Inyo National Forest to Host Open House for Watershed Restoration Action Plans

Inyo National Forest to Host Open House for Watershed Restoration Action Plans
Release Date: Aug 2, 2011 Bishop
Contact(s): Nancy Upham

The Forest Service is inviting the public to an an Open House to provide comments on the Oak Creek and Deadman Creek Watershed Restoration Action Plans. The Open House will be held on Wednesday August 17 from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, at the Inyo National Forest Supervisor’s Office at 351 Pacu Lane in Bishop.

The Forest Service has recently developed a six-step Watershed Condition Framework (WCF) process to evaluate, track, maintain and improve the conditions of national forest lands on a watershed-scale. The WCF proposes to improve the way the Forest Service approaches watershed restoration by targeting the implementation of integrated suites of activities in those watersheds that have been identified as priorities for restoration. As part of this national effort, the Inyo National Forest is required to identify two priority watersheds and develop Watershed Restoration Action Plans (WRAPs) for those watersheds by September 30 of this year.

The Inyo National Forest is currently developing WRAPs for two priority watersheds: Deadman Creek and Oak Creek. The Deadman Creek watershed is located between Mammoth Lakes and June Lake, and includes Glass Creek, Deadman Creek, and part of the Upper Owens River. The Oak Creek watershed is located east of the Fort Independence Indian Reservation and includes the area affected by the Oak Creek mud and debris flow of July, 2008.

The action plans will identify essential projects and treatments necessary to restore watershed health and maintain or improve watershed condition over the next five years. The action plans will include opportunities to combine Forest Service restoration efforts with work occurring on other land ownerships within the watershed.

If you have any questions about the Watershed Condition Framework or the Watershed Condition Action Plans, please contact Todd Ellsworth at 760-873-2404, tellsworth@fs.fed.us, or Susan Joyce at 760-873-2516, sejoyce@fs.fed.us. More information about the Watershed Condition Framework is also available by visiting http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/watershed.