Couple Of Chances To Tell Tahoe NF/Basin How You'd Like It To Be

**TurxSki** · 05-08-2006, 08:32 PM

I got these From Snowlands Network. http://www.snowlands.org/
Who are "generally" an Org that is in favor of Human Powered access to the BC, and against 2-stroke, etc, access.
Sorry to print the whole email, and I don't know how to include the attachment (I'm an eejyit

)
The Tahoe Basin, reply by MAY 14TH

Improve Lake Tahoe for “muscle-powered” recreation

This alert is about the Lake Tahoe Basin, not Tahoe National Forest.

It will take only 5 minutes to support positive changes in the management of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Deadline is May 14, 2005.

You have a unique opportunity to make your voice heard NOW to save and improve beautiful Lake Tahoe for "muscle-powered" (non-motorized) recreation for years to come.

Please open the attached short questionnaire, the “Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) Forest Service Revision Topics - Need for Change.” We have developed responses to the questions of importance to recreationists as well as to the more technical and local issues.

You can simply add the date, your name, city and state and send as an attachment to the Forest Service. You may also add or edit the responses with your own comments such as personal experiences.

Background

The Lake Tahoe Basin is undergoing a major “multi-agency management plan” revision, the Pathway 2007 process. This will affect all of us directly for the next 20 years. As part of the citizen Forum working with the four agencies who manage the Lake Tahoe Basin, Snowlands Network President Ellen Lapham is representing you. The clarity of the Lake is the bottom line for our planning. Decisions ranging from building new shops to adding new shoreline access for kayaking to expanding trails for Nordic skiing must be evaluated based on key environmental factors.

In parallel with the overall 20-year Basin Management Plan, the LTBMU Forest Service is revising their 15-year Forest Plan. We need your support; we need your comments. Here are the facts:

• The Forest Service controls over 90% of the Lake Tahoe Basin's lands - any decisions they make have huge impact.

• This is the first Forest Plan since 1988. Federal regulations require a new Forest Plan every 15 years.

• The process is a revision of the 1988 Plan - that is why some questions such as mining appear.

• The FS wrote Forum members that "The Forest Plan revision process is based on the need for change - we keep the policies and procedures in the current Forest Plan in place that are working and change the things that are not working."

• It is up to US to push for change.

What To Do

Time is of the essence. Do the following by May 14. Open the attached document. Edit the answers to the questionnaire if you desire. Then send the document as an attachment by email to

tachaponot@fs.fed.us

In the text of the email state that you have attached your responses to the Forest Service's questionnaire "Forest Plan Revision Topics - Need for Change."

Please send a copy to Ellen Lapham

elapham@snowlands.org

Thank you for supporting Snowlands Network’s efforts with you comments.

If you want the "attachment" PM me with your email address. Or I'll try posting it under this.

Tahoe National Forest. Reply by May 30th

Tahoe National Forest Wants to Know Your Trail Preferences

Deadline for completing a 10 minute online survey is MAY 30, 2006

Background

Tahoe National Forest is in Step 3 of a multi-step process referred to as the “Route Designation Process.” The goal of this mandated process is to identify an OHV trail system that provides a positive experience for OHV enthusiasts while also minimizing impacts to the forest ecosystems and other forest users. While this process only deals with summer recreation, Snowlands Network believes that most of our members are as much concerned with summer recreation as winter. We also believe that a good response from the muscle-powered community is needed here because aspects will likely rub-off on winter planning.

What To Do

All you need to do is go to

http://ohvsurvey.info

and complete the survey. There is ample opportunity to express you preference for muscle-powered recreation. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete.

I realize there are plenty of Sled-Heads on here.
Let's keep it polite, please (You already have the life you dreamed of, after all)

**TurxSki** · 05-08-2006, 08:46 PM

TO: TERRI MARCERON, FOREST SUPERVISOR, LAKE TAHOE BASIN
c/o TODD CHAPONOT tachaponot@fs.fed.us

DATE: ___________

FROM: ______________________________ ______________________________
NAME CITY & STATE

RE: INPUT INTO LAKE TAHOE BASIN FOREST PLAN REVISION

Thank you for seeking my input regarding the National Treasure you are managing. Though I don’t live in the Tahoe Basin, I am very interested in preserving it for future generations. I subscribe to the opinions expressed below and ask you to weigh them carefully as you proceed with your Forest Plan Revision.
Questions to be answered and sent to tachaponot@fs.fed.us by May 15.
A. Recreation Special Uses
Q 1) In areas where permitted recreation uses are allowed, what mix of recreation activities should be provided?
A) The Lake Tahoe Basin is very fragile. Decades worth of efforts to restore it to its former pristine state have failed so far. Until the Lake recovers, please do not allow any recreation uses that might slow or counteract that recovery. Examples include 2-stroke snowmobiles and OHV’s.
There are 3 National Forests (Eldorado, Tahoe and Humboldt-Toiyabe) within minutes of Lake Tahoe that currently allow those high impact recreational activities. Please think and plan regionally.
Any new development on Forest Service lands (such as the proposed expansion of Heavenly Ski Resort that involves cutting down hundreds of trees that are well over 100 years old) may also negatively impact the Lake. Please consider the overall effects of such developments.
Q 2) Have we managed these recreation sites to meet future needs?
A) Not yet. Many recreational activities are incompatible.
Snowshoeing and snowmobiling, for example. Our rapidly growing regional populations are increasing the need to set aside spaces for quiet and renewal, for recreation in a beautiful setting. As John Muir put it, “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul.”
Motorized recreation drives out non-motorized recreation. There is the incompatibility of the thrill of speed and the slow-moving enjoyment of seeing and hearing the natural sights. There is the incompatibility of noise and quiet. So it’s critical that you set aside areas where motorized recreation is allowed and other areas where it is prohibited. Sierraville, Brockway Summit and south Spooner Summit are areas where motorized recreation is currently allowed. The Martis Peak area, Incline Lakes parcel and the USFS land next to it on the north side of the Mt. Rose Hwy, as well as High Meadows above South Lake Tahoe are good examples of areas where snowmobiles should be prohibited and the lands preserved for families, local residents, and visiting recreationists.
The increasing conflicts in Emerald Bay are also a prime example of incompatible uses and users. Fast and big boats affect sailors, kayakers, canoeists’ enjoyment and safety and introduce noise and exhaust pollutants into the Bay’s otherwise clean air.
Monitoring and enforcement are key components here. The amount of staff time presently devoted to this is woefully inadequate. This needs to change.
B. Special Areas and Designations (Research Natural Areas, Special Interest Areas, and Wilderness)
Q 1) What areas, if any, should be recommended for research natural area designation?
A) The fragile areas in the Basin. These are delineated in the USFS Lake Tahoe Watershed Assessment, Vol I, May 2000, Chapter 5: #5 The Condition of Aquatic Ecosystems in the Basin, and #6 The Need to Understand the Identity and Condition of Ecologically Significant Areas in the Basin, ppg 477 -598.
Q 2) What areas, if any, should be recommended for special interest area designation?
A) The headwaters and upper reaches of the creeks and tributaries managed by the Forest Service in the Lake Tahoe Basin. For the South Shore region, there should be special emphasis on the Meiss area from Big Meadow and the Bridge Tract to Carson Pass and the Benwood Meadows area, High Meadows area, including Star Lake and Cold Creek, Osgood Swamp area, Hell Hole and Fountain Place.
Q 3) What types of activities should be acceptable in inventoried roadless areas?
A) Hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, bird-watching, nature education, and scientific study.
Q 4) What additional areas, if any, should be recommended for wilderness designation?
A) Those areas inventoried in RARE II. Special emphasis should be placed on the Meiss area and Lincoln Creek. In the past, the Forest Service’s ID team recommended both Meiss and Lincoln Creek for wilderness study. These areas retain wilderness characteristics and should be re-reviewed.
C. Facilities/Roads/Trails
Q 1) Have we managed facilities (administrative sites) to meet our future needs?
A) The new Supervisor’s Office, being next to the Community College, is well-located, functional and serves the public well. A low impact USFS educational center next door would be appropriate, or perhaps a center at the “Y”.
Q 2) Have roads and trails been adequately addressed in the Pathway process?
A) NO. The Pathway process thus far has not provided the science or scientific evaluations to rationalize roads and trails in the Basin. A large percentage of Basin roads and trails are not adequately maintained to prevent the erosion and vegetation damage that affects Lake clarity. Current planning efforts are aimed at expanding uses and ignore the impacts of increasing use. Trails and roads are not managed with the cumulative effects revealed from increased use or from increasing parking that occurs on wet areas and loose dirt.
Q 3) Do we have any dams and diversions we need to address?
A) Yes, There are dams in the Meiss area that are no longer needed (Round Lake and Dardanelles Lake.) The late summer and fall diversion of Echo Lake to the American River deprives the Upper Truckee of much needed late summer and fall flows to reduce impacts to water quality and fish health due to the high temperatures and low flows, especially in drought years.
D. Historical/Cultural Resources
Q 1) How can we improve the public's awareness of and appreciation for Tahoe's cultural heritage?
A) An educational center at the “Y” or next to the Supervisor’s Office would be helpful. Keep up the good work you are already doing in this area.
Q 2)How can we assist the Washoe Tribal Council with their effort to reestablish their traditional cultural ties within the Lake Tahoe Basin?
A) Continue preserving sacred sites.
E. Lands
Q 1) Are there any areas that should be considered for withdrawal from proposed activities or management?
A) Commercial helicopter tours should be prohibited in the Tahoe Basin. Numerous natural shoreline areas should be designated for non-motorized boating.
Q 2) Do additional utility corridors and electronic sites need to be identified and if so, where would they best fit into the landscape?
A) No. They do not fit into the natural landscape. The current utility corridors are adequate to serve the build-out population of the Lake Tahoe Basin. Electronic sites are not suitable to natural areas and can be accommodated in commercial areas and county and municipal public areas around the Basin.
Q 3) Within what specific areas would the future acquisition of land be desirable for use by the public?
A) The Incline Lakes area next to Tahoe Meadows on the Mount Rose Highway. Please continue to purchase sensitive parcels in the Tahoe Basin, especially those which provide public access to the Lake or are next to streams.
Q 4) What are the opportunities to manage urban lots to meet Forest Service objectives, while considering the needs of adjacent property owners?
A) Raw, undisturbed land is the best filter of the nutrients that destroy Lake Tahoe. The publicly owned lots are providing a great service to the lake, as they were intended to do. For those adjacent lot owners who do not understand that natural vegetation is desirable, the Forest Service should institute an education program.
F. Minerals/Geology, Groundwater, Wetlands and Floodplains
Q 1) Is there a demand for the development of groundwater and rock and soil materials?
A) Meeting any demand for such development would adversely affect Lake Tahoe and lead to violations of the water quality threshold.
Q 2) Should mining opportunities be explored and if so, where would these activities occur?
A) It is improbable to think that mining could occur in the Lake Tahoe Basin without seriously compromising the water quality of Lake Tahoe. Additional heavy truck traffic would certainly be unwelcome for both the traffic considerations as well as air quality impacts. Mining dust would add a serious violation to the visibility threshold standards.
Please prohibit forever any mining in the Basin.
Q 3) The east and north shores have potential for development of low-temperature geothermal energy, suitable for direct heating. Should these resources be explored and developed if found to be usable?
A)It is likely that such development would have serious adverse impacts on water quality.
.......continued......

**TurxSki** · 05-08-2006, 08:46 PM

G. Commercial Livestock Grazing
Q 1) On what areas of the Forest should commercial livestock grazing, for the primary purpose of livestock production, be an acceptable use?
A) High coliform counts from livestock are unacceptable in the Tahoe basin.
Q 2) On what areas of the Forest should individual/personal livestock grazing be an acceptable use?
A) High coliform counts in runoff are unacceptable in the Tahoe basin.
Q 3) On what areas of the Forest should livestock grazing be used for the primary purpose of vegetation and/or habitat manage.
A) High coliform counts in runoff are unacceptable in the Tahoe basin.
Q 4) Should closure occur on the allotments that are currently not being used?
A) Yes.
........phew !.........

**kidwoo** · 05-08-2006, 08:52 PM

Q 3) What types of activities should be acceptable in inventoried roadless areas?
A) Hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, bird-watching, nature education, and scientific study.

Mountain biking qualifies as muscle powered. We're already shut out of wilderness. We don't need another equally restrictive designation.

my .02