Comments are being taken until May 27 on the draft environmental assessment for proposed management of 1,083 acres of U.S. Forest Service land off the Mt. Rose Highway above Incline Village.

The goal is to restore the Incline Meadow wetland and surrounding habitat, improve water quality, and improve dispersed recreation opportunities. The project is designed to complement the Incline Fuels Reductions and Healthy Forest Restoration.

Project-specific activities would include a series of management actions related to roads and trails projects, hydrology and habitat restoration and vegetation management activities. The project also proposes a Forest Plan amendment to modify a portion of the project area from a general conservation management area to a backcountry management area.

Project specific roads and trails proposals include adopting and rerouting of existing trails; replacing and/or upgrading road and trail stream crossings; installing best management practices and interpretive and wayfinding signs; creating a new trail near the former Incline Lake bed and installing resource protection barriers.

Restoration activities would include removing the dam diversion ditch that connects Third Creek to the former Incline Lake bed; restoring stream channels and aquatic species habitat throughout the area; revegetating areas that are degraded with native vegetation species; restoring damage to wetlands, which resulted from water diversion activities; repairing erosion along the Franktown Ditch; developing a plan for future white bark pine management; and reducing tree density in meadow and wetland areas through forest thinning and restoration of Aspen communities.

The draft EA is available online.

For more information or to comment, contact Ashley Sibr at 530.543.2615 or asibr@fs.fed.us.