With a wetland meadow literally eroding away in Sequoia National Park, the National Park Service is asking whether wilderness restrictions should be bypassed in order to restore natural qualities to the ecosystem.

The site in question is Cahoon Meadow, a 25-acre wetland complex in the John Krebs Wilderness of central California. Two of three options under consideration in an Environmental Assessment, which is open for public comment until April 22, necessitate mechanical transport, motorized equipment, motor vehicles, landing of aircraft, and installing a structure. These all are generally prohibited under Section 4(c) of the Wilderness Act of 1964.

However, the park said that “without stabilization or restoration, the intact wetland above the gully would eventually convert to upland and nearly 15 acres of wetland would be lost as a natural feature. Thus, the natural quality of wilderness character in the Cahoon Meadow area would be degraded in this location, adversely affecting wilderness.” The Environmental Assessment says active restoration is consistent with NPS goals and directives, some of which are based on the Clean Water Act.

Before being acquired by the Park Service in 1980, landowners used Cahoon Meadow as summer cattle pasture. Erosion has created a gully that’s 17 feet deep and 60 to 90 feet wide. Portions of the wetland have been completely drained of water, creating large areas of dry, bare ground and dead vegetation.

Restoration would require constructing a temporary trail, landing a helicopter to deliver supplies, and using earth-moving equipment such as a backhoe or bulldozer.

The NPS is considering three options:

• Alternative A: Take no action with continued monitoring.
• Alternative B: Stabilize the meadow with a machine-built rock chute to protect the meadow from further erosion. It would protect the remaining 14.9 acres of intact wetland upstream of the gully.
• Alternative C: Fill the gully to fully restore and protect the wetland. It would protect 14.9 acres of wetland upstream of the gully from further loss and restore sustainable wetland function to 5.4 acres of dewatered meadow and gully bottom by reestablishing wetland topography, hydrologic regime, and vegetation similar to the pre-erosion meadow.

The Park Service identified Alternative C as preferred because it “best meets goals and objectives.” That option would cut and remove 100 lodgepole pines and 50 to 100 shrubs. Trammeling would cover 5-6 acres over about 15 weeks. For Alternative B, trammeling would be on 0.5-1 acre for 3-5 weeks.

All written comments about this project must be transmitted, postmarked, or hand-delivered by April 22. To make electronic comments or to learn more about this project, visit this website. To submit written comments, send them via mail or hand-deliver to: Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, ATTN: Cahoon Meadow Project, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271. Faxed comments will be accepted at (559) 565-4202.

As there are two meadows named Cahoon in Sequoia and nearby Kings Canyon National Park, the agency clarifies that the meadow referred to in the proposal is 2.8 miles west of Hockett Meadow in the southwestern portion of Sequoia National Park. It is one of the largest montane meadows between 5,000-8,000 feet in elevation and is one of nine montane meadows larger than 15 acres in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

No funding is allocated for implementation. If an action alternative is approved, funds specifically targeted for wetland restoration and/or disturbed lands restoration would be sought from sources inside and outside the Park Service.