Tag Archives: Sequoia National Forest

Cedar Grove to Close for the Season

SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS, Calif. October 17, 2018 – Due to unexpected CalTrans road work on Highway 180, Cedar Grove will be closing for the season on Monday, October 22, 2018 at 10:00 a.m., three weeks earlier than planned.

Crews will be taking advantage of low water flows to shore up the embankments along the highway. The Highway 180 closure will be just east of Hume Lake Road.

The park is working to make contact with hikers, campers, and other visitors currently in the area, as well as alerting those who were planning to visit after Monday. For park information and trip-planning, please visit our website nps.gov/seki or call the main park line 559-565-3341.

For Sequoia National Forest information you can visit their website www.fs.usda.gov/main/sequoia or call 559-338-2251.

For more information about the Highway 180 closure and project, please contact Sam Yniguez, Information Officer for CalTrans District 6 via email at sam.yniguez@dot.ca.gov or phone 559-444-2518. You may also visit their website http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

Man Charged in Sequoia Petroglyph Case

MAN CHARGED IN GRAFFITI OF PREHISTORIC PETROGLYPH

The Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorney, Eastern District of California released the following statement in regards to vandalism at a nearby prehistoric petroglyph site.  Petroglyphs in Sequioa National Forest, Kern County, were damaged.

FRESNO , Calif. —Christopher James Harp, 58, was arraigned Friday, October 23rd in Fresno after a federal grand jury returned an indictment on Thursday, charging him with depredation of public lands, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Harp entered a plea of not guilty at today’s arraignment.

According to court documents, on September 6, 2015, an archaeologist with the United States Forest Service reported graffiti of numerous boulders at a location known as Rabbit Island, a large rock outcropping in the Sequoia National Forest in Kern County that was once the site of a large Tubatulabal Indian village. Agents found black asphalt sealer sprayed on rocks over about 100 yards, including damage to a prehistoric petroglyph of a bighorn sheep on the face of a large boulder.

This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Forest Service. Assistant United States Attorney Michael S. Frye is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Harp faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

sequoia national forest, petroglyphs in kern county, us department of justice, tubatulabal indian village

Office of US Attorney Announces Indictment

MEXICAN NATIONALS INDICTED FOR FOREST MARIJUANA CULTIVATION OPERATION

Statement from the Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorney, Eastern District of California

FRESNO, Calif. — A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Antonio Garcia-Villa (Garcia), 46, and Uriel Silva-Garcia (Silva), both Mexican nationals, charging them with conspiring to manufacture, distribute and possess with intent to distribute, manufacturing, and possessing with intent to distribute marijuana in connection with a large-scale cultivation operation in the Sequoia National Forest, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. The men were also charged with damaging public land and natural resources as a result of cultivating marijuana near Little Poso Creek, which drains into the Kern National Wildlife Refuge.
According to court documents, Garcia and Silva were found at the cultivation site in May 2015. Agents removed 8,596 marijuana plants from the site, along with pesticides, fertilizer, trash, water lines, and equipment. The cultivation activities caused extensive damage to the land and natural resources. Native trees and plants were cut down and steep hillsides were terraced to plant the marijuana.
This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Forest Service, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Assistant United States Attorney Karen Escobar is prosecuting the case.
Garcia and Silva are in custody and are scheduled for arraignment on the indictment on June 24, 2015, in federal court in Fresno. If convicted of the drug offenses, the men face a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a $10 million fine. If convicted of the environmental crime, the men face a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

us forest service, sequoia national forest, eastern sierra news

US Forest Service Announces 30-Day Public Scoping Period for Revised Forest Plan

USFS Pacific Southwest Region Begins Scoping on Revised Forest Plans

The U.S. Forest Service today announced a 30-day public scoping period to start the National Environmental Policy Act process for revising forest plans on the Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra National Forests. The scoping period begins August 29, 2014 with the publishing of the Notice of Intent (NOI) in the Federal Register.
The Inyo, Sequoia and Sierra are three of eight national forests selected as “early adopters,” meaning they will be the first forests to revise their land management plans under the 2012 Forest Service Planning Rule.  The planning rule provides the framework for Forest Service land management plans on national forests across the nation.
These three forest plan revisions will be completed through the development of one environmental impact statement (EIS).  The final EIS will result in three separate Records of Decision and three separate forest plans.  Forest Supervisors are the responsible officials for making decisions on their specific forest plans.
A “scoping period” gives the public a chance to tell the Forest Service what issues and concerns they think should be addressed in the EIS before alternatives are developed and analyzed in the EIS.  Public involvement is a critical piece of this analysis and considered in the range of alternatives, which will be made available for public review and comment when drafted.
The Forest Service expects to release a draft of the EIS and alternatives for public review by spring 2015.
The EIS allows for a robust public involvement process, which begins with the scoping period announced today.  Public meetings to answer questions and accept written public comment are scheduled.  For the Inyo National Forest, they will be held on:
·         6:00-8:00 pm -Monday, September 15at the Dyer Community Center in Dyer, NV
·         6:00-8:00pm – Thursday, September 18, Tri-County Fairgrounds, Sierra Street & Fair Drive, Bishop, CA
The Forest Service values public participation. Communications from the public regarding this project, including commenter’s names and contact information, will become part of the public record.
Comments, including anonymous comments, will be accepted at any time.  However, comments posted after the close of a designated comment period may not be given full consideration.  Anonymous comments and comments submitted after the close of the final designated comment period will not provide the commenter standing for administrative review.
Scoping comments must be received by September 29, 2014 and may be submitted:
·         Onlinehttp://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters (click on the “Comment on Project” hyperlink under the “Get Connected” topic at the right side of the webpage),
·         Electronic mailR5planrevision@fs.fed.us, or
·         U.S. mail: Land Management Plan Revision, U.S. Forest Service, 1839 South Newcomb Street, Porterville, CA  93257.
Please remember to specify which forest or forests your comments apply to.  For forest-specific information, please contact that forest directly:
·         Inyo NF: Deb Schweizer at 760-873-2427 or debraaschweizer@fs.fed.us
·         Sequoia NF: Alicia Embrey at 559-784-1500 or aliciamembrey@fs.fed.us
·         Sierra NF: Dirk Charley at 559-297-0706 x4805 or dcharley@fs.fed.us
The NOI, detailed proposed action and maps are available for review at http://tinyurl.com/r5earlyadopters.
For earlier information regarding forest plan revision documents and the planning process prior to the release of the NOI and scoping period, please visit the Pacific Southwest Region’s planning website at: http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/r5/FPR.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES:

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if special assistance to participate in this meeting is needed, please contact the appropriate National Forest. Notification at least 48 hours prior to the meeting will enable the Forest Service to make reasonable arrangements.
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USFS Pacific Southwest Region Begins Scoping on Revised Forest Plans

https://www.kibskbov.com/revisedforestplanupdate/
US Forest Service / USFS Pacific Southwest Region / Revised Forest Plans / Inyo National Forest / Sequoia National Forest / Sierra National Forest / Eastern Sierra / Bishop