Press Releases
Sierra Club ~ Sierra Forest Legacy ~Sierra Nevada Alliance~ California Wilderness Coalition ~ Defenders of Wildlife ~ Friends of the River~ California Wilderness Project ~ Snowlands Network
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 17, 2012
Contact:
Sarah Matsumoto, Sierra Club, 415-977-5579
Steve Evans, Friends of the River, (916) 708-3155
Forest Service Holds Public Meetings on Lake Tahoe Basin Forest Plan
Conservationists Call for Stronger Protections for Tahoe’s Forests and Watersheds
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA – Today, the U.S. Forest Service held the first in a series of public meetings on their draft plan for the forests in the Lake Tahoe Basin. A diverse coalition of conservation organizations, recreation groups, outdoor businesses and concerned citizens attended the hearing to call for stronger protections for Tahoe’s forests, watersheds, wildlife, wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers so that future generations can enjoy Tahoe’s unique natural heritage.
“The forests, mountains, meadows, lakes and rivers in the Tahoe area are some of the most beautiful and spectacular places in the world. The Lake Tahoe basin forest plan is one of the best opportunities to protect some of the last wilderness and ancient forests in the Tahoe area, and indeed the whole Sierra Nevada,” said Lauren Thorpe with the Sierra Club. “Millions of people come to Lake Tahoe to experience the crystal blue lakes, spectacular wildflower displays, ancient forests, abundant wildlife, and wilderness getaways. In addition, these forest lands contain the upper tributaries of the watershed of Lake Tahoe and the Truckee River, which provides drinking water for thousands of people in California and Nevada. We urge the Forest Service to protect and restore the forests and watersheds of the Lake Tahoe Basin for clean air and water, healthy recreation and a more sustainable community and economy.”
The Forest Service issued a draft land management plan, also known as a forest plan, for the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU), 154,000 acres of public lands surrounding Lake Tahoe. The forest plan will cover most of the Lake’s watershed, and thus Forest Service decisions could help or hurt the effort to keep Tahoe blue. The current Lake Tahoe Basin forest plan has not been updated since 1988. The Lake Tahoe plan will be the first in the Sierra Nevada and the first to seriously consider the impacts of climate change on the forest.
“National forests in the Lake Tahoe Basin and throughout the Sierra Nevada need long term ecological restoration,” stated Craig Thomas, Executive Director of Sierra Forest Legacy. “The Forest Service needs to address the real problems of declining ecological health of the Basin’s forests including over 100 years of fire suppression and the removal of large fire resilient trees.”
Conservationists are disappointed that draft forest plan did not include wilderness protections for any new areas in the Tahoe basin and urge the agency to consider the Meiss Meadows area, Freel Peak area and Granite Chief area as wilderness and manage the Mt Rose and Lincoln roadless areas so that they remain in their pristine condition. Wilderness is the highest form of land protection available for federal lands and the forest plan offers an outstanding opportunity for the agency to make further recommendations to Congress.
“Lake Tahoe is an international treasure and we believe that it is critical that at least some small portions of the basin be protected as wilderness, said Ryan Henson, with the California Wilderness Coalition. “Places like Meiss Meadows, Freel Peak and Blackwood Canyon provide incredible beauty, recreational opportunities, ancient forests and wildlife habitat that can be best protected and enjoyed as wilderness.”
The groups are pleased with the agency’s proposal to protect part of the Upper Truckee River as designated Wild and Scenic River, but want it to be expanded to include its tributaries and would like to see a comprehensive assessment of other rivers in the Basin, including a re-evaluation of the Lower Truckee River.
“The upper Truckee supports rare Lahontan cutthroat trout and Sierra yellow-legged frogs,” said Steve Evans, Wild Rivers Consultant for Friends of the River and the California Wilderness Coalition. “Protecting the outstanding wildlife and ecological values of the river will also ensure continued hiking, fishing, hunting, and other popular recreational activities,” he said.
These lands are also crucial to the recovery of rare and endangered fish and wildlife in the region, such as the California spotted owl and the Lahontan cutthroat trout. “It is critical that the Lake Tahoe forest plan manage the basin’s forests and streams to support sensitive plant and animal species and their habitats and provide corridors connecting protected areas so that native wildlife may thrive,” said Pamela Flick with Defenders of Wildlife.
The Lake Tahoe forest plan will be the first to consider the impacts of climate change on the forest. “"Climate Change is having noticeable impacts on the National Forests, and those impacts will likely increase over time. We have to be thinking about wildlife moving to higher, cooler temperatures; less snow and more rain; perhaps increased infestations of harmful insects and diseases,” noted Craig Breon, Regional Climate Change Director for the Sierra Nevada Alliance.
The natural beauty of the landscape – including forests, rivers, and extensive trail systems – is a key economic driver for this recreation-based tourism destination. The Lake has more than three million tourist visits annually bringing in more than $1 billion to the local economy, with about $140 million of that going to state and local taxes.
“The ability to recreate in Lake Tahoe’s forests should be accessible to everyone while managed in a way that will not damage the environment,” said Gail Ferrell of Snowlands Network. “The Forest Service has not added desperately needed nonmotorized winter areas for skiing and snowshoeing. The safety of children snow playing and that of cross country skiers and snowshoers is compromised without adequate places that are free of winter motorized use.”
Most of Tahoe’s forests were historically clearcut and ecologically beneficial fire has been suppressed so that the area of ancient forests in the Lake Tahoe Basin has been reduced by approximately 95 percent. Development in the basin has eliminated about 75 percent of its marshes, 50 percent of its meadows and 35 percent of its stream zone habitats. Therefore, the forest plan should have strong protections for the remaining old growth forests, large trees and other important habitat.
“We are concerned that the exemptions for removing large trees are not balanced with wildlife protection measures that ensure the Forest Service is carefully considering the ecological value of larger trees that provide critical wildlife habitat. The clear absence of ecological fire on the Lake Tahoe Basin landscape is as critical an ecological problem,” said Thomas.
The Forest Service will hold four public meetings in North and South Lake Tahoe on July 17 and 18th.
The agency is accepting public comments on the draft Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit forest plan until August 29.
For more information about the plan and the public meetings, visit http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/ForestPlanRevision.