Sierra National Forest Credit: USDA

August 20, 2019 - Sequoia & Sierra Forest Plan Revision Update - Attend Public Workshops This Week

Dear Valued Member of the Community,

The Sequoia & Sierra National Forests are hosting public workshops this week. We are at the mid-point of the 90-day comment period on the revised draft environmental impact statement and revised draft land management plans. Your input now will help us develop the final environmental impact statement and final plans that will guide management of the two national forests for the subsequent 15 years.

The Sequoia National Forest is hosting an in-person public workshop on August 20, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at The Station by Kern County Fire Fighters, 7900 Downing Ave., Bakersfield, CA 93308.

The Sierra National Forest is hosting an in-person public workshop on August 21st, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Clovis Veteran's Memorial District building, 808 4th St., Clovis, CA 93612. 

Earlier versions of these draft documents were released in 2016. We have since revised the draft documents to address changed conditions across the landscape, including extensive tree mortality, and other concerns brought up through public participation. The revised documents available for review can be found on the project website at: https://tinyurl.com/USFS-r5planrevision.

We are interested in hearing your feedback on these documents and answering any questions you may have. The public workshops this week are designed to help you in your review of the revised draft documents and submission of formal, written comments that will inform final plan direction.

Both workshops will follow a three-part agenda:

Part 1: Presentation. The workshop will begin with a 30 minute presentation on the plan revision effort to date. This is an opportunity to learn about the plan revision process, alternatives analyzed in the revised analysis, and general direction in the revised draft plans.

Part 2: Open House. After the presentation, the workshop will shift to an hour-long open house format with planning team members stationed at resource booths around the workshop space. This is an opportunity for participants to meet one-on-one with planning team members to ask questions and share concerns. Additional Forest staff will listen in at each booth to capture general themes of issues raised by participants. The Forest Service will share what we heard around key themes at each booth during a report out immediately following the open house session.

Part 3: Community Voices. The final part of the workshop is openly structured to allow flexibility to meet participant needs. During this final hour, participants are encouraged to join other participants in facilitated discussions on the revised draft plans. Forest staff will sit at small tables and pose the following question to all participants: What do you need to see in the final plans to feel your needs and interests are being met? This is an opportunity to communicate your interests to Forest Service staff and fellow community members, hear from others about the diverse interests around the community, and consider the potential for collaborating on mutually developed recommendations to the Forest Service. During this hour, participants also have the flexibility to continue meeting with planning team members at their open house booths or leave the workshop if questions and concerns have been adequately communicated.

We look forward to engaging with you at the public workshops this week.

More information on upcoming public engagement opportunities can be found on the project website at: https://tinyurl.com/USFS-r5planrevision. 

For further information, contact the Team Lead, Fariba Hamedani, at 707-562-9121 or by email to fariba.hamedani@usda.gov. Thank you for your continued interest in the management of your public lands.

Sincerely,

Dean Gould, Forest Supervisor, Sierra National Forest

Teresa Benson, Forest Supervisor, Sequoia National Forest
Source: USDA