Sierra Nevada U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Critical Aquatic Refuges

This dataset depicts Critical Aquatic Refuges (CARs) found in the Sierra Nevada National Forests. CARs are subwatersheds, generally ranging between 10,000 to 40,000 acres, with some as small 500 acres and some as large as 100,000 acres, that contain either:

1. known locations of threatened, endangered, or sensitive species
2. highly vulnerable populations of native plant or animal species
3. localized populations of rare native aquatic- or riparian-dependent plant or animal species.

The primary role of CARs is to preserve, enhance, restore or connect habitats for these species at the local level and to ensure the viability of aquatic or riparian dependent species. In many cases, CARs support the best remaining populations of native fish, amphibian and plant species whose distributions have been substantially reduced elsewhere in the Sierra Nevada. CARs primarily protect occupied habitat of threatened, endangered or sensitive animal species. The aim is to restore and sustain sufficient amounts of quality habitat distributed across the landscape such that effects of national forest management activities on the species are minimized. The goal is to ensure the long-term conservation and viability of aquatic or riparian associated species and prevent the listing of sensitive or vulnerable species under the Endangered Species Act. The entire subwatershed encompassed by the CAR is managed as an RCA. The goal of sustaining and enhancing habitat for aquatic/riparian dependent species will guide management activities within CARs. Planning and implementation of activities within CARs is focused on the preservation, enhancement or restoration of habitat leading to enhanced viability of the focal species. Management activities within CARs would only occur after a landscape condition assessment has been completed, the project is determined to be consistent with RCOs, and contributes to attaining ACS goals across the landscape. All proposed activities within CARs will undergo the Peer Review process described below.

Critical Aquatic Refuges are the first priority for completion of landscape condition assessments as well as a high priority for watershed restoration activities. Existing activities or uses within CARs would be evaluated during landscape condition assessment including examination of whether the activity can be relocated outside of the CAR. Since CARs may contain critical habitat for highly vulnerable species, it is especially important that the analysis ascertain that existing uses are consistent with the Riparian Conservation Objectives at the local level and the ACS goals for the landscape. New activities such as development of new dams or diversions or mineral extraction would not be appropriate within CARs. Critical aquatic refuges would be proposed for withdrawal from mineral entry. CARs were derived from recommendations from biologists on national forests in the Sierra Nevada relying on local databases, professional judgment and information provided in the SNEP Report (Moyle 1996a, Moyle 1996b). The source of and the reason for the recommendation for each CAR is provided below by Forest CARs are shown on maps in Volume 4, Appendix I of the SNFPA FEIS (January 2001), beginning on page I-53. The boundaries of CARs may be refined during landscape analysis based on the findings from conservation assessments or verification of the presence and condition of habitat for threatened, endangered, and sensitive species. Additional CARs may be added by individual National Forests.