Sacramento River Public Recreation Access Study

The Nature Conservancy, Draft Press Release, dated July 8, 2002

   The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has initiated a Sacramento River Public Recreation Access Study to assess existing public recreation uses, needs and opportunities on lands along the Sacramento River between Colusa and Red Bluff.  The Study will center on information gathered from land managers and public, including recreation users and residents, along this 100-mile stretch of river.  The Sacramento office of the environmental planning firm of EDAW has been employed to conduct this study.  Information gathering will occur during the months of July and August with the final report being completed by December 2002.

      People who have an interest in or concerns with recreation access along the Sacramento River are invited and encouraged to participate in this important study.  One of the primary goals of this study is to characterize existing public access uses, needs and opportunities associated with public recreation facilities and infrastructure.  The second goal is to identify potential new opportunities for public access.  The third goal is to identify opportunities for coordinated management between the various public agencies responsible for managing public lands along the river corridor.  The primary focus will on the potential public use of four primary sites currently owned by the TNC.  Information from the study will be used to plan for future use of these four primary sites.

    A related study, The Comprehensive Conservation Plan for the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge, conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS), is presently near completion.  The TNC study will focus on the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge lands.  However, the TNC study will incorporate pertinent findings from the USFWS study into the TNC study and report.

    Any person(s) who are interested in participating in the recreation user interviews may contact David Rolloff, a Senior Recreation Planner with EDAW, at (530) 533-7978.

* UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE * UPDATE  *

The following is a River Public Recreation Access Study Update from the Sacramento River Conservation Area Forum newsletter dated July 2002.

River Public Recreation Access Study Update

~A Public Recreation Access Study has been initiated to assess existing public recreation access uses, needs and opportunities on lands along the Middle Sacramento River between Colusa and Red Bluff. This project is being funded by a CALFED grant awarded jointly to The Nature Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  EDAW, and environmental planning firm, was hired to conduct the study which will incorporate information gathered from land managers and the public, including recreation users and residents.

~The main goals of the study are to: 1) characterize existing public access uses, needs and opportunities associated with public recreation facilities and infrastructure; 2) identify potential new opportunities for public access; and 3) identify opportunities for better coordinated management between various agencies responsible for managing public lands along the river corridor.

~Information gathering will occur though interviews with facility managers and user groups during the months of July and August and through public meetings in the fall, with the final report being completed by December 2002.  People who have an interest in or concerns with recreation access along the Sacramento River are encouraged to participate in the process.  Please contact David Rolloff, a Senior Recreation Planner with EDAW, for further information.  David may be contacted by telephone, (530) 533-7978, or email, RolloffD@edaw.com