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Occupancy and Use Restrictions - Desolation Wilderness Area
Prohibited acts within Desolation Wilderness.
Alert Start Date: March 9, 2024
Alert End Date: March 8, 2027
Rec Sites Affected:
Order Number: 03-24-01
Associated Documents
Forest Order
OCCUPANCY AND USE RESTRICTIONS
DESOLATION WILDERNESS AREA
FOREST ORDER NO. 03-24-01
ELDORADO NATIONAL FOREST
FOREST ORDER NO. 19-24-02
LAKE TAHOE BASIN MANAGEMENT UNIT
Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a) and (b), and to protect the natural resources and provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Desolation Wilderness of the Eldorado National Forest and the Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit. This Order is effective from March 09, 2024, to March 08, 2027.
- Entering or being in the Desolation Wilderness without a valid permit for entry. 36 C.F.R. § 261.57(a).
- Entering or being in the Desolation Wilderness as part of a group that includes more than 12 persons. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(f).
Camping outside of a designated camping site in the areas listed below and shown on Exhibits A, B, and C.
a. Within 500 feet of Eagle Lake, Grouse Lake, and Hemlock Lake.
b. Within 500 feet of the east shore of Lake of the Woods, from the northern peninsula to the Lake of the Woods outlet dam.
36 C.F.R. § 261.58(e).
- Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire within Desolation Wilderness. 36 C.F.R. § 26l.52(a).
Failing to dispose of human and livestock waste in the following manner:
a. By scattering livestock waste at least 100 feet from water sources and campsite; and
b. By burying human waste and toilet paper 6-8 inches beneath the soil and at least 200-feet from water sources, trails and campsites, or by carrying it out.
36 C.F.R. § 261.57(g).
- Possessing more than two livestock per person, or possessing more than 12 livestock per group. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(s).
- Hitching, tethering, or hobbling a horse or other saddle or pack animal within 200 feet of a water source or within 100 feet of a campsite. 36 C.F.R. § 261.58(aa).
Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:
- Any Federal, State or local officer, or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty.
- Persons with Forest Service Permit No. FS-7700-48 (Permit for Use of Roads, Trails, or Areas Restricted by Regulation or Order), specifically exempting them from this Order. Persons with a valid California Campfire Permit are not exempt from the prohibitions listed above. However, persons with a valid Desolation Wilderness Permit may use a portable stove using pressurized liquid fuel, jellied alcohol, alcohol, a tablet/cube, fuel canister or a fully enclosed camp stove with chimney and spark arrestor.
- Persons with a license from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and their employees, sub contractors, or agents are exempt from Prohibition Nos. I and 2 while conducting activity related to the license.
These prohibitions are in addition to the general prohibitions in 36 C.F.R. Part 261, Subpart A.
A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551 an18 U.S.C. §§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.
Done at Placerville, California, this 26 day of February 2024.
JOSEPH STOUT
Forest Supervisor
Eldorado National Forest
Done at South Lake Tahoe, California, this 26 day of February 2024.
ERICK WALKER
Forest Supervisor
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit