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Alert! Little Truckee River and other important wild trout fisheries impacted by Tahoe National Forest Plan

November 26, 2008 -- The Tahoe National Forest recently released their Draft Environmental Impact Statement for motorized travel. Roads are by far the largest cause of habitat loss and poor water quality. The outcome of this plan directly affects our local fisheries!

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is part of the National Environmental Policy Act, and is a process that federal agencies must follow when making modifications to their existing management plans, or in this case, creating an entirely new plan. Public opinion greatly influences the final decision and implementation of the DEIS.

Specifically, the Tahoe National Forest (TNF) is considering adding motorized routes along the west bank of the Little Truckee River (between Stampede and Boca Reservoirs), both sides of Prosser Creek (below Prosser Dam), and routes that penetrate Castle Peak and West Yuba Agency Inventoried Roadless Areas, into its final motorized system.  The TNF is also considering keeping Boca, Stampede, and Prosser Reservoirs open below the high water line, as OHV play areas. If things remain status quo, we will continue to see habitat loss and decline in fishing opportunities. These routes are not formally adopted into the National Forest Transportation System as of yet, and California sportsmen have a very good chance at stopping their continued use.

Tom Quinn, Forest Supervisor for the Tahoe National Forest, will make a final Record of Decision regarding Route Designation in early 2009. The public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement ends December 26, 2008. Urge Supervisor Quinn to implement the “Preferred Alternative 6” with specific amendments to protect coldwater fisheries (described in detail below). Public input accounts for the majority of the decision Tom will make, so please, submit your personal comments.

Specific Routes to eliminate and amendments to the Preferred Alternative 6:

1) Little Truckee River; TKN-M3, unmarked hill climbs

2) Prosser Creek; TKN-M1, season of use

2) Castle Peak IRA; TKN-J4, TKN-J5,

3) Boca, Stampede, Prosser Reservoir Open Areas; Prohibit unrestricted motorized use below high water lines.

Every one of the aforementioned motorized routes and open areas cause significant damage to riparian zones and aquatic dependent species, such as wild and native trout, as well as penetrate important roadless headwater areas. These routes create dust and noise, lead to impacted water quality and user conflict, both of which are inconsistent with most anglers’ desired experiences when fishing in the Tahoe National Forest.  Sportsmen have an unprecedented opportunity to formally retire motorized use on these motorized routes and regain ownership of the Little Truckee River, Prosser Creek, Castle Peak and West Yuba IRAs, and Boca, Stampede and Prosser Reservoirs. Take the time to urge Tom Quinn to protect the last, best places we have to hunt and fish.

 Talking points for your own personal comment letter to Forest Supervisor Quinn (feel free to cut and paste):

1) Little Truckee River

·        Trail TKN-M3, which was proposed for addition into the National Forest Transportation System in the Proposed Action, is the cause of all OHV use along the Little Truckee River.

·        Trail TKN-M3 cannot be added to the System if the exceptional Little Truckee fishing experience is to remain intact.

·        We’re only asking that motorized use be eliminated from 3.5 miles of river (Stampede Reservoir to Boca Reservoir).

·        Riparian areas and aquatic dependent species are particularly vulnerable to adverse impacts from OHV use

·        The Little Truckee River is a world class wild trout fishery and must be given higher protection against impacts from OHV’s.

·        OHV use on the Little Truckee River has grown exponentially in the past 5 years.

·        New user created trails and illegal “hill climbs” located along the river and in the meadow are growing at an unprecedented rate.  

·        Top two threats to the Little Truckee River were identified as flows and motorized use.

·        The Little Truckee River meadow has a long history of fishing, hunting and bird watching and should be kept non-motorized to protect this quiet recreation experience.

2) Prosser Creek

3) Castle Peak Roadless Area

·        Castle Peak is an incredibly important headwater area. Castle Peak forms the headwaters of the South Fork Yuba River, Sagehen Creek, Prosser Creek, and the Little Truckee River.

·        The southern boundary, where certain roads exist and two specific routes are being proposed, is predominantly a quiet recreation area.

·        The hike to the top of Castle Peak is one of the most popular non-motorized hiking trails in the Tahoe National Forest. This experience must be protected.

·        The two trails proposed to be added cross perennial streams and impact sensitive meadows.

4) Boca, Stampede and Prosser Reservoirs

·        Allowed open OHV use below the high water line on all three reservoirs has resulted in wide spread damage.

·        This not only affects water quality, it also significantly increases the amount of sediment that collects thus reducing the lifespan of these reservoirs.

·        “Mudbogging,” a form of motorized recreation that takes advantage of wet surface conditions, causes the most damage, especially to important food sources for trout, such as midges and chironomids.

·        A strategic access plan is needed for these three reservoirs to provide access to the shoreline for anglers and watercraft, while eliminating “open OHV play areas” to reduce environmental impacts. 

            The Forest Service does accept form letters, or generic template letters that only require a signature, but only counts them as one comment. That means 2,000 form letters signed by 2,000 different people will only count as 1 comment. Trout Unlimited has chosen to avoid this by providing the information above for concerned sportsmen so that comments can be developed on behalf of individuals. If you are unwilling or unable to provide comments on your own behalf,  below is a sample letter.

Comments about the DEIS can be sent to: tnf_rte_desig@fs.fed.us

Contact Trout Unlimited Field Coordinator David Lass at dlass@tu.org to help protect these beloved fishing experiences.

###

Sample letter

(Insert Date)

United States Forest Service
Route Designation Team
Tahoe National Forest, Region
5631 Coyote Street
Nevada City, CA 95959

Re: Tahoe National Forest OHV Route Designation – Little Truckee Trail TKN-M3

Dear Supervisor Quinn,

The change that we find the most in conflict with our mission and the Travel Management Rule in the TNF Proposed Action is the 2.83 mile segment of route TKN-M3 that parallels the west side of the Little Truckee River from Stampede Reservoir to Boca Reservoir. This trail is slated for motorcycle use and yearlong access with no seasonal closures.

The Little Truckee River Watershed is an invaluable resource to all users of the Tahoe National Forest. The biotic communities the Little Truckee River watershed supports, both aquatic and terrestrial, are arguably unrivaled by any other watershed in the Tahoe National Forest. The Little Truckee River is one of the premier trout fishing destinations in the State of California. Specifically, the tailwater trout fishery that exists below Stampede Reservoir is among the best in the United States, and anglers from all over the world come to the Truckee Area to recreate here. This fishery has gained a reputation among fisherman nationwide, not just California, as being one of the best places to catch large wild trout on a dry fly. The reputation and quality of this unique fishing experience needs to be protected.

Trail TKN-M3 will undoubtedly increase the frequency of inter-user group conflicts between anglers and OHV users along the Little Truckee River. Anglers seek solitude and escape among a myriad of other values when recreating outside. These characteristics are especially true for fly fishermen/women, which are the prevailing constituency represented on the Little Truckee River between Stampede and Boca Reservoirs throughout the season. Inclusion of trail TKN-M3 will significantly increase noise pollution along this premier section of the Little Truckee River, invariably changing the fishing experience on this destination river. There is also a potential for collision and serious injury, as many anglers use the area of the proposed trail to walk from spot to spot. This will lead to inter-user group conflicts between anglers and OHV users, as well as cause inter-site displacement among local anglers adding to increased pressure on other resources in the TNF, causing future management issues/concerns. Anglers from all over have been enjoying this wonderful resource for decades, and the executive orders and travel rules specifically state that OHV use cannot conflict with existing neighboring recreation values.

Trail TKN-M3 will increase resource impacts to the riparian zone along the Little Truckee River. The Little Truckee River has been recognized as an area of high ecological significance and boasts a “high biotic integrity” rating and an “especially pristine watershed.” Trail TKN-M3 crosses eight ephemeral tributaries to the Little Truckee River and 5 out of 23 trail segments are located in riparian areas. Although these tributary drainages and riparian areas might not support any trout species perennially, they do provide the Little Truckee River with supplemental flows of cold water at times throughout the year which is important for creating and maintaining critical spawning habitat for trout. This proposed trail is specifically in conflict with the stipulations listed under the execute orders and travel regulations that govern the protection of resource and watershed values on public lands.

The area located between Prosser, Stampede and Boca Reservoirs has a route density of greater than eight miles of roads/trails per one square mile. This is already the highest route density area within the Tahoe National Forest. Trail TKN-M3 will connect the myriad of existing OHV trails and roads to the west side of the Little Truckee River. Trout Unlimited feels that the Interdisciplinary Team did not take into consideration the amount of potential use trail TKN-M3 will receive and what resource impacts that might comprise for the fragile meadow the Little Truckee River flows through, as users are inevitably likely to illegally venture off trail.  We are aware that this trail is designated for motorcycle use only, but we feel it is unreasonable to assume that it will be used exclusively by motorcyclists if included. It can be accessed far too easily, and OHV enforcement has been a long time issue for the Forest Service. It is the opinion of Trout Unlimited that there are already enough OHV trails in this region of the TNF, and this additional trail poses serious and significant social and environmental implications that should deny its inclusion in the final OHV Travel Plan. 

We look forward to working closely with the Forest on implementation and enforcement of its provisions and infrastructure.  Having attended several of the public meetings hosted by the TNF to solicit public feedback, we are aware that the issue of off-highway vehicle use is divisive and emotional, and commend the Forest and its personnel for their professional conduct during these meetings.  OHV enthusiasts may be justified in saying they need more areas and routes for their activity, but that does not mean that a majority of the TNF is suitable for such activity, and some resources are so sensitive, rare or ecologically important that they trump any proposed addition or existing OHV route in their proximity. 

On behalf of the fish and game resources of the TNF, and of hunters and anglers who believe that hunting and fishing opportunities in the Forest are threatened by OHV use, we thank you for the opportunity to comment on the motorized travel and route designation plan for the TNF. We look forward to working closely with you to develop ecologically sustainable, manageable, and enforceable management plans in the future. Thank you.