Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks News Release
For Immediate Release: July 16, 2012
Contact: Dana Dierkes
Phone Number: (559) 565-3131 or (559) 679-2866 (cell)
National Park Service Will Seek Public Input in Development of Wilderness Stewardship Plan Alternatives for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Starting in October 2012

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, CA – Starting in early October, the National Park Service will be seeking public input on the preliminary draft alternatives for the Wilderness Stewardship Plan for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks in Tulare and Kings counties, California. The National Park Service is interested in your ideas and feedback about alternatives to address future wilderness management at Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Topics which may be addressed in the plan include: day and overnight use; permitting and quotas; party sizes; campfires; food storage; camping and campsites; human waste management; pack stock and grazing management; scientific research; natural and cultural resource management; maintenance of signs, trails, bridges, and other recreational infrastructure; administrative infrastructure; education and outreach; the extent to which commercial services are necessary to fulfill the recreational and other purposes of wilderness areas; and front-country support facilities. Many of these topics were brought forward during the public scoping phase of the planning process, which occurred from April 11 to August 31, 2011.

To learn more about the process and how to comment, visit the National Park Service Planning, Environment, and Public Comment website (PEPC) at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sekiwild and/or consider attending an
upcoming workshop during the last two weeks of October to listen to a presentation by the National Park Service and meet with staff to discuss your ideas about alternatives or submit your comments. The schedule
for the meetings is:

Thursday, October 25, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Eastern Sierra Tri-county Fairgrounds
Patio Building
Sierra Street and Fair Street
Bishop, CA 93514

Friday, October 26, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Los Angeles River Center
California Building Atrium
570 West Avenue 26
Los Angeles, CA 90065

Monday, October 29, 2012
7:00 - 9:00 p.m.
East Bay Regional Parks
Redwood Regional Park
Richard C. Trudeau Training Center
Main Conference Room
11500 Skyline Blvd
Oakland, CA 94619

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Visalia Marriott Hotel
Main Ballroom
300 South Court Street
Visalia, CA 93291

In order to ensure that your comments are considered, you may use either of two methods to comment during the alternative review process. If you wish to comment electronically, you may submit your comments online to the PEPC website by visiting http://parkplanning.nps.gov/sekiwild, clicking on “Open for Comment,” and then clicking on the link to the document. The National Park Service encourages commenting electronically through PEPC, but if you wish to submit your written comments in hard copy (e.g., in a letter), you may send them by U.S. Postal Service or other mail delivery service, or hand-deliver your comments to Superintendent Karen F. Taylor-Goodrich, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Attn: Wilderness Stewardship Plan, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271. Faxed comments will be accepted at (559) 565-4202.

Written comments will also be accepted during public workshops. Comments in any format (written or electronic) submitted by an individual or organization on behalf of another individual or organization will not be accepted. Anonymous comments will not be accepted.

It is the practice of the National Park Service to make all comments available for public review. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that your entire comment - including your personal identifying information - may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.