Sierra Nevada Forests Management Indicator Species Amendment

The Record of Decision was signed on December 14, 2007

On December 14, 2007, based on a review of all the alternatives assessed in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), the Regional Forester for the Pacific Southwest Region made the decision to adopt a common list of Management Indicator Species (MIS) and associated monitoring strategies for ten forests in the Sierra Nevada: the Eldorado, Inyo, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Sequoia, Sierra, Stanislaus, and Tahoe National Forests and Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. The area affected includes all lands administered by these ten Forests. This decision amends each forest's forest plan.

The FEIS examined nine alternatives. Alternatives considered in detail were:

1. Alternative 1 - the Proposed Action;

2. Alternative 2 - No Action, which in this case means no change from current management;

3. Alternative 3 - SNFPA Appendix E, which looks at the MIS list and monitoring from the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment FEIS of 2001;

4. Alternative 5 - Economically Efficient, which identified only one MIS per habitat type along with other modifications of the Proposed Action; and

5. Alternative 6 - Modified Proposed Action, which made modifications based in part on new species information received during the comment period on the DEIS.

In addition, four more alternatives suggested by commenters were considered but eliminated from detailed study in the FEIS.

The decision implements Alternative 6, the Modified Proposed Action, which identifies eleven (11) terrestrial habitats and ecosystem components with twelve (12) associated MIS. The alternative also identifies aquatic macroinvertebrates as the MIS for lakes, rivers, and streams. The decision commits to preparation of a monitoring implementation package by April 15, 2008. See the Record of Decision (ROD) for more details.

The FEIS and ROD are available on this website. CD and print versions are available by request. The documents have been mailed to individuals who submitted written comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. In addition, a letter announcing the availability of the EIS has been mailed to interested parties.

Contents:

• Legal Notice Of Decision
• Record Of Decision ( ROD) (PDF; 137kb)
• FEIS (PDF; 6.56mb)
• DEIS (PDF; 867kb)
• June 29, 2007, Update
• Federal Register Notice of Availability Of the DEIS
• Scoping letter (PDF; 53kb)
• Questions & Answers
• Planning Regulations

Latest Additions:

• Monitoring Implementation Package
• Bioregional Monitoring Report

The Sierra Nevada Forests Bioregional Management Indicator Species (MIS) Report and the Sierra Nevada Forests (SNF) Management Indicator Species (MIS) Monitoring Implementation Package are posted on this website in pdf format. The Forest Service is working to produce an accessible web version of both documents to be posted at a later date. In the interim, please notify Diana Craig at (707) 562-8930 or email us if you would like to receive these documents in another format. It is the policy of the US Forest Service to provide information that is accessible to all.

Related Information:

• Sierra Nevada Adaptive Management Assessment (July 2004)
• California Wildlife Habitat Relationships System
• 36 CFR Part 217

To Request Documents:

Hardcopy mail to:

USDA Forest Service
1323 Club Drive
Vallejo, CA 94592
ATTN: Brenda Kendrix

Email to:

Brenda Kendrix Subject Line: Sierra Nevada Forests MIS Amendment

Contact Information:

For questions related to this proposal, contact Diana Craig, Interdisciplinary Team Leader, at 707-562-8930 or email Diana Craig.