Bearpaw Ranger Station Replacement Input

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maverick
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Bearpaw Ranger Station Replacement Input

Post by maverick »

SEKI NP:
The National Park Service (NPS) is initiating public scoping on a proposal to replace a dilapidated wilderness visitor contact station (ranger station) located at the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp in Sequoia National Park. The current ranger station serves as a base for wilderness operations and management along the High Sierra Trail. Bearpaw High Sierra Camp is a concessioner-operated overnight camp within a designated potential wilderness addition. If approved, the project would take place in early fall of 2018, after the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp has closed for the season.

This project is designed to replace a failing structure with one that is more sustainable and compatible with the period of significance for the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 2016. The current ranger station, a 480 square foot ‘A-frame’ would be deconstructed and removed from the park with materials being recycled to the extent practicable. The current cabin has been determined to be a non-contributing structure in the Determination of Eligibility for the Bearpaw High Sierra Camp Historic District.

The proposed new ranger station would be constructed of traditional log walls with a 12/12 pitched conventional roof, in order to blend in with other historical structures in the area, and be designed to be animal proof and low maintenance with secure and adequate storage. The project would include built-in storage cabinets to accommodate equipment and necessary supplies for ranger activities. Solar panels, wiring, battery, inverter, and two lamps would be replaced as part of project.

Replacement would involve offsite construction of the ranger station walls and roof. The ranger station would then be disassembled, then transported via stock and/or helicopter to the project site at Bearpaw. Park staff would then reassemble the cabin onsite on the same foundation that supported the previous ranger station.

This project is part of the implementation of the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks Wilderness Stewardship Plan, approved in 2015. The High Sierra Camp is most commonly accessed via the popular High Sierra Trail and is 11 miles from the trailhead at Crescent Meadow.

Sequoia National Park is interested in any public concerns, potential issues, or opportunities related to this proposed project. After analyzing comments received during scoping, the park will determine the level of analysis needed.

To obtain supplemental information about the proposed project, please visit the NPS Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEKI_Bearpaw

If you have any specific questions regarding this proposal, please contact Nancy Hendricks, Environmental Protection Specialist, at (559) 565-3102.

All written comments about this project must be transmitted, postmarked, or hand-delivered by February 10, 2018.

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment - including your personal identifying information - may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

To respond electronically, comments may be submitted via the PEPC website at: https://parkplanning.nps.gov/SEKI_Bearpaw

Written comments may be sent via mail or hand-deliver to:
Superintendent
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks
Attn: Bearpaw Visitor Contact Station Project
47050 Generals Highway
Three Rivers, CA 93271

Written comments may also be faxed to (559) 565-4202.
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