Draft Wild and Scenic River Evaluation for the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests
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Forest Service Pacific Southwest Region December 2015 Draft Wild and Scenic River Evaluation for Public Feedback on Revision of the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests Land Management Plans In accordance with Federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident. 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Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Relationship to the Forest Plan Revision Process ................................................................... 1 Wild and Scenic River Evaluation Requirements ................................................................... 1 Process to Identify Rivers to be Considered for Eligibility for Inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System ....................................................................................................... 3 Inventory ............................................................................................................................ 3 Results of the Inventory ..................................................................................................... 4 Process Used to Evaluate Each River in the Inventory for Eligibility for Inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System ................................................................................ 9 Process for the Review of Inventory Never Evaluated for Eligibility ................................ 9 Process for Review of Inventory Previously Evaluated for Eligibility ............................ 10 Summary of Public Input on Wild and Scenic Rivers ........................................................... 11 Results of the Evaluation .......................................................................................................... 15 Inyo National Forest .............................................................................................................. 15 New Inventory .................................................................................................................. 15 Review of Previously Evaluated Inventory ...................................................................... 24 Sequoia National Forest ........................................................................................................ 65 New Inventory .................................................................................................................. 65 Review of Previously Evaluated Inventory ...................................................................... 67 Sierra National Forest ............................................................................................................ 80 New Inventory .................................................................................................................. 80 Review of Previously Evaluated Inventory .................................................................... 187 Summary of Eligibility and Classification Findings ............................................................... 192 Eligibility Tables and Maps .................................................................................................... 193 Inyo National Forest ............................................................................................................ 193 Sequoia National Forest ...................................................................................................... 198 Sierra National Forest .......................................................................................................... 200 Tables Table 1. Inventory of rivers considered for eligibility on the Inyo, Sequoia, and Sierra National Forests .................................................................................................................. 4 Table 2. Results of the initial review of the inventory for river-related values and free flow on the Inyo National Forest ...................................................................................... 17 Table 3. Results of the initial review of the new inventory for river-related values and free flow on the Sequoia National Forest ......................................................................... 65 Table 4. Kern River (lower) findings of the 1988 Sequoia National Forest LRMP FEIS, Appendix E of the FEIS ................................................................................................... 67 Table 5. South Fork Kern River Findings of the 1988 Sequoia National Forest LRMP FEIS, Appendix E............................................................................................................. 67 Table 6. Kings River Findings of the 1988 Sequoia National Forest LRMP FEIS, Appendix E ....................................................................................................................... 68 Table 7. South Fork Kings River Findings of the 1988 Sequoia National Forest LRMP FEIS, Appendix E............................................................................................................. 68 Table 8. Findings of the Kings River Special Management Area Implementation Plan 1991, Appendix B............................................................................................................. 69 Revision of the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests Land Management Plans i Draft Wild and Scenic River Evaluation for the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests Table 9. Findings of the North and South Forks Kern Wild and Scenic River Final Environmental Impact Statement 1994 ............................................................................ 70 Table 10. Summary of eligible rivers Identified in past wild and scenic river evaluations on the Sequoia National Forest......................................................................................... 71 Table 11. Updated summary of eligible rivers identified in past wild and scenic river evaluations on the Sequoia National Forest, including additional outstandingly remarkable values identified by the team during the refreshed look at the past eligibility .......................................................................................................................... 79 Table 12. Results of the initial review of the inventory for river-related values and free flow on the Sierra National Forest.................................................................................... 80 Table 13. Merced River findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS ................................................................................................. 188 Table 14. South Fork Merced River findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS ..................................................................................... 188 Table 15. San Joaquin River Findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS ................................................................................................. 188 Table 16. North Fork San Joaquin River Findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS .......................................................................... 189 Table 17. Middle Fork San Joaquin River Findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS .......................................................................... 189 Table 18. South Fork San Joaquin River Findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS .......................................................................... 189 Table 19. Middle Fork Kings River Findings of the 1988 Sierra National Forest LRMP DEIS, Appendix E of the DEIS .....................................................................................