Category Archives: National Forests

National Forests, National Parks

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Only 133 of our country’s 401 national parks usually charge an entrance fee. So start Planning Your Visit!

If you’re planning a trip that includes multiple national parks, you might consider the $80 annual pass that provides entrance to all national parks, national wildlife refuges, national forests, and many other Federal lands-more than 2,000 in all. The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is offered free to all active duty military members and their dependents. Information on these and other pass options is available online. Continue reading →

National Forests

“Youth in Yosemite” Short Film Contest

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Yosemite National Park is conducting a “Youth in Yosemite” Short Film Contest.  This contest is open to anyone 25 years of age or younger who is motivated to create a video about their connection to Yosemite National Park.  The deadline to submit the short films is 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 10, 2014.

Film themes should be focused on Celebrating Nature or What Yosemite Means to Me and be no more than 15 minutes in length.  Each theme is designed to celebrate art, beauty, inspiration, the nature of Yosemite, and a personal connection to the park.  Contest winners will be notified by phone after the deadline whether their film was selected.

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National Forests

Lake Gregory to get makeover by contractor

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Cassie MacDuff has posted in the Press Enterprise about Lake Gregory.  To be honest, I have never been there; it’s a sign with an arrow on it on my way up to Big Bear or down to the flatlands.

Over the past 20 years, Lake Gregory in the San Bernardino Mountains has languished in the shadows of its bigger, glitzier cousins, Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear Lake.

Visitors bypassed the forested lake and continued to the bigger, better-tended resorts up the hill.

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National Forests

For the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forests it is time to comment on Forest Plan revision!

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Background

The Land Management Plan or Forest Plan is the principal document that guides the decision making of Forest Service managers.  Forest Plans provide long–range management direction.  The National Forest Management Act (NFMA) is the primary statute governing the administration of national forests.  The planning rule interprets the NFMA and guides the amendment and revision of all land management plans.

The U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Region has released the final assessments for the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forests, the Bio-regional assessment, and a preliminary Need to Change. The public is invited to provide feedback on the Need to Change.

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National Forests

Rim Fire Recovery Project Announced

Posted on by Shawn E. Bell

Stanislaus Forest Supervisor Susan Skalski today announced the second phase of the Rim Fire recovery, Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that will appear in the Federal Register December 6. The proposed action will include:

  • Salvage of dead trees and fuel reduction (29,648 aces).
  • Removal of hazard trees, salvage of dead trees and fuel reduction along Level 2 roads (369 miles).
  • Road reconstruction (327 miles) and road maintenance (164 miles) to ensure proper function to protect streams.
  • New road construction (approximately six miles) to allow for salvage removal and long-term access for future recovery activities.
  • Temporary road construction (22 miles) that will be decommissioned following completion of project activities.
  • Rock quarry sites (75 sites) to accommodate road needs.
  • Water sources (95 locations) for road reconstruction and maintenance as well as long-term resource needs.
  • Site Specific Forest Plan Amendments may be included.

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