BASS LAKE – In order to protect the restoration process ongoing near the Wishon Quarry site at Bass Lake, certain roads in the area will be closed for the next year.
With the completion of the Crane Valley Dam Retrofit Project in 2013, the Forest Service has been working to protect the environmentally sensitive Wishon Quarry Reclamation Area on the Bass Lake Ranger District from unauthorized motor vehicle impacts and other human disturbance.
A short term Closure Order for Roads has been implemented and is effective from Feb. 20, 2015 through Feb. 19, 2016.
This short term closure includes the following National Forest System roads: Forest Road No. 7S86X from Country Road 222, then continuing west to its intersection with Forest Road No. 7S86 and Forest Road No. 7S86XA, from its intersection with Forest Road No. 7S86X, then continuing south to its ending point.
In March 2009, PG&E – owners of the dam – submitted a proposal to extract approximately 300,000 cubic yards of rock from National Forest System lands to support the Crane Valley Dam Remediation (Retrofit) project.
Restoration of the quarry site has been partially completed by rough grading the floor of the quarry, mass filling irregularities and cavities with waste rock, spreading topsoil over the disturbed areas, spreading mulch from stockpile, and planting native vegetation specified by the US Forest Service.
However, the Vegetation Management Plan, which outlines specific planting requirements and success criteria, has been implemented for re-vegetation, and is still in progress.
Motor vehicle entrance into this area will cause disturbance to the newly planted vegetation and sensitive top soil, says the Forest Service, and could detrimentally impact erosion control measures designed to maintain slope stability.
For additional information, please visit the following link on the Sierra National Forest’s website: Forest Order 15-15-01.
