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The USACE Contract “3B” project documents (environmental SEIS/SEIR) have been officially released for 45 day public review. The analysis is considered to be at the “95% complete” point already, so we must take action quickly. Comments are officially accepted by the Army Corps between Dec. 22 – Feb. 5. Two public meetings are scheduled for Jan. 10 and Jan. 16. A big showing for all of these is crucial! To find the right location at the USACE website, the documents are under the “Current Project Activity” section, then expand the top “American River Common Features (ARCF) SEIS/SEIR” item, at this USACE website:
The USACE report shows heavy equipment staging areas will take over Larchmont Park (and destroy some of its trees), and haul roads will go through neighborhoods. The huge heritage oak behind Rio Bravo is still not marked for saving! Continuous lengths of the river bank will be bulldozed to install “launchable rock toe” and rock trenches as erosion “revetments”. Many large “access ramps” for trucks and bulldozers to reach the water’s edge will destroy all trees in the way. Irreparable losses of heritage trees will permanently affect our beloved American River Parkway, unless we speak up.
Please join us in clicking to generate emails to public officials and agencies that need to hear that the public does not support this sweeping destruction for so-called “bank erosion” work in this stretch. Instead, there should be evaluation of actual need (if there is any), and benefit, and then evaluation of targeted methods like “spot fixes” and maintenance, use of smaller equipment, and especially the use of “natural armoring” by stabilizing vegetation (which is an approach the National Park Service supports, but they need Sac Regional Parks to initiate it). We need to insist that Sacramento Regional Parks initiate that “condition” on the Army Corps’ approach in the Wild and Scenic River).
The Army Corps and our representatives need to hear from us!
Please check back regularly to the AmericanRiverTrees.org website (and subscribe), as more key points and sample comment letters get posted that may be useful to writing your own official comments to USACE.
