As the Responsible Official, Acting Forest Supervisor Sarah Clawson has prepared two draft Decision Notices (DN), one for the Cottonwood Creek and one for the Owens River Headwaters Comprehensive River Management Plans (CRMPs). The draft decisions select the Proposed Actions as analyzed in the respective Environmental Assessments and Findings of No Significant Impact (EA and FONSI) for the two plans. The decisions adopt the respective CRMPs. The plans are administrative in nature; actions proposed include establishing final boundaries and establishing user capacity levels for the rivers. The river corridors have both been managed as a wild and scenic river since they were designated by Congress as Wild and Scenic Rivers in 2009.
The two draft Decision Notices and FONSIs, the Environmental Assessments, the CRMPs, and other supporting documentation are available for review on the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57325. To obtain a hard copy, please see the contact information below.
While the Owens River Headwaters is entirely on land managed by the Inyo National Forest, a segment of the Cottonwood Creek Wild and Scenic River is on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Cottonwood Creek CRMP and Environmental Assessment are joint documents, with a separate decision required by each agency. This opportunity to object applies only to the draft DN for the Owens River Headwaters and the DN for the the Forest Service segment of Cottonwood Creek. The BLM decision for their segment of Cottonwood Creek will be released after this object review period and there will be an opportunity to appeal that decision at that time.
Both draft decisions are subject to objection pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subparts A and B. Objections will only be accepted from those who submitted project-specific written comments during scoping or other designated comment period. Issues raised in objections must be based on previously submitted comments unless based on new information arising after the designated comment opportunities [36 CFR 218.8(c)].
You must indicate which Wild and Scenic River you are addressing in each of your objection issues.
Objections must be submitted within 45 days following the publication of this legal notice. The date of the legal notice is the exclusive means for calculating the time to file an objection. Those wishing to object should not rely upon dates or timeframes provided by any other source. It is the objector’s responsibility to ensure evidence of timely receipt (36 CFR 218.9).
Objections must be submitted to the Reviewing Officer: Jennifer Eberlien, Regional Forester, USDA Forest Service. Objections may be submitted online at the following link:https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public//CommentInput?Project=57325. If you are not able to access the online form, objections may be emailed to objections-pacificsouthwest-regional-office@usda.gov with subject: Inyo NF Comprehensive River Management Plans, or submitted by postal mail to: USDA Forest Service, Regional Forester, 1323 Club Drive, Vallejo, CA 94592, Attn: Inyo NF Comprehensive River Management Plans. Electronic submissions must be in common formats (.doc, .pdf, .rtf, .txt).
Objections must include (36 CFR 218.8(d)): 1) name, address and telephone; 2) signature or other verification of authorship; 3) identify a single lead objector when applicable; 4) project name, Responsible Official name and title, and name of affected National Forest(s); 5) reasons for, and suggested remedies to resolve, your objections; and, 6) description of the connection between your objections and your prior comments. Incorporation of documents by reference is permitted only as provided in 36 CFR 218.8(b).
For additional information, contact Adam Barnett, Public Services Staff Officer at adam.barnett@usda.gov.
Adam Barnett
