Plumas County, CA, is weighing in on the Plumas
National Forest's plans for recreation
at Lake Davis and it includes snowmobiles.
"This has been controversial," said public works director
Bob Perreault. "There has been so much discussion-so much concern by the
stakeholders."
Many of those stakeholders are snowmobile enthusiasts who
were dismayed to see their favorite trails removed from access on Forest
Service plans.
Perreault's alternative, which he was asking the Plumas
Board of Supervisors to support, includes snowmobile trails.
"This is a great boon for the economy during winter months,"
Perreault said in his draft response to the Forest Service.
He said that in addition to providing recreation and
bolstering the economy, the inclusion of Lake
Davis trails would take some pressure
off the Lakes Basin area and its popular trails.
Perreault's draft also included a new bridge to span the
southern end of Lake
Davis. "It's to keep
pedestrians and OHV users off Lake
Davis Road," Perreault told the supervisors. He
estimated it would be 150 to 250
feet long and said it would be installed at the
"narrowest point of land to land."
The supervisors voted unanimously to make Perreault's
suggestion the county's "alternate project proposal" for recreation at Lake Davis
and asked the Forest Service to consider it during the environmental review
process.
The project includes the following highlights:
- To
guide snowmobiles away from areas of concern, the mapped roads would be
groomed (see map).
- To
provide public services, road 24N12 would be groomed when possible.
- To
provide more access, Jackson
Creek would be
groomed when snow depth allows.
- To
provide families and beginning riders with a safe place to ride, flat open
areas between 24N10 and the lake would be accessible.
- To
provide a safe, continuous loop around the lake, a year-round bridge with
a handicapped-accessible fishing platform would be constructed.
- To
improve access, a groomer shed and trailhead would be constructed across
the road from the store.
At the conclusion of the draft proposal, Perreault wrote, "Plumas County
sees this project as a way to build relationships with the PNF and provide
sustainable recreation opportunities for the public."