For Release: November 5, 2004 #CCal-05-17
Contact: John Scull (916) 985-4474/Lorna Dobrovolny (530) 272-0298

South Yuba Planning Meeting to Discuss Carrying Capacity, Management Actions

Visitor carrying capacity at popular recreation sites along the South Yuba River will be the major topic at the next meeting of the South Yuba River Planning Group, Tuesday, November 9, between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., in the L.O.V.E. Building, 660 Minnie Street, Condon Park in Grass Valley. Also on the agenda are discussions of parking at river crossings and whitewater boating.

According to Jim Eicher, BLM planner, carrying capacity is the number of people a site can accommodate without degradation of the environment or of the recreation experience itself. Since the population of California and Nevada County is continuing to grow, the number of people wanting to visit the South Yuba is also expected to grow. The discussions will include Jones Bar, the Highway 49 Bridge, Hoyt's Crossing, Purdon Crossing, Edwards Crossing, and Humbug Creek.

The meeting will be the 37th in a series of planning meetings sponsored by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the Nevada County Planning Department. The agencies are using the community-based planning process to create the draft management plan. This process directly involves interested private citizens in determining the contents of the draft plan by working in cooperation with each other and the land management agencies. Agency personnel and meeting participants will work together on deciding what management actions are best for resolving these and other river issues. Recommendations from the planning group will form the basis of a draft comprehensive management plan which will be presented to the public next year, along with an environmental analysis.

The South Yuba River is a popular outdoor recreation destination for many Nevada County residents as well as people from outside the region who enjoy the opportunities for swimming, hiking, sunbathing, and nature appreciation in the highly scenic river canyon. It is a state-designated Wild and Scenic River, and has been recommended for the same status on the federal level.

For more information, please call the South Yuba River hotline at (530) 272-6356, or log on to the South Yuba River Plan website at http://www.southyubariverplan.com.

-BLM-

Folsom Field Office, 63 Natoma Street, Folsom, CA 95630
Visit our web site: www.ca.blm.gov/folsom