If you’re interested in outdoor recreation in the Kern River Valley area, there are two important meetings coming up soon in the valley you should know about.

The first one concerns recreation in the Keyesville area. The Bureau of Land Management oversees that area, and they are having a public meeting next Wednesday, Jan. 28.

The workshop will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Lake Isabella Senior Center, 6405 Lake Isabella Blvd.

"We will primarily discuss what recreation opportunities such as hiking and mountain biking members of the public would like to have available in the Keyesville area," said Peter DeWitt, BLM recreation planner.

"We will hold another public workshop in late February or early March to specifically discuss off-highway vehicle recreation issues such as travel management and route designation."

For more information, contact Peter De Witt at (661) 391-6000; email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

The second one, and likely to be more contentious, is a meeting held by the Forest Service to present their recreation fee program locally. This one will be held Feb. 2 at the Kernville Odd Fellows Hall from 5:30 to 8 p.m.  

A press release sent out by the Forest Service said, “ With increasing recreation demands and budget shortfalls, it has become increasingly difficult to provide quality recreation facilities and services, and protect natural resources. To help address this issue, the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (REA) was passed in 2004. REA permits federal land management agencies to continue charging modest fees at qualified campgrounds and rental cabins, high impact recreation areas and day use sites. Ninety-five percent of