Lake Oroville State Recreation Area GENERAL PLAN
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Lake Oroville State Recreation Area GENERAL PLAN Public Review Draft California State Parks November 2004 Lake Oroville State Recreation Area GENERAL PLAN Public Review Draft Arnold Schwarzenegger Governor Mike Chrisman Secretary for Resources Ruth Coleman Director of California State Parks State of California The Resources Agency California State Parks P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 November 2004 California State Parks GENERAL PLAN INQUIRIES The Lake Oroville State Recreation Area General Plan was prepared by California State Parks Northern Service Center and Northern Buttes District staff. For general information regarding this document, or to request additional copies, please contact: California State Parks Northern Service Center One Capitol Mall, Suite 500 Sacramento, California 95814 Attention: Lake Oroville State Recreation Area General Plan Team Copyright 2004 California State Parks This publication, including all of the text and photographs, is the intellectual property of California State Parks and is protected by copyright. Table of Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION............................................................................................... 7 LOCATION AND PLANNING AREAS .................................................................................... 9 LOSRA AND THE DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES................................................. 10 THE DAVIS-DOLWIG ACT .......................................................................................... 10 THE LAKE OROVILLE FACILITIES OF THE STATE WATER PROJECT ............................... 11 GENERAL PLAN PURPOSE, SCOPE, AND PROCESS.......................................................... 12 PLAN PURPOSE AND NEED........................................................................................ 12 SOURCES OF PLAN INFORMATION.............................................................................. 13 PLAN SCOPE............................................................................................................ 13 THE PLAN AND DWR’S OROVILLE FACILITIES RELICENSING PROCESS......................... 14 THE PLAN AND THE CEQA PROCESS ........................................................................ 15 PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT .............................................................................................. 15 EXISTING LOSRA CONDITIONS..................................................................... 17 LOSRA RECREATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AND FACILITIES.................................................. 19 RECREATION FACILITY INVENTORY AND CONDITIONS .................................................. 20 LOSRA INTERPRETATION......................................................................................... 32 VEHICULAR ACCESS TO RECREATION AREAS ............................................................. 35 ADA ACCESSIBILITY ................................................................................................ 37 AREAS SUITABLE FOR NEW RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT........................................ 38 VISITOR USE AND RECREATION DEMAND ................................................................... 39 EXISTING RECREATION MANAGEMENT AND INFLUENCES ............................................. 59 LOSRA NATURAL RESOURCES..................................................................................... 65 CLIMATOLOGY.......................................................................................................... 65 AIR QUALITY............................................................................................................ 66 GEOLOGY ................................................................................................................ 67 TOPOGRAPHY .......................................................................................................... 70 SOILS ...................................................................................................................... 70 HYDROLOGY AND WATER RESOURCES ...................................................................... 71 PLANT LIFE.............................................................................................................. 75 ANIMAL LIFE ............................................................................................................ 79 LOSRA CULTURAL RESOURCES ................................................................................... 82 CULTURAL RESOURCES INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 82 NATIVE AMERICAN OVERVIEW ................................................................................... 83 HISTORIC PERIOD OVERVIEW .................................................................................... 89 ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESOURCES ................................................................................ 95 LOSRA AESTHETIC RESOURCES.......................................................................... 99 SCENIC RESOURCES................................................................................................. 99 AUDITORY RESOURCES .......................................................................................... 105 PLANNING INFLUENCES.............................................................................. 107 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION...................................................................................... 109 LOCAL AND REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES................................................ 109 PUBLIC TRANSIT .................................................................................................... 109 AIR TRAVEL ........................................................................................................... 109 LOSRA General Plan – Public Review Draft i Table of Contents REGIONAL LAND USES................................................................................................ 109 ADJACENT LAND USES ........................................................................................... 109 LAND OWNERSHIP.................................................................................................. 110 RECREATION OPPORTUNITIES SURROUNDING LOSRA ................................................. 114 NON-LOSRA RECREATION SITES WITHIN THE FERC BOUNDARY .............................. 114 RECREATION SITES OUTSIDE LOSRA AND THE FERC BOUNDARY............................. 116 VISITOR SAFETY AND EMERGENCY SERVICES............................................................... 119 PUBLIC SAFETY ..................................................................................................... 119 REGIONAL WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT ........................................................................ 120 REGIONAL DEMOGRAPHICS AND POPULATION TRENDS.................................................. 121 POPULATION TRENDS ............................................................................................. 121 CULTURAL DIVERSITY............................................................................................. 122 GOVERNMENT AGENCIES............................................................................................ 122 FEDERAL AGENCIES ............................................................................................... 122 STATE AGENCIES ................................................................................................... 123 BUTTE COUNTY GOVERNMENT ................................................................................ 125 CITY OF OROVILLE ................................................................................................. 127 LOCAL RECREATION AND PARK DISTRICTS .............................................................. 127 RELEVANT PLANNING DOCUMENTS.............................................................................. 127 PLANNING ISSUES ...................................................................................... 133 INTER-AGENCY PLANNING ....................................................................................... 135 BOATING ............................................................................................................... 135 SWIMMING, FISHING, AND SHORELINE ACCESS......................................................... 135 DAY-USE RECREATION ........................................................................................... 136 CAMPING ............................................................................................................... 136 TRAILS .................................................................................................................. 137 LAND USE AND AESTHETICS ................................................................................... 139 VEGETATION AND FIRE MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 139 SPECIES AND HABITATS.......................................................................................... 139 CULTURAL RESOURCES.......................................................................................... 139 INTERPRETATION AND EDUCATION ISSUES................................................................ 140 PARK OPERATIONS ................................................................................................ 140 PLAN PROPOSALS.......................................................................................