December 21, 2022 - On Tuesday, Congressman Kevin McCarthy announced an important step toward building a new U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Visitor Center in the Lake Isabella community. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) finalized its acquisition of property, located at 6212 Lake Isabella Boulevard, to be the site of the new Visitor Center, replacing the previous USFS that was demolished as part of the Isabella Dam Safety Modification Project. This real estate acquisition follows the USACE completing environmental reviews for this Visitor Center in July 2021. 
 
Congressman McCarthy released the following statement:
 
“As the state of California continues to serve as a popular tourist destination, a Forest Service visitor center at Lake Isabella will offer neighbors and visitors alike the opportunity to learn more about the Kern River Valley and easily obtain permits for recreation in and around the lake and the Sequoia National Forest. Acquisition of this property by the Army Corps is a major step forward and marks the beginning of the end to bring this visitor center to fruition. 
 
“I want to commend members of the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce, members of the Lake Isabella Dam Task Force, and Kern County officials for their dedication to ensuring this visitor center remained a priority over the years, and I also want to thank the Army Corps and Forest Service for advancing this project. I look forward to seeing the Army Corps, in conjunction with the Forest Service, move quickly to construction so the new visitor center can be opened in the community as soon as possible.”
 
Community leaders provided the following statements on the Army Corps acquisition of property for a USFS Visitor Center in Lake Isabella:
 
“On behalf of the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce, I wish to thank Congressman McCarthy, Army Corps of Engineers, United Stated Forest Service and Kern County Officials on the acquisition of the land for our new visitor center which will be located within Lake Isabella. It has been a long road for the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce and its residents, but with the visitors center in downtown Lake Isabella it will be a centralized location allowing us to showcase our valley while sharing the desired information with our tourists.” – Fred Clark, President of the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce and Member of the Lake Isabella Dam Task Force
 
“This is great news for the Kern River Valley.  Looking forward to its opening.” – The Honorable Philip Peters, Kern County Supervisor, First District 
 
Background

• A decade ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers started the Isabella Lake Dam Safety Modification Project to mitigate and repair seepage and seismic issues at Main and Auxiliary Dams at Lake Isabella.
• To make repairs to the dams, a USFS facility located on Engineer’s Point was demolished. Since then, visitors and residents have been able to get certain permits and information at a small, temporary location in the Sequoia National Forest Work Center just north of downtown Lake Isabella.
• Congressman McCarthy secured  language in the Water Resources Development Act of 2020 (Section 312 of Public Law 116-260) giving the USACE the authority to review sites, acquire property, and build a new, permanent USFS Visitor Center in the downtown Lake Isabella area.
• In the Final Supplemental Environmental Assessment on the Permanent Relocation of the U.S. Forest Service Visitor Center, the USFS and USACE identified 6212 Lake Isabella Boulevard, the location of the currently-empty Bank of America building, as the preferred location for the new, permanent USFS Visitor Center.
• According to the USACE, construction is slated to commence in 2024 and, upon completion, the new visitor center will be turned over to the USFS for operation and opening to the public in 2025.
• At the new, permanent USFS Visitor Center, residents and visitors to the area will be able obtain fire and wood permits, maps and other local information about the Sequoia National Forest, and annual visitor passes for federal lands in the region. 
  Source: Congressman Kevin McCarthy