CA Auburn State Recreation Area - Need Boater Comments

California State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will need boater input for a joint General Plan/Resource Management Plan (RMP) for Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA).  The whitewater runs within the 33,000 acres of land along over forty miles of river canyon on the North & Middle Fork of the American River include:

NF American Chamberlain Falls, NF American Shirtail, MF American Tunnel Run, MF American Greenwood Bridge to Mammoth Bar and NF & MF American Confluence to Folsom Lake

Auburn SRA was originally land set aside for the construction of the infamous Auburn Dam, which was authorized by Congress in 1965. Upon land acquisition in 1979 Reclamation entered a management agreement with State Parks to manage the area that would eventually be inundated by Auburn Dam and Reservoir. However, after years of delay and the eventual halt to the construction of the dam, these agencies prepared an Interim Resource Management Plan (RMP) to help them address the approximate 250,000 visitors per year using the area in 1992.  

Today, in 2015, visitation to Auburn SRA has grown to nearly 1 million users per year. While the construction of Auburn Dam remains on the table it’s immediate future seems a daunting task given the multi billion-dollar price tag, the seismic concerns and revocation of state water permits. In the meantime State Parks and Reclamation must formulate a updated management plan that will address the growing numbers of visitors and recreational uses in the area.

To that end State Parks and Reclamation held their first workshop for preparing the joint General Plan/RMP to provide a “long term vision” for Auburn SRA. Expecting no more than 150 public participants this workshop was attended by twice that amount. They spent the evening gathering public comments on the many recreational uses in Auburn SRA including: natural/cultural sites, hiking, road/trail access, river access, boating, fishing, camping, mountain biking, gold panning, swimming, picnicking, rock climbing, horseback riding, OHV riding and whitewater recreation.

If you were unable to attend this workshop State Parks and Reclamation are allowing folks to email their comments/concerns for this first round of comments until December 1, 2015.  They will use these comments to help them prepare plan alternatives that will be presented to the public in Spring 2016 to identify a final proposed plan.  Now is your chance to voice your opinion on whitewater issues like better parking at Yankee Jims, south side access to the play wave at China Bar or overall road maintenance.

For more information you can visit the website for California State Parks Plan/Resource Management Plan.  In the meantime American Whitewater will continue to monitor the process, share information and speak for our boating interests within this important recreational resource known as the Auburn State Recreational Area.