Auburn SRA General Plan/Resource Management Plan
ANNOUNCEMENT
Why Is A General Plan Important?
A General Plan (GP) is a broad-based policy document that establishes a long-range vision, goals, and guidelines for park management. It also provides direction on future recreation opportunities, resource management, historic sites, visitor facilities, park improvements, services, and programs. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is also prepared as part of the planning process, as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The EIR evaluates potential environmental effects associated with implementation of General Plan proposals.
California State Parks welcomes your ideas and suggestions about the future of state park resources. The planning process includes multiple opportunities for public comment. Email planning@parks.ca.gov to join the planning e-mail list or send a written request for information to California State Parks, Strategic Planning and Recreation Services, P.O. Box 942896, Sacramento, CA 94296-0001.
Auburn State Recreation Area Planning
California State Parks has been working in collaboration with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) on a joint Auburn SRA General Plan/Resource Management Plan (GP/RMP). This joint planning document prepared in partnership with Reclamation meets both State Park’s General Plan (GP) requirements and Reclamation’s Resource Management Plan (RMP) requirements. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) meets the requirements of both CEQA and NEPA. The core team working on the GP/RMP is comprised of staff from State Parks, Reclamation, and Ascent Environmental, Inc.
The federal approval process for the GP/RMP and NEPA has been completed. The Final EIR/EIS was released June 2020, and Reclamation signed a Record of Decision on August 21, 2020, which adopted the GP/RMP as revised in the Final EIR/EIS. See the Auburn SRA Planning History page to learn about planning activities leading up to this point. To stay informed of next steps related to the Auburn SRA General Plan, register for the mailing list.
Brief History of Auburn SRA
Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA) is comprised of about 30,000 acres with forty miles of river canyon along the North and Middle Forks of the American River. California State Parks manages Auburn SRA through a Managing Partner Agreement (MPA) with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation). All but approximately 800 acres of the 30,000 acres of Auburn SRA are federal lands administered by Reclamation. These federal lands were acquired or withdrawn by Reclamation following the Auburn Dam authorization by Congress in 1965. Since 1977, California State Parks has managed the Auburn SRA lands for Reclamation through a series of management agreements. In 2012, State Parks and Reclamation entered into a 25-year MPA for the federal lands at Auburn SRA, Folsom Lake SRA, and the Folsom Powerhouse SHP. The MPA specifies management roles and responsibilities for each agency and a cost-share agreement.
Planning Documents
Preliminary General Plan (GP) and Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) (June 2020) (11.5MB) and Appendix
The Preliminary General Plan (GP) and Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) dated June 2020 includes responses to all of the comments received during the public comment period for the Preliminary GP/Draft RMP and the Draft EIR/EIS and all revisions made in consideration of those comments.
For a complete review of the GP/RMP and EIR/EIS being considered for approval at the State Park and Recreation Commission hearing on September 30, 2021, all three documents should be reviewed together. We have created a Primer for Document Review.
Auburn SRA Virtual Tour (July 2021) and Transcript