Sequoia ForestKeeper® FOIA requests

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552, is a tool that provides the American public a means to ensure that all agency acts are as transparent as possible.

The United States Supreme Court has explained that the, "basic purpose of FOIA is to ensure an informed citizenry, vital to the functioning of a democratic society, needed to check against corruption and to hold the governors accountable to the governed." The "FOIA is often explained as a means for citizens to know 'what their Government is up to.' " The Supreme Court stressed that "[t]his phrase should not be dismissed as a convenient formalism." Rather it, "defines a structural necessity in a real democracy." As President Obama has declared a, "democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency." The FOIA "encourages accountability through transparency."

Source:  https://www.justice.gov/archives/open/foia (U.S. Department of Justice).

On 1 October 2019, Sequoia ForestKeeper® (SFK) requested documents from Sequoia National Forest that were not publicly noticed in any way: no publication in the newspaper of record; The Porterville Recorder, or via the Schedule of Proposed Actions for the Sequoia National Forest (SOPA), or via email or snail mail notices to interested parties.

On 1 November 2019, SFK received a response to our request. Of the 47 documents received, SFK believes that nine of the projects described in those documents had significant environmental consequences, but the Forest Service did little to no environmental analysis on the potential adverse effects to wildlife, people, or ecosystems.

For example, did you know that the popular and free Cedar Creek Campground was being decommissioned?   Also, did you know that the Forest Service has logged and even sold trees along hundreds of miles of road on thousands of acres, including within the Giant Sequoia National Monument, without public input or detailed environmental analysis on the effects of these projects to rare and threatened species like the northern goshawk, the California spotted owl, or the Pacific fisher?

Below are the titles and links to the 47 documents received in response to this FOIA request alone. As we receive additional documents from future requests, we will also post them so the public can see what is being done by the Forest Service on the Sequoia National Forest without their knowledge or input.

Hume Lake Dam Annual Maintenance-Vegetation Reduction

1HL_2017_01_18_HumeDamMaintVegReduction_Jan2017.pdf

Recreation Event

1HL_2017_02_13_RecEvent_Kingsburg4WDsnow_Feb2017.pdf

Pinehurst Work Center Recreation Storage Shed

1HL_2017_03_29_PinehurstWorkcntrRecStorageShed_March2017.pdf

Millwood OHV Staging Area Directional Sign

1HL_2017_04_07_MillwoodOHVStagingAreaDirectionalSigns_April2017.pdf

Posey-Sugarloaf Area Roadside Hazard Tree Mitigation Project

2WD_2017_02_10_Posey-SugarloafAreaRdsd_HazTreeMitigation.pdf

Mitigation of Imminent Hazards along Forest Roads

2WD_2017_03_28Forest Roads Mitigation letter.pdf

Addendum to Special Use Permit Sites and Rental Cabins Sites Hazard Tree Mitigation Project – Quaker Meadow Camp Hazard Tree Removal

2WD_2017_05_26AddendumQuakerCamp.pdf

Klaus Gerhard, DBA UBER ADVENTURES Special Use Permit (SUP)

2WD_2017_07_14_KlausGerhard7TeacupsOG.pdf

Information Board Pad at Trail of 100 Giants

2WD_2017_08_01_Information Board Pad at Trl of 100 Giants.pdf

Snow Monitoring Site Repair and Maintenance

2WD_2017_10_13_WetMeadowSnowSite.pdf

Arterial Routes Hazard Tree Mitigation Project

2WD_2017_11_21_ArterialRoutesHTM.pdf

SCE Kern River 1 Hydroelectric Flowline Repair

4KR_2017_01_30_SCE_KR1_FlowlineDoughertyCrFlumeRepairLtr.pdf

ManTech Willow Cutting (2017)

4KR_2017_01_31_MantechWillows2017_01_31.pdf

Low Elevation Fuels Management

4KR_2017_02_14LowElevationBurnPlan.pdf

NOAA Snow Level and Precipitation Monitoring System SUP

4KR_2017_03_10NOAAChecklist.pdf

Holiday Tree Cutting Permit

4KR_2017_10_05 HolidayTrees.pdf

Caltrans Highway 178 Hazard Tree Mitigation 2017

4KR_2017_10_20_Caltrans178NEPA2017.pdf

Southern California Edison Company, Kern River 3 Hydroelectric Project Road Repair

4KR_2017_10_31_SCE_KR3_Adit19-20RdRepairLtr2017_10_31.pdf

ManTech Willow Cutting (2018)

4KR_2017_11_17ManTechWillows.pdf

Recreation Event

1HL_2018_03_01_RecEvent_Kingsburg4WDsnow_March2018.pdf

Goodmill OHV Stream Crossing Repair/Maintenance

1HL_2018_03_05_GoodmillOHV_StreamCrossingRepairMaint_March2018.pdf

Vault Toilet Replacement and or Repairs

1HL_2018_04_05VaultReplacmentCE_Signed.pdf

Sierra Mountain Center, LLC SUP

2WD_2018_01_24_SierraMtnCtrRockClimbing.pdf

Springville Workcenter Access Road (Forest Road 21S15B) Repair/Maintenance

2WD_2018_01_26_Sp Workcenter Access Road Repair.pdf

Section 18 Review of Decision Memo for Slickrock Project

2WD_2018_02_07_SlickrockSection18.pdf

Pup Trail Maintenance Project

2WD_2018_07_09PupTrail.pdf

Subaru SUP

2WD_2018_08_07ImperialWoodpecker-Subaru-SUP.pdf

Sequoia ForestKeeper Temporary SUP for construction of osprey platform

4KR_2018_04_13SFK_OspreyEvent.pdf

Holiday Tree Cutting Permit

4KR_2018_11_06HolidayTrees.pdf

Kern County Roadside Hazard Tree Removal Phase I

4KR_2018_11_06Kern RoadHazard.pdf

South Fork Recreation Site – Campground Host Site Project

4KR_2018_11_16SForkHostSite.pdf

Stony Creek CIP Toilet Replacement 2019

1HL_2019_08_30_StnyCreekToilets.pdf

Springville/Johnsondale Minor Facilities Project

2WD_2019_05_03_FacilityRepairs.pdf

George Bush Rehabilitation Project

2WD_2019_05_31GeorgeBushRehab.pdf

Trail of 100 Giants Rehabilitation Project

2WD_2019_05_31Trail100Giants.pdf

Maintenance at Trail of 100 Giants

2WD_2019_07_15Trail100Giants.pdf

Felling of Hazard Trees at George Bush Loop Trail

2WD_2019_07_31GeorgeBushLtr.pdf

Our Place Together – Temporary SUP

2WD_2019_08_07OurPlaceTogetherSUP.pdf

Sierra Mountain Center, LLC SUP

2WD_2019_09_05SierraMountainCenterSUP.pdf

Subaru SUP

2WD_2019_09_13CornerShop_SubaruSUP.pdf

Mountain Hardware Still Photography – Temporary SUP

2WD_2019_09_25MtnHardwareSUP.pdf

Fulton and Havilah Work Centers Facility Repairs

4KR_2019_03_19FultonHavilahRepairs.pdf

South Fork Wildlife Area Pile Burning

4KR_2019_03_29SouthForkBurning.pdf

Cedar Creek Campground Decommissioning

4KR_2019_07_09CedarCreekDecommissioning.pdf

Greenhorn Summit Station Buildings Demolition

4KR_2019_07_09SummitDecommission.pdf

Kern County Roadside Hazard Tree Removal Phase 2

4KR_2019_07_15KernCountyRoadHazards2.pdf

Whiskey Flat Trail Maintenance and Funding

http://www.sequoiaforestkeeper.org/pdfs/FOIA1/4KR_2019_08_22WhiskeyFlatTrail.PDF