Major restoration project planned for Taylor and Tallac Creek area

The U.S. Forest Service is planning a project to restore the Taylor and Tallac creek ecosystems, an area that provides habitat for numerous protected wildlife speciesfas well as being an important hydrological connection to Lake Tahoe.

Named the Taylor and Tallac Restoration Project, the USFS Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit will restore the large wetland complex where the two creeks were once connected through a series of four swales.

Public comment is sought on the Environmental Assessment, Initial Study and Initial Environmental Checklist.

Major components:

- Restore the wetland connection by removing culverts that are impeding water flow, replacing them with crossing structures, and recontouring and revegetating swales.

- Stream restoration in Taylor and Tallac creeks, renovating the fish ladder at the Fallen Leaf Lake Dam, and removing portions of the Lucky Baldwin Dam to restore connectivity to Fallen Leaf Lake.

- Eradicating or controlling aquatic invasive species, protecting Tahoe yellow cress through physical barriers, installing nest and perch structures for waterfowl and sensitive raptors, and installing bat boxes.

- At Baldwin Beach, construction of a multi-use path from Highway 89 to the east and west parking lots, construct pedestrian pathways, formalize and upgrade the picnic area, provide foot-washing stations at restrooms and install best management practices throughout the site.

- At Taylor Creek Visitor Center, upgrading of the stream profile chamber to meet contemporary building codes and reconfiguring the Rainbow Trail to reduce impacts to the stream environment zone, such as raising sections of trail or replacing them with boardwalks.

Comments will be accepted for 30 calendar days, until July 17, 2016.

The EA, IS, and IEC and supporting documents are available for review at http://www.fs.usda.gov/goto/ltbmu/TaylorTallac.

For more information on the proposed project and how to comment, contact Sarah Muskopf at 530-543-2835 or Stephanie Coppeto at 530-543-2679.