Wild and Scenic push for Upper Truckee River reappears with workshops

After El Dorado County supervisors agreed in fall to table the concept, plans are in the works to again bring federal protection measures to the Upper Truckee River.
Trout Unlimited and California Trout say the Upper Truckee River that runs free through Meiss Meadows is worthy of Wild and Scenic river designation under the Wild and Scenic River Act of 1968. The Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit and Pacific Southwest Region of the United States Forest Service also made recommendations in a 1990 management plan and a subsequent 1999 report for Wild and Scenic designation.
Trout Unlimited and California Trout will hold open houses in Markleeville and South Lake Tahoe, to discuss the locally-based proposal for Wild and Scenic River Designation for the Upper Truckee River in Meiss Meadows.

The South Lake Tahoe open house will run from 4 to 7 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the El Dorado County Library, 1000 Rufus Allen Blvd. A Markleeville open house will run from 3 to 6 p.m. Feb. 22,at the Alpine County Library, 270 Laramie Street.
Along with Trout Unlimited and California Trout, a coalition of conservation, recreation, and business interests want to protect around 32 miles of the Upper Truckee River and its tributaries, including Meiss, Round, Dardanelles, Showers, and Four Lakes, and as a Wild River in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
In October, El Dorado County Supervisor Norma Santiago recommended the Board adopt a resolution urging the Forest Service to designate the Upper Truckee River as a Wild River in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. The measure was tabled with at least two supervisors questioning the need for the designation.
The Upper Truckee River has a special mix of recreation, scenic, and historic values, backers of the designation say. The Upper Truckee is the largest watershed that feeds Lake Tahoe, which annually supplies between 20 to 30 percent of all flowing water.
The river has scenic landforms, attractive meadows, and easy access, attracting various backcountry users, notes David Lass, regional representative of Cal Trout. In addition, self-sustaining populations of Lahontan cutthroat trout and highly valued early summer deer fawning habitat provide for special natural values which are also identified.
"The combination of these values indicates that this stream can clearly be considered an excellent candidate representing eastside Sierra streams and a worthy addition to the National System of Wild and Scenic Rivers," said Lass.
Access to the Upper Truckee River and its tributaries is provided by segments of the Pacific Crest Trail, Tahoe Rim Trail, and Hawley Grade National Recreation Trail, and up to 20,000 people annually visit the Upper Truckee River and its tributaries for non-motorized backcountry recreation, including hiking, backpacking, mountain bike riding, horseback riding, cross country skiing, fishing, hunting, viewing wildflowers and wildlife.
Opponents include the Taxpayers Association of El Dorado County.
In a letter submitted to supervisors, the group opposes the resolution, arguing the designation is incompatible with El Dorado County's General Plan in regards to water supplies. Woodfords resident Shirley Taylor atttended the October supervisors hearing and argued the designation would provide for unnecessary regulations on a river that is basically just a bunch of tributaries made up of snowmelt. In a letter to supervisors, she said the push for designation is motivated by the potential for the river to see federal dollars.
"I wonder how many people will come to see the Upper Truckee River just because of the Wild and Scenic designation," her letter stated. "At the end of the day I think it's all about the money."
The designation of Wild River is not related to Wilderness Act designation. Instead, the designation would allow for conservation and preservation, special funding and attention by the U.S. Forest Service, while still allowing all of the current recreational uses.
"Our goal (with the open houses) is to make this process as inclusive and transparent as possible, and we want to incorporate all the needs and concerns that residents of El Dorado and Alpine Counties might have with such a designation," said Lass.