Table Of Content

BLM LIBRARY 88045705 lureau of Land Management CALIFORNIA STATEWIDE WILDERNESS STUDY REPORT 1990 Part 4 - ' Volume 2 Contains WSA's: NV, AZ, CA-020. CA-030. CA-050 and CA-060-002 through CA-060-024C 3*^^^4*-" King Range Carson-iceberg Whipple Mountains Addition AZ-050-010 NV-030-532 CA-050-112 Pit River Canyon Red Mountain Big Maria Mountains North Addition CA-020- 103 CA-050- 132 AZ-050-018 Tuie Mountain Big Butte Big Maria Mountains South Addition CA-020-21 1 CA-050-21 1 AZ-050-019 Tunnison Mountain Thatchier RIdge Little Picacho Peaic Addition AZ-050-035 CA-020-31 1 CA-050-21 2 Eden Valley Five Springs CA-020-609 CA-050-21 4 ACgAu-a0 6 0T-i0b0ia2 Sicedaddie Roclcy Creel(/Cache Creel( Beauty Mountain CA-020-612 CA-050-317 CA-060-020G South Warner Contiguous Cedar Rougiis San Ysidro Mountain CA-020-708 CA-050-331 CA-060-022 Timbered Crater Dead Mountains Nortliern Addition San Felipe Hills CA-030-201 AZ-050-001 CA-060-023 l^va Dead Mountains Souttiern Addition Sawtooth Mountains A CA-030-203 AZ-050-002 CA-060-024A Yoiia Boiiy Contiguous Chemetiuevi Mountains Addition Sawtooth Mountains B CA-030-501 AZ-050-003 CA-060-024B Ciiemise Mountain Chemehuevi/Needies Addition Sawtooth Mountains C CA-050-111 AZ-050-004 CA-060-024C BLM MISSION STATEMENT The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the balanced management of Public Lands and resources and their various values so that they are considered in the combination of uses that takes into account the long-term needs of future generations for renewable and nonrenewable resources. These resources include recreation, range, timber, minerals, watershed, fish and wildlife, wilderness and natural, scenic, scientific and cultural values. {c.^^ O' BLM-CA-PT-90-006-8520 I ' ^V Supplemental Information to these reports Includes Environmental Documents, Mineral , c ^ Sun/ey Reports, and maps. To review these supplemental data, or to obtain additional information, please contact: Bureau of Land Management Branch of Wilderness Resources Room 3360 Main Interior Building 18th and C Streets Washington, D.C. 20002 (202) 208-6064 or Bureau of Land Management Branch of Lands and Recreation Federal Building 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA 95825 (916) 978-4730 Printed on Recycled Paper Carson-Iceberg NV-030-532 r»RHrw-TrERigyi wrriBaiESS gTOEY ARB^ (WSA) (N\M)30-532) 1. IHE STUDY AREA 550 acres The CarsCTi-Io^Derg WSA lies in Alpine County necir the middle of the ecistem edge of Ccilifomia, ^praximately 30 miles southeast of South Lake Tahoe and 90 miles east of Sacaramento. Ihe WSA includes 550 acres of Bureau of Land Management (BIM) Icind and no State land or private iriholdings (see Map 1 and Table 1) . Ihe WSA is bounded on the west and south sides by the Toiyabe National Forest/Ccirsan Iceberg Wilderness, on the north and southeast sides by private lands, and on the northeast by an urpaved road on BIM land. Ihe WSA comprises a mixed coniferous forest on both sides of the East Fork of the Carson River in the Eastern Sierra Nevada. Ihe river flews northerly throu^ a rugged, winding canyon for one-and-a-half miles in the WSA. Ihe meadows of Silver King Veilley flank the WSA to the east at an elevation of 6,400 feet, v*iile the 7, 000- foot western side of the WSA is surrounded by hiêr elevation ccaiifercus forest in the 154,000-acre U.S. Forest Service (USES) wilderness. Landscape character inside the WSA is very similar to that in the adjacent wilderness. Ihe WSA wcis studied under Section 202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLFMA) . Suitability recommendations were analyzed in the Draft and Final Environment Iirpact Statements (EIS) for the California Section 202 Wilderness Stuc^ Areas. A summary of the area's wilderness values was included in the Final EIS. Two different suitability reoonanendations were analyzed in the EIS: all wilderness and no wilderness. 2. REOCMMENDftnCN ANP RATinNATR 550 acres recommended for wilderness 0 BIM acres reccantnended for non-wilderness All wilderness is the recanmendation for this WSA. Ihe all-wilderness cdtemative is considered to be the environmentally preferred eiltemative as it would result in the least change from the natural environment over the long term. Ihe ratic»iale for the edl-wildemess recanmendation is that the outstanding wilderness characteristics in the entire WSA are similar to those in the surrounding 154,000-acre Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. Currently the main land use in the WSA is primitive recreation associated with the existing wilderness. All other land uses in the WSA are ccsrpatible with wilderness. The free-flcwing East Fork of the Ccirson River flews throu^ one and a half miles of winding, rugged, forested canyon. Ihe Toiyabe Nationeil Forest has determined the cleeir, clean stream to be eligible for wild river designation under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Designation of the WSA would increcise the manageability of the existing Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. Ihe USES constructed the Carson River Trail thrxxj^ the middle of the WSA, rouîly parallel to the river, to provide a major access route to the wilderness backcountry. This trail provides the primary public access to the WSA two miles in frcm the trailhead at Wolf Creek Meadows; the road in Silver King VcLlley is closed to the general public at Hi^Tway 89 five miles north of the WSA. Views of the river and the wilderness hi^-oountry are available along the trail. The proposed wilderness is vegetated with mixed coniferous forest vAiich varies greatly in conposition and ajpecirance according to site characteristics. A narrow riparian zone, including meadows, flanks the river. Fish and wildlife abound. The iitprint of man's work is substantially unnoticeable throuôut the unit, even along the modest man-made trail. Timber, ridges, and ste^ canyons isolate the visitor from outside si^ts and sounds and from other wilderness users. Sites suitable for cairping, fishing, and exploring are numerous off the trail even within the small acreage of the WSA. T10N T9N T9N T8N R20E R21E R21E R22E RECOMMENDED FOR WILDERNESS SPLIT ESTATE RECOMMENDED FOR NONE NONWILDERNESS STATE LAND OUTSIDE WSA RECOMMENDED FOR PRIVATE WILDERNESS Carson-Iceberg Proposal MILES NV 030-532 MAP-1 JUNE, 1988 TABLE 1 - Land Status emd Acreage Sumnary of the Stuc^ Area Within Wilderness Study Area Acres BLM (surface and subsurface) 550 Split Estate (BIM surface only) 0 Ihholdings State 0 Private 0 Total 550 Within the Reccanmended Wilderness Study BoundaTV Acres BIM (within WSA) 550 BIM (outside WSA) 0 Split Estate (within WSA) 0 Split Estate (outside WSA) 0 Total BLM Land Recanmended for Wilderness 550 Inholdings State 0 Private 0 Within the Area Not Reccmnended for Wilderness Acres BIM (surface and subsurface) 0 Split Estate (BIM surface only) 0 Total BIM Land Not Reccmnended for Wilderness 3. CRITEKIA OONSIDEEM) IN DEVEIDPING THE WIIDEE^NESS REOOMMENDATiaJS A. Wilderness Characteristics 1. Naturalness: The Carson-Iceberg WSA is natural in character; long-term biological and physical processes of environmentciL cause and effect are cperating intact. Ihe iirprint of man's work is substantially unnoticeable throuôut the unit. The river flews freely, without man-made obstruction or channel alteration. Terrain varies from gently rolling and level sites to ste^ slopes and large rock outcrcipings in the canyon. The land surface is undisturbed by man. USES trail maintenance is topical for a wilderness hiking and pack trail and does not detract from the appearance of naturalness.