmental impacts of projects such as fuels reduction treatments, restoration, and development. The proposed rule is designed to increase the pace and scale of “work accomplished on the ground” which we acknowledge is a meaningful objective necessary to restore fire to the Sierra Nevada and remove hazardous fuels. Unfortunately, the proposed rule contains too many exemptions for commercial timber harvest and the ability for the Forest Service to conduct…
These comments to the Inyo National forest address the scoping period for the Eastern Sierra Fire Restoration and Maintenance Project. Topics include ways to encourage public comment, integrate Fire Management Zones, policies of fire as first entry and tree mortality, design features of the program meeting best practices, staffing, mowing in Jeffery Pine habitats, Tribal partnerships, and air quality considerations with the Great Basin Unified Air Pollution Control District.
The long awaited Inyo National Forest Land Management Plan was released in late July. Since then, Friends of the Inyo has been reviewing the final plan and supporting documents to understand how the plan intends to care for 1.9 million acres of Forest service lands in the Eastern Sierra. The plan includes how to manage and plan for recreation, protect at risk species, and recommendations for Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers designations. We’re finding that the final plan is a mixed bag. We remain concerned about the level of protection the plan would provide for natural resources on the…
Desert Lands Focus of Washington Visit Last month, the Conservation Lands Foundation sent a coalition of public lands groups to Washington DC. I was fortunate to join, and meet with our congressional offices about public lands. Friends of the Inyo has a long history working to protect the California desert. With recent administrative attacks it was a perfect time to meet with congressional staff and touch on current threats and opportunities. From hearing rooms to hallways to cafeterias, our meetings took place just about everywhere. Our packed three-day agenda consisted of a visit to the Senate building to meet Feinstein…
Friends of the Inyo advocates for balanced winter recreation for all in the Eastern Sierra. We view winter recreation as a primary driver of our local economy and a major draw for residents and visitors to the area. Many of our 700 plus members use the Inyo National Forest backcountry in winter months for non-motorized recreation and value the diverse recreational opportunities the Forest provides. Friends of the Inyo is known for its collaborative work with motorized recreational users on the Forest and we look forward to working with the INF and multiple winter recreation user groups throughout this process….
Click the attachment to view and download the Inyo National Forest’s Travel Management Record of Decision.
Inyo National Forest Route Inventory Defining the Routes Less Graveled On a cold February day in 1972, President Richard M. Nixon signed Executive Order 11644 – Use of Off-Road Vehciles on the Publc Lands “to establish policies and provide for procedures that will ensure that the use of off-road vehicles on public lands will be controlled and directed so as to protect the resources of those lands, to promote the safety of all users of those lands, and to minimize conflicts among the various uses of those lands.” Above all, this Executive Order directed all federal land management agencies to designate “specific…