Local forest plan forthcoming

Mountain scenery and recreation access are top priorities in five forest management proposals in the final draft of a plan for the Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe forest .

"One of the big changes is how we maintain scenic values," said forest planner Dave Loomis. "In the old plan we concentrated on the scenic byways. The big change is that we are designating a majority of the whole Carson Range. We are saying the whole area is a high priority."

The plan covers the 500,000-acre Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, small portions of the Stanislaus National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. For the first time, forest managers are proposing management plans for the Carson Iceberg and Mount Rose wilderness areas.

In 1986 - when the last forest plan was approved - Carson Iceberg and Mount Rose were not designated as wilderness areas.

Loomis said the plan, if approved, will mean little change to the areas currently under forest service stewardship.

"Ecology and biodiversity" components mean that some areas will have less development of hiking trails and strict limitations on the addition of facilities like power lines or structures.

"The proposals are pretty balanced," he said. "In the Carson Iceberg Wilderness we lean a little more towards ecology, on Mount Rose we lean a little more towards recreation access."

Plans to add more trails on Mount Rose are in the works, he added.

The official release date for the proposal is early next month. Several public comment sessions will be held throughout the district and a final plan will be approved.

"We are very open to make adjustments where they are needed," he said. "We definitely expect to make changes. We are happy to reengage the public that helped us develop the first proposal."

Loomis said he expects a final draft by the end of the year.

Open houses to discuss the plan will be held at the Carson City library on June 5 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; at the Western Nevada Community College campus in Minden on June 5 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; at Turtle Rock Park in Markleeville, Calif. on June 6 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and at the McKinley Cultural Center in Reno on June 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Open house schedule

June 5 1 p.m. Carson City Library

June 5 6 p.m. WNCC in Minden

June 6 4 p.m. Turtle Rock Park

June 8 6 p.m. McKinley Cultural Center in Reno