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Photo of rider at Miami OHV area courtesy of Larry Langley (2012)

Input Needed For SNF Project Within Miami OHV Riding Area

SIERRA NATIONAL FOREST — The Sierra National Forest (SNF) is in the process of performing environmental analysis on the proposed Kamook Staging Area Project on the Bass Lake Ranger District (BLRD) and would like the public’s input.

Kamook Staging Area Project

Currently all amenities are in need of updating and replacement at this location. The purpose of this project is to improve the existing conditions that have been impacted by tree mortality and high motorized and non-motorized recreational use. The Project will include the following:

  • Replacement of the existing single seat toilet with a double-vault toilet CXT building
  • Installation of two overnight campsites, each consisting of an overhead shade structure, picnic table, campfire ring and designated parking stalls
  • Installation of five day use sites, each consisting of an overhead shade structure, picnic table and pedestal grill
  • Delineation of a seven stall parking area for the day use sites
  • Construction of an Off Highway Vehicle (OHV) loading ramp
  • Replacement of an information board

The Kamook Staging Area is located off of Forest Service road 6S41 and 6S15 within the Miami Trails OHV riding area. The legal description is Section 14, Township 6 South, Range 21 East.

The BLRD will draft an Environmental Assessment (EA) for this Project. Initial environmental review has shown that it is unlikely that there will be significant environmental effects from the Project.

Staff has preliminarily considered effects to the following resources: Aquatics Wildlife, Botany, Engineering, Fuels, Heritage, Hydrology, Geology/Soils, Range, Terrestrial Wildlife, Visuals. No significant impacts are expected from this project.

During internal pre-scoping of the proposed project the following design measures have been established by various resource specialists to be included:

  • Fuels and slash created from operations will be piled for planned burning.
  • Vent covers/caps need to be adhered to the tops of the vents on the restroom(s) facility prior to installation. Vent covers with either screen/mesh or plugs to prevent animals from becoming trapped.
  • If the area excavated for the double-vault toilet takes more than one day to be completed, the excavated area will need to be covered with either plywood or two by four boards to prevent wildlife from becoming trapped within the excavated area.

Soil Conservation Standards and Guidelines to be followed:

1. Parking lots and staging areas must be drained without causing erosion or excessive soil loss.
2. Options to prevent or limit erosion of a large surface area include:
a) Compaction of earth materials
b) Paving
c) Crushed rock cover
3. Surface runoff should not accumulate as concentrate flow, drainage design should use multiple drainage swales to disperse runoff to multiple locations around the site instead of concentrating all runoff to one location.
4. Runoff conveyance points/discharge points should be armored to minimize erosion during storm events and should not be discharged directly to a watercourse.
a) Any water that is discharged directly to a watercourse may require (at a minimum), a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit or waiver.

Additional project information is available online through our website at: , or at the BLRD office.

Additional project information is available online through the website at this link  or at the BLRD office.

The Forest Service says comments are welcome!

“We are still in the stages of project planning that allow us to adjust the Project based on public input. Your comments, ideas, and concerns regarding this proposed action are important to the design of the project and the determination if this Project will have significant effects. Please provide your input and ideas about the proposed action and identification of severe anticipated effects from this proposed action. Please try and frame your input in terms of how the Project proposal would result into environmental effects and suggested changes to minimize the identified impacts.”

Please respond in writing on or before August 16, 2019.

This Project is subject to commenting pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subpart A and B. Only those who submit timely project-specific written comments during this public comment period are eligible to file an objection. Individuals or representatives of an entity submitting comments must sign the comments or verify identity upon request.

The Forest Service will accept comments on this proposal for 30 days following publication of the opportunity to comment legal notice which is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. Commenters should not rely on dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. It is the commenter’s responsibility to ensure timely receipt of comments (36 CFR 218.25)

Provide comments by mail, fax, email, or in-person to the responsible official, Denise Tolmie c/o Ted Webb, Attn: Iron Telephone Staging Area Toilet Project at 57003 Road 225, North Fork, CA 93643; hand delivered during business hours (M-F 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.); email: theodore.webb@usda.gov ; phone: (559) 877-2218 or FAX: (559) 877-3108. Electronic comments, in common (.doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt) formats, may be submitted to: comments-pacificsouthwest-sierra@fs.fed.us with the subject: Kamook Staging Area Project. Names of commenters will be part of the public record subject to the Freedom of Information Act.

“Thank you for your interest in the SNF and we look forward to your input to help us determine the design and impacts of this Project.”

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