Public Meetings Announced for Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forest Plan Revision

The U.S. Forest Service announces a series of public meetings for Forest Plan Revision for the Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo National Forests. The meetings are scheduled for the following dates and locations:

• 6:00-8:00pm - Monday, November 17, Sierra National Forest, Holiday Inn, 5090 East Clinton Way, Fresno, CA
• 6:00-8:00pm - Tuesday, November 18, Sequoia National Forest, Supervisor’s Office, 1839 South Newcomb Street, Porterville, CA
• 6:00-8:00pm - Thursday, November 20, Inyo National Forest, Tri-County Fairgrounds, Tallman Pavilion, Sierra Street & Fair Drive, Bishop, CA

These “open house” styled meetings are primarily informational to share the issues and concerns the agency heard during the recently completed scoping phase. The meetings are an opportunity for the public to hear discussion how those issues and concerns are being used to frame a preliminary range of alternatives. There is no formal comment period associated with these meetings. As always, the Forest Service welcomes opportunities for thoughtful dialogue.

In September, the Forest Service announced its intent to develop an environmental impact statement (EIS) that, when completed, will revise forest plans for the Inyo, Sequoia, and Sierra National Forests. The Sierra, Sequoia and Inyo are three of eight national forests that were selected as “early adopters,” meaning they will be the first forests to revise their land management plans using the new 2012 National Forest System Planning Rule. The planning rule provides the framework for Forest Service land management plans across the nation.

The final EIS will result in three separate plans with three Records of Decision following the revised forest plans. Forest Supervisors will remain the “responsible official” for making decisions on their specific forest plans. There will be an opportunity for formal comment when the draft EIS (DEIS) is released. The Forest Service expects to publish a “Notice of Availability of DEIS” in April 2015, which begins a 90-day public comment period.

Additional information regarding these forest plan revisions is available at: http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters.

For forest-specific information, please contact that forest directly:

• Inyo NF: Deb Schweizer at 760-873-2427 or debraaschweizer@fs.fed.us
• Sequoia NF: Alicia Embrey at 559-784-1500 or aliciamembrey@fs.fed.us
• Sierra NF: Dirk Charley at 559-297-0706 x4805 or dcharley@fs.fed.us