New Comprehensive River Management Plans finalized on Inyo National Forest

Bishop, Calif., April 6, 2023 – The Inyo National Forest announces the approval of the Comprehensive River Management Plans (CRMPs) for the Owens River Headwaters and Cottonwood Creek Wild and Scenic Rivers. Both rivers were designated as Wild and Scenic in the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act and have been managed as such since then.

The U.S Forest Service (Forest) manages the Owens River Headwaters Wild and Scenic River, located north of the Town of Mammoth Lakes, while both the Forest and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) jointly manage Cottonwood Creek, located in the White Mountains east of Bishop.

The CRMPs incorporate public and Tribal input and focus on resource protection, land use, maintenance of free-flowing conditions, and water quality. The plans outline desired conditions, standards, and management strategies for the river, and include establishing user capacity levels and a final boundary.

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 protects free-flowing waters, water quality, and outstandingly remarkable values such as wildlife, scenery, recreation, cultural and historical resources, and geology.

The plans, decision record, environmental assessments, and other documents are available on the project website at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=57325. While the Inyo National Forest made the decision on whether to approve the Cottonwood Creek CRMP for the Inyo National Forest portion of the creek, the decision was based on a joint EA and plan developed with the BLM. The BLM decision document can be found on the BLM e-Planning site at: https://bit.ly/3xIkiVe.