Thirdly, to protect significant natural and cultural resources and finally to make recommendations regarding the management of important river corridors. The Sierra Resource Management Plan has also been designed to offer four alternatives that address original and additional planning issues raised during the scoping process, as well as, the changes that have occurred in the areas surrounding these lands in the last few years. These changes in population, socio-economic conditions, and recreational usage have driven the need for changes in the management situation. These factors have led to the new plan that led to the initiation of this project. The current Management Plan was completed in 1983 and was amended in 1988, 1993, 1995, and 1998 to provide updated management strategies to meet changing resource conditions; new laws, rules, regulations, and BLM policies; and to meet emerging public needs.

The 1988 plan amendment was the most comprehensive of the amendments. Later amendments addressed site-specific actions. Since completion of the Sierra MFP, the Sierra foothill region has experienced exponential population growth. This growth has resulted in a tremendous increase in the demand for and the diversity of public uses/activities on FFO-managed lands. The conflicts associated with wildland/urban interface have become more frequent as the rural character of the foothills has transformed into a more urban environment. The current MFP does not adequately address threatened or endangered species issues. The new plan also needs to complete wild and scenic river eligibility and suitability studies and make recommendations for seven river segments in five different watersheds in the Sierra RMP area.

Four alternatives have been developed for detailed analysis in the Sierra Draft RMP/EIS. Alternative A, is the continuation of current management plan and is the “no action” alternative. It was developed using existing planning decisions and policies and existing land use allocations. Alternatives B, C, and D are all considered action alternatives that were developed with input from public scoping and collaborative work among the BLM interdisciplinary planning team to represent a range of approaches. These approaches are designed to balance the use and protection of the land’s resources. The Preferred Alternative (Draft RMP) is Alternative D. This preferred alternative was developed with input from Tribes, state and county governments, other federal agencies, interested organizations, and the public. How will this impact Amador County and Mokelumne River Watershed area?

The Preferred Option would recommend that 3,728 acres, or 20.2 miles, of the Mokelumne River become a Wild and Scenic River area. A Wild and Scenic designation seeks to enhance a river's current natural condition and provide for public use consistent with retaining that naturalness. This would mean that a ¼ of mile strip on both sides of this section of river would be BLM administered lands and would be managed as if the river were an actual component of the system. Congress must then pass legislation designating the river before it is added into the system. The State of California can also include the river as a State designated Wild and Scenic River and then apply to the Secretary of Interior for its inclusion into the NWSRS.

Also the plan’s preferred option would expand the Ione Manzanita protected area to 141 acres and maintain the Ione Tertiary Oxisol Soils area at 85 acres. The plan would close the Campo Seco parcel to motorized vehicle usage and eliminate shooting on the parcel. Also to be closed to motorized traffic is the Rancheria town site parcel. The preferred option would encourage the BLM to help implement the Mokelumne Coast to Crest trail project- an ongoing project with a great deal of public support. The trail crosses through Calaveras and Amador Counties through the Mokelumne River area, as well as through East Bay MUD land near Lakes Pardee and Camanche.

This plan also allows grazing leases to continue on 3866 acres of BLM land- an important point for local ranchers. Also, in terms of fire protection, the plan would reduce fuel loads by 100 acres per decade until the plan is once again revised. The plan would classify several forks of the Mokelumne River as Visual Resource Management assets. This designation maintains the scenic value of public lands. The North Fork/Main stem of the Mokelumne would have 3738 acres protected under a VRM classification. The Middle Fork designation would include 824 acres as visually important and the South Fork would include 1392 acres.