Draft EIS/EIR for the San Luis Reservoir SRA Resource ...

4. Plan Overview
continuing to encourage resource management at the Plan Area and in connection with
regional parks and open space and will provide for the protection, maintenance,
rehabilitation, and interpretation of natural and cultural resources, while continuing to
store and distribute water for the region.
4.1.2 Vision
The Plan Area vision describes the future essential character and overall
appearance of the Plan Area during various phases of Plan implementation and,
ultimately, upon completion of Plan development. The Plan Area will continue to
serve a broad spectrum of visitors from many locations throughout the state to
enjoy and participate in a variety of water- and land-based recreation while
protecting the natural and cultural resources. The three water bodies will be
managed to provide recreational activities differing in intensity to allow for user
diversity. The Plan Area contains distinct use areas that will each maintain a
different character based on the different visitor uses provided, as well as the
unique water and landscape features inherent in each.
The overall vision is that the Plan Area will provide a range of uses and
experiences that dovetail with the three general types of recreation – active,
passive, and primitive – based on the ability to accommodate visitors and the
intensity of uses that occur there. O’Neill Forebay will remain the most actively
used water body within the Plan Area, with varying degrees of land-based
recreation; San Luis Reservoir will provide a more passive experience; and Los
Banos Creek Reservoir will provide more primitive area recreation uses.
To achieve this, the Plan classifies the land and water areas into management
zones that allow for further definition of the resource goals and specific uses that
can occur in each area. Throughout the Plan Area, management zones for land
areas are intended to be compatible with and supportive of adjacent water-based
recreation (Section 4.3). In all areas, the vision includes maintaining and
enhancing the site-specific and regional biodiversity of the Plan Area, to protect
cultural resources, and to interpret and educate the public about these resources to
assist in long-term stewardship.
4.2 Goals and Guidelines
This section presents Plan Area policies in the form of Goals and Guidelines to
guide use, development, and management of Reclamation lands and for achieving
the Declaration of Purpose and Vision Statement relating to all aspects of future
Plan Area management. The Plan uses goals and guidelines to address the issues,
opportunities, and constraints for each planning area, as outlined in Section 3.4.
The purpose of the Plan goals and guidelines, as defined below, is to present the
desired future condition of the Plan Area, based on the existing conditions, issues,
and associated opportunities and constraints, and the ultimate alternative selected
for implementing these policies:
San Luis Reservoir SRA 4-3
Draft RMP/GP and Draft EIS/EIR