Good news from California! After the Inyo National Forest Plan Revision Objection Resolution meeting yesterday in Bishop California, the Deputy Regional Forester and the Inyo Forest Supervisor announced that they will add the segments of the Middle Fork San Joaquin that are on Inyo Forest land (11.5 miles) to the inventory of eligible wild and scenic rivers for the revised Inyo Forest Plan.  They will also add whitewater boating as an outstandingly remarkable value (ORV).  Specifically, the sections of the Middle Fork San Joaquin within the Inyo National Forest from Soda Springs footbridge to the confluence with the North Fork San Joaquin. 

 

This is a big win for us in terms of how this river is managed for future generations. Though not afforded the full protection of a Wild & Scenic Designation, going forward these segments will be managed as if they are Wild and Scenic, with whitewater boating as a recreational value to be protected. And of course, it puts this segment of the San Joaquin in a position for us to one day pursue Wild and Scenic designation from Congress.

 

A big THANK YOU to all of you that took the time to send us your narrative and/or pictures. Having this in hand to present during our presentation made a huge difference. So much so that Deputy Regional Forester Barnie Gyant sought me out after our presentation to thank me personally for providing the photos and narrative that made the squiggly lines on their forest maps come to life. They were also duly impressed by the cover photo I selected from Darin McQuoid (Thanks Darin for letting us raid your blog for pictures! And to Tom and Jim Janney, and Ben Stookesberry for their great images as well).

 

With 12 more forest plans to address in California alone - we’re hoping we can count on your help again when it comes time to protect the river reaches we love!