Forest Service to Host Public Field Trip to Kern Plateau

Forest Service to Host Public Field Trip to Kern Plateau
Release Date: Aug 1, 2012 Bishop, CA
Contact(s): Nancy Upham

The Inyo National Forest will be hosting public field trips on Saturday and Sunday August 18 and 19, to Mulkey Meadow and Horseshoe Meadow on the Kern Plateau to discuss grazing management and related resource management issues. These two meadows are located within the Mulkey Grazing Allotment and discussion will include protocols used to assess meadow, watershed and vegetation conditions, as well as water quality monitoring.

Forest Service staff will meet any parties interested in joining a day hike to Mulkey Meadow at the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead on Saturday morning at 7 a.m. This will be a strenuous hike at around 10,000 ft. elevation. If you plan to attend this portion of the field trip, please come prepared with rain gear, sturdy hiking shoes and enough water and food for a 10-hour day in the field. In the evening following the hike, there will be a facilitated discussion of the day’s activities with a facilitator from the Sacramento State University Center for Collaborative Policy.

On Sunday morning at 7 a.m., the Forest Service will meet any parties interested in the Horseshoe Meadow portion of the trip at the Cottonwood Pass Trailhead. Topics covered during this short walk will be essentially the same as those discussed on the day hike to Mulkey Meadow on Saturday.

On Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. there will be a follow-up presentation by Forest Service specialists on meadow and watershed condition in the other three grazing allotments on the Kern Plateau: Templeton, Whitney and Monache. The presentation will also include a general overview of the NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) process, followed by a facilitated discussion. The afternoon presentation will take place at Boulder Creek RV Resort, just south of Lone Pine, and should wrap-up by around 4:30. The information presented during this meeting will be presented again in a future public meeting which will also be broadcast by webinar.

Please note that all participants are responsible for their own travel, lodging, gear and food. Participants are welcome to go on horseback if they desire to ride into Mulkey Meadow rather than walk.

If you plan to attend the field trip, please RSVP to Lesley Yen at lyen@fs.fed.us or 760-873-2524 by Friday August 10, with the days that you will be attending and your mode of transportation (walking or riding) into Mulkey Meadow. If you have any questions or concerns about the field trip, or if you have special accommodation needs in order to participate, please contact Lesley Yen or District Ranger Margaret Wood at mwood@fs.fed.us or 760-876-6227.