Susan Barr
Kern Valley Sun

The U.S. Forest Service hosted one of two final meetings on the Motorized Vehicle Travel Management Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) last Wednesday, April 29, evening at the Odd Fellows Hall in Kernville. Although the official extended comment period ended on April 20, Tina Terrell, Sequoia National Forest Supervisor, said she felt that it was important to bring valley residents up to speed on what she and the other team members have been doing since the deadline for public comment closed last month.

A new fixture in the mix was Kern County Counsel, Theresa A. Goldner, who attended the meeting at the behest of Supervisor Jon McQuiston. Goldner asked Janie Wilkins, a certified shorthand/court reporter, to attend in order to document everything that was said.

Sequoia National Forest Supervisor Tina Terrell addresses the crowd gathered at the Oddfellows Lodge in Kernville April 29 to hear the agency’s summary of prior meetings about motorized travel on public land.

One person, who declined to be identified, remarked, “Maybe that will make the Forest Service sit up a little straighter.”

The main thrust of their activities has been sorting and categorizing more than 6,400 comments that the Forest Service received via mail, email and fax from concerned citizens regarding the DEIS and potential road and trail closures and the impact that they will have, notably access to Lake Isabella.

Handouts were already waiting on every chair for attendees when they made their way into the hall. The handouts clearly indicated the purpose of the evening’s meeting, as well as clarifying what would not take place, namely the recording of any further public comments. Terrell welcomed the crowd which numbered in the 50s and then discussed what would be presented that evening; a summary of the comments submitted to the Forest Service, maps of Lake Isabella including information received from the public, highlights of the 2005 Travel Management Rile, clarification of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake Isabella Master Plan, Motorized travel around Lake Isabella and as well as the Travel Management DEIS.

At that point, Terrell turned the floor over to Rick Larsen, District Ranger of the Kern River Ranger District to provide a PowerPoint presentation and to address questions from the public.

In his summary of the public comments, Larsen grouped them into the following categories; general access, specific access, shoreline access, open areas and family access.

Although there was to be time set aside later for a Q&A period, the public simply asked questions as they arose during the presentation. The overall atmosphere was far less confrontational than it had been at the previous meeting held in Lake Isabella in late March. Members of the public at Wednesday’s meeting and Forestry representatives exchanged information and shared concerns in the form of a comfortable dialogue.

Throughout the evening, Terrell was asked repeatedly to clarify the manner in which public comments would be taken into consideration. As though to put everyone’s minds at rest, Terrell asked people to acknowledge that they had preconceived ideas about the federal government as well as mental images of how they have handled things in the past. She then asked attendees to consider whether or not she had to hold all of the public information meetings, whether or not she had to extend the comment period and finally whether or not she had to hold that evening’s meeting to summarize public comments. Members of the audience acknowledged that she did not have to, in fact, do any of that. She finished up by stating, “I have heard you and I agree with you on many things. I believe we can implement modifications (Lake Isabella Master Plan) that will make it better.” Terrell also stressed that any decisions that will be made will have been considered from an economic, social and environmental standpoint first.

The Final of the Motorized Travel Management Plan should be available around mid-September. At that time it will be available to the public on the Forest Service website, on disk and as well as hard copies. There will likely be more meetings to come at that point, but for the time being, there is nothing more to be done other than to wait and see.