For Immediate Release: 8/27/2019
Public Comment Period for Future Plans on Auburn State Recreation Area Extended to September 17, 2019
Contacts:
Jim Micheaels I CA State Parks I (916) 988-0513
Jeff Hawk I Reclamation I (916) 978-5100
Plan.General@parks.ca.gov
AUBURN, Calif.— California State Parks and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are extending the public comment period on the future plans of Auburn State Recreation Area (SRA) by an additional 14 days due to the high level of interest expressed at a recent open house in Cool, California.
To ensure that all interested members of the public are able to provide comments on the Auburn SRA Preliminary General Plan/Auburn Project Lands Draft Resource Management Plan (Plan) and a Draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS), that deadline has been extended through the close of business on Tuesday, September 17, 2019.
Auburn SRA is located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, northeast of Sacramento. It includes about 30,000 acres of public land that is situated along nearly 40 linear miles of the north and middle forks of the American River. California State Parks manages the state recreation area through a managing partner agreement with Reclamation. The Plan alternatives include resource protection and land use strategies that will serve the communities and recreating public in the long term.
The Plan is a programmatic level document that provides a framework for long-term guidance for the development and management of Auburn SRA. The Plan utilizes management zones to identify where and what types of uses and facilities might be accommodated in the SRA in the future. Prior to implementation of any specific facility development proposals, such as a bridge or campground, additional project level planning and environmental reviews would be conducted.
Highlights of the proposed action would allow or facilitate:
- Parking capacity may be increased by up to 25 percent.
- Camping capacity may be increased by up to 245 individual campsites and five group sites.
- River access improvements to trails, roads and boat landings.
- Trail bridges over the North Fork American River between Auburn and Cool and over the Middle Fork American River at the former Greenwood Bridge site.
- Increased natural and cultural resources management, including fire prevention strategies.
- Increased opportunities for visitors to engage in stewardship and education opportunities.
The draft environmental documents were prepared in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act which are can be found at www.parks.ca.gov/PlanASRA and Reclamation’s web page.
Written comments may be submitted by close of business Tuesday, September 17, 2019, via email to plan.general@parks.ca.gov; by regular mail to Bonnie Van Pelt, Bureau of Reclamation, 7794 Folsom Dam Road, Folsom, CA 95630; or faxed to (916) 537-7035. Hard copies of the documents can be reviewed at the Auburn SRA Sector Office, 501 El Dorado Street in Auburn and eight other locations listed on the Auburn State Recreation Area website.
Once the plan and documents are finalized, the State Park and Recreation Commission will schedule a hearing to approve the plan. The public will have another opportunity to comment at this hearing. The date has yet to be determined.
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