Sierra Nevada & California

Winter Recreation Planning

California’s central and northern Sierra Nevada are ground-zero for winter travel planning. With six “early adopter” forests — the Lassen, Tahoe, Eldorado, Stanislaus, and Plumas National Forests, and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit — this region is the first to go all-in on the OSV Rule.

• Stanislaus National Forest (completed):
  • After six years of meetings, field trips, 670 individual comments from individuals and organizations, dozens of maps, reams of documents, and more meetings — the Stanislaus National Forest completed its Over-Snow Vehicle Use Designation Project. The final signed Record of Decision was released July 13, 2021.
  • Click here for our take on the final plan: not great, but better than what had been status quo, with some important preliminary protections established for wildlife and quiet recreation.
  • On October 13, 2021, the Sierra Snowmobile Foundation, Blue Ribbon Coalition, the American Council of Snowmobile Assoc. and others filed a lawsuit against the United States Forest Service. Click here to see the complaint.
  • Meanwhile we are awaiting an Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map (OSVUM) that reflects the new designations.
• Plumas National Forest:
  • A draft Record of Decision (ROD) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) were published on August 19, 2019.
  • After 17 hours of virtual “objection workshops” in May 2021, an official objection resolution meeting was held on June 3, 2021.
  • On July 12, 2021, the regional Reviewing Officer issued a letter of review.
  • We hope to see a final plan and Record of Decision (ROD) by end of 2021 or early 2022.
• Eldorado National Forest:
  • The Eldorado released its Draft Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on October 31, 2018. The Forest Service held an objection meeting in March 2019.
  • We hope to see a final plan and Record of Decision (ROD) by end of 2021 or early 2022.
• Tahoe National Forest:
  • The Tahoe published a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) on February 6, 2019. The Forest Service held an objection meeting in May 2019.
  • We hope to see a final plan and Record of Decision (ROD) by end of 2021 or early 2022.
• Lassen National Forest:
  • The Lassen published a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) on March 29, 2018. The forest hosted an objection resolution meeting in July 2018.
  • We hope to see a final plan and Record of Decision (ROD) by end of 2021 or early 2022.
• The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit (LTBMU) is also working on a winter travel plan. Although the LTBMU is in the same neighborhood as the 5 forests listed above, its winter travel planning process is not part of the same coordinated effort outlined above. However, we are also actively engaged in travel planning on this forest. The LTBMU published a Proposed Action on September 2019, and public comments were accepted through December 9, 2019.
• The Inyo National Forest, in October 2019, published the final approved version of its new 2019 Inyo National Forest Land Management Plan. With regard to winter recreation/travel planning, Forest Supervisor Tammy Randall-Parker wrote in her final Record of Decision that “over-the-snow (winter) travel will be determined by Subpart C Travel Management Analysis, on which I am committing to initiating the public collaboration process within one year of this decision.” In part due to COVID-19-related delays, the forest has committed to beginning the official scoping process by October 2021.

Forest Planning

• Sierra and Sequoia National Forests: With our Outdoor Alliance California partners (Access Fund, American Whitewater, IMBA, CAMTB) and local grassroots groups, we have worked throughout the forest plan revision process to advocate for conservation goals and for the preservation and enhancement of human-powered recreation opportunities and equitable access on these popular Southern Sierra Nevada forests. Final plans and Records of Decision (RODs) are slated to be published early in 2022.
• Northwest Forest Planning: Four Northern California forests are currently in the assessment phase leading up to a multi-year, once-in-a-generation forest plan revision process. With our Outdoor Alliance California partners (Access Fund, American Whitewater, IMBA, CAMTB) and local grassroots groups, we are currently ramping up our own assessments and GIS inventories of conservation and human-powered recreation issues on these national forests:
  • Rogue River – Siskiyou
  • Klamath
  • Mendocino
  • Shasta-Trinity