Lassen National Forest staff wish to make the public aware of two damaged culvert crossings that limit access to the Forest.
Big Bend Creek
The culvert crossing on Big Bend Creek is currently closed. The closure impacts Forest Service Road 28N06, which provides access to Hole in the Ground Campground and the Mill Creek Trailhead. Both the campground and the trailhead remain open, but the trailhead requires an additional 1.7 mile walk to access.
The crossing suffered a catastrophic failure during the winter of 2013-2014. Forest Service staff first became aware of the culvert’s condition in May 2014. When the damage was discovered, staff moved quickly to address the immediate health and safety concerns by using grant funding provided by Caltrans to remove the culvert and stabilize the stream banks.
The culvert was removed to address not only public safety concerns, but also to prevent the potential degradation of fish spawning habitat. Big Bend Creek supports populations of native rainbow trout and Central Valley steelhead, a Federally-listed Threatened Species. Additionally, Big Bend Creek is a tributary to Mill Creek, part of the Sacramento River watershed, which provides critical habitat for both Spring-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley steelhead trout.
As of June 2016, the Forest Service has not yet developed a plan to address the loss of the crossing. If an alternative other than replacing the culvert is considered, it will be part of a formal public scoping and comment process under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
Nanny Creek
Lassen National Forest staff have identified public safety concerns near the culvert crossing along Forest Service Road 29N22 at Nanny Creek. As a result, portions of Forest Road 29N22 to the east and west of this crossing have been temporarily closed. Visitors can still access portions of this road via Forest Service Road 30N16 or Forest Service Road 17.
Nanny Creek is one of the headwater streams of South Fork Battle Creek, which supports populations of Central Valley steelhead and spring-run Chinook salmon, both Federally-listed Threatened Species). The creek also supports rainbow trout populations.
In order to address the failing culvert, the Forest Service will need to consider solutions that minimize potentially adverse impacts to the watershed. If an alternative other than replacing the culvert is considered, it will be part of a formal public scoping and comment process under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA).
For more information, contact Laurie Earley, district fisheries biologist for the Almanor Ranger District, at (530) 258-5169 or [email protected].
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