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Summer 2007 Report
Public Access Threatened for Lost Camp Road in
Blue Canyon Area
Recently, several property owners along Lost
Camp Road have tried to stop the public from using
this historic road. Gun-carrying individuals have,
through intimidation, prohibited members of the public
from using the road. One property owner has erected
a gate across the road, complete with no-trespassing
signs. Numerous local residents and other users are
alarmed and angry that access to their favorite fi shing
and hiking spots is being denied.
Lost Camp Road runs from Blue Canyon south
to the old town site of Lost Camp and points beyond.
The road provides access to Tahoe National Forest
lands, in particular to the China Camp Trail on the
North Fork of the North Fork American River. The
road dates from the 1850s and, although it passes
through several privately owned parcels, has been
used by the public since then.
Lost Camp Road is a public road. However,
Placer County and the Forest Service do not claim
it as such because they have no written easement.
This is unfortunate because it forces members of
the public to go to court to assert their right to use
the road. The situation is reminiscent of the Smart’s
Crossing Road closure in Alta of 20 years ago.
In the Smart’s Crossing case, Placer County Superior
Court Judge James Garbolino ruled to maintain
public access. He decreed that the public does have
an easement over the roadway from Drum Powerhouse
Road to “ an historic wilderness recreation site
on the Bear River....” Property owners were enjoined
from obstructing traffi c by locking the gate, erecting
any barriers or “(P)osting signs stating, directly or
indirectly, that public use of the road is prohibited.”
In addition, defendants, the property owners, had to
reimburse the plaintiffs for the cost of the lawsuit.
NFARA supports all efforts to keep the Lost
Camp Road open to the public. If anyone has ever
used the road or would just like to help with this issue,
contact Jim Johnson at 530-389-8144 or Ron Gould
at 530-878-9232.
Programs
On May 15, as part of our community education
program, NFARA hosted a presentation on climate
change. Helena Rodriguez from the Sierra Nevada
Alliance, gave a basic overview of climate change and
how it will effect the Sierra Nevada. A spirited discussion
followed.
Our next presentation, on June 19 at 7:00 at the
Dutch Flat Community Center, will feature Bill Templin,
avid fi sherman and American River Watershed
Group Coordinator. We welcome all suggestions for
future presentations. Call me with your thoughts.
Big Granite Trail
Due to early snow melt, NFARA was able to
celebrate National Trails Day on June 2 with a work
party on the Big Granite-Cherry Point Trails. We hiked
a wonderful six-mile loop, with a 1,200 foot elevation
change, down the Big Granite Trail to the Cherry
Point Trail, up to Middle Loch Leven Lake, and back
to the cars via the Salmon Lake Trail. We 12 volunteers
mostly cleared brush along the Big Granite and
Cherry Point Trail. NFARA will schedule additional
work parties during the summer.
Tahoe National Forest (TNF) Off Highway Vehicle
(OHV) Route Designation Plan
TNF released its OHV route designation plan
in mid-April. In the American River District, only a
few miles of routes were added to the Forest’s OHV
system. NFARA participated in numerous workshops
leading up to the plan and submitted comments
regarding the plan. In essence, we urged TNF to not
add any additional miles to their current system. We
also suggested that the entire motorized travel system
needs to be analyzed in a comprehensive manner,
and some existing routes like the Western States Trail
should be closed to motorized travel.
TNF will take the comments and create a range
of alternatives for the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement, the DEIS, which should be released in
the Fall. The public will then have 60 days to submit
comments. If you want to be added to the NFARA
email list for information on this project, contact me at
jvricker@prince-ricker.net
Royal Gorge Real Estate Development
Royal Gorge property owners Todd Foster and
Kirk Syme unveiled their conceptual development
plan to the public in March. 950 residential units have
been proposed centered around four “Camps”. Ski
Camp would provide for several ski lifts to tie into
Sugar Bowl Resort. Lake Camp would have two manmade
lakes, potentially supplied by water from Ice
Lakes that would otherwise fl ow over the spillway into
Serena Creek, and then into the North Fork American.
There are many concerns and unanswered
questions regarding the conceptual plan, such as
water supply, waste water disposal, traffi c circulation,
mitigating impacts on biological resources, rural
sprawl, affordable housing, etc. It appears that most
water supply impacts would occur in the North Fork
American Watershed, while the infrastructure for sewage
disposal would lie in the South Yuba Watershed.
No plans have been submitted yet to Placer
County. Foster and Syme have held several meetings
with local residents, homeowner’s associations, and
environmental groups to gather input and concerns.
NFARA hopes the dialogue will continue and that any
plan submitted to the county addresses those concerns
and is not just the developer’s “bottom line”.
NFARA is also involved with other environmental
groups and Donner Summit community groups in
creating a comprehensive community plan. All of the
groups involved have their own ideas for the Summit.
Reaching a consensus may prove to be as diffi cult as
it is important.
For more information and differing viewpoints go
on-line to:
www.royalgorgefuture.com, www.donnersummitareaassociation.
org, or www.savedonnersummit.com.
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Updated 9/15/14 |
