American Whitewater’s Dave Steindorf is meeting with the Forest Service today to discuss access to California’s Middle Fork Feather River. On June 20th, 2011, the Plumas National Forest in California closed Milsap Bar Road to the Middle Fork Feather River for repairs and maintenance on the Milsap Bar Bridge. The road provides the main access point to the Middle Fork Feather River – it is the take-out for the Devil’s Canyon run and put-in for the Bald Rock Canyon run. The Middle Fork Feather draws whitewater enthusiasts from around the world each year. “¨”¨
Repairs were originally scheduled to be complete by July 4th, 2011, however weather conditions prevented the project from starting on schedule. According to the Forest Service, the project cannot be rescheduled because the funding comes as part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which must be used by September 30th, 2011. Repairs are currently scheduled to be complete by July 29th.
“¨”¨Initially, the Forest Service offered alternative access points to the river that involved hiking miles of steep trails. These alternatives, posted on the Plumas National Forest’s website, are prohibitive for most whitewater boaters. 2011 is shaping up to be the most amazing runoff year in memory and American Whitewater jumped into action at the prospect of the Middle Fork Feather essentially being closed to boating until the end of July. We believe that there are additional options for providing access to the river, and the Forest Service has agreed to meet with us today in an effort to find a solution that will allow much needed repairs to take place while also providing access to this world-class whitewater run. Stay tuned for updates! “¨”¨
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