News & Notes (3/23/15)
FOREST SEEKS INPUT ON RIM FIRE PROJECTS
The Stanislaus National Forest will host workshops and open houses this month and next to get public input on restoration of the area affected by the Rim fire of 2013, which burned 257,314 acres. Funding is being sought for projects such as meadow restoration and repair of recreational facilities. The details:
▪ A public meeting on restoration will be held 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 31 from at the Best Western Plus, Sonora Oaks Hotel & Conference Center, 19551 Hess Ave., Sonora.
▪ A reforestation technical workshop will be offered from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. April 8 at the Tuolumne County Emergency Operations Center, 18440 Striker Court, off Tuolumne Road in Sonora. The workshop will include discussion of needs and concerns regarding the restoration and offer an overview of actions since the fire.
▪ A reforestation open house will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. April 10, also at the Tuolumne County Emergency Operations Center.
Both the workshop and open house will include the Forest Interdisciplinary Team, which developed the proposed action. Team members will answer questions and receive feedback on the proposed action. Nearly 158,000 of the acres burned in the Rim fire were in the national forest, with roughly 98,000 acres burning under moderate to high-severity conditions. The Reforestation Project has a proposed action available for comment until April 13. Reforestation can begin once the environmental impact statement has been completed and the record of decision has been signed. June 2016 is the estimated completion date for both of these items. People planning to attend any or all of the meetings should contact Rebecca Garcia, public affairs officer, at rebeccagarcia@fs.fed.us or (209) 532-3671, ext. 244.
VOTER GROUP TO HEAR FROM WATER MANAGER
Walter Ward, water resources manager for Stanislaus County, will speak on local water issues to the League of Women Voters at its Lunch and Learn Program at noon Thursday. The luncheon meeting will be at Ridgeway’s in the Century Center shopping center at Oakdale Road and Orangeburg Avenue in Modesto. The chef’s choice luncheon is open to the public. The cost is $13 and reservations are not required. For more information, call the league office at (209) 524-1698.
This story was originally published March 22, 2015 at 8:52 PM with the headline "News & Notes (3/23/15)."