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Post Office Box 506 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 | 831-423-3191 www.ventanawild.org vwa@ventanawild.org |
Ronald L. Pugh, Program Leader
Southern California Forest Plan Revisions
10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200
San Diego, CA 92127
RE: Carmel River
Monterey Ranger District, LPNF
Southern California Forest Plan Revisions
Dear Ron,
This is an amendment to our prior letter dated April 11, 2003 (copy attached). Listed below are several points we believe argue for inclusion of the upper Carmel River in the current Wild and Scenic River suitability determination being conducted as part of the Forest Plan Revision process. Please give every consideration to these points and then include the Carmel River is the suitability study.
The upper Carmel River, above the Los Padres Reservoir is rich in archeological sites which make it unique among the rivers of California's Central Coast. Numerous Native American sites believed to be of Esselen origin have been recorded along the Carmel River from the existing Los Padres Reservoir up stream along the main stem and Miller Fork. These sites include CA-MNT-1595, 1600, 1601, 1607, 1608, 1609, 1610, and 1611. Local archeologists have estimated that the recorded sites in the area represent a small percentage of probable sites.
The "Carmel River Spirit Trail" is a sacred trail of the Essalen people and follows the Carmel River main stem to Pine Valley and the Essalen's sacred caves at the headwaters of Church Creek. The Carmel River Spirit Trail is a Traditional Cultural Property and is the only such river along California's Central Coast. The concentration of recorded Esselen archeological sites and the Traditional Cultural Property are Outstandingly Remarkable Values that qualify the upper Carmel River for inclusion in the current suitability study.
The Carmel River main stem and several tributaries, above Los Padres Reservoir, have been identified by the US Forest Service as a key habitat for the federally threatened California red-legged frog. The upper river also supports the Southwestern pond turtle, a California Species of Special Concern and federally threatened Steelhead. This unique assemblage of listed species qualifies as an Outstandingly Remarkable Value that should warrant suitability analysis for the upper Carmel River.
Sincerely,
Thomas A. Hopkins, Member
Board of Directors
Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Enclosure
Copy: Steve Evans, Conservation Director, Friends of the River
