CORVA is closely monitoring the proposed removal of Scott Dam and the future of Lake Pillsbury because of the potential impacts to motorized recreation, camping, staging areas, and route connectivity in the Mendocino National Forest.
CORVA’s position is that regardless of the final decision on Scott Dam, public access must be protected. If the reservoir and existing recreation infrastructure are removed, FERC, PG&E, and the U.S. Forest Service must provide a clear mitigation plan that preserves or replaces important roads, crossings, campgrounds, staging areas, and connections to surrounding public lands.
We are also concerned that losing recreation opportunities around Lake Pillsbury could push additional OHV use into other areas such as Middle Creek and Stonyford, increasing crowding and pressure on those trail systems.
CORVA will continue advocating for a comprehensive Recreation and Motorized Access Mitigation Plan so that the loss of the dam does not also become an unnecessary loss of access to the public lands surrounding Lake Pillsbury.
Deadline for public comments: September 18, 2026. More information below!!
CORVA Comment Ltr:
September 10, 2026
Re: Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning — Docket No. P-77-332Scott Dam Removal and Lake Pillsbury Recreation Access
To the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission:
On behalf of the California Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA), I am submitting these comments regarding Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s proposed surrender and decommissioning of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, including the proposed removal of Scott Dam and the resulting elimination of Lake Pillsbury.
CORVA represents motorized recreationists throughout California and advocates for responsible off-highway vehicle recreation, public-land access, stewardship, and the long-term protection of connected motorized recreation opportunities. Our concern with the proposed decommissioning is not limited to the physical removal of Scott Dam. We are particularly concerned about the broader consequences that dam removal, reservoir elimination, recreation-facility removal, and subsequent landscape changes could have on public access and motorized recreation throughout the Lake Pillsbury basin and surrounding Mendocino National Forest.
Lake Pillsbury is more than a reservoir. It functions as an important recreational hub within a much larger public-land network. Campgrounds, roads, shoreline access points, parking areas, day-use facilities, and nearby Forest Service routes collectively provide access for OHV recreation, four-wheel-drive touring, dual-sport riding, overlanding, dispersed camping, hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation.
The removal of Scott Dam could fundamentally change how the public accesses and travels through this portion of the Mendocino National Forest. CORVA therefore requests that FERC fully analyze these impacts and require meaningful mitigation before approving any final decommissioning plan.
CORVA’s primary concern is the potential loss of regional motorized connectivity. Roads and routes surrounding Lake Pillsbury do not function independently. They are part of a broader transportation and recreation network that allows the public to travel between campgrounds, Forest Service roads, trail systems, dispersed recreation areas, and destinations throughout the forest.
Conversion of the reservoir basin back into a river corridor could alter crossings, road alignments, shoreline access, and connections that currently allow recreationists to complete loop routes through the area. Roads that are useful today because they connect to a larger network could become dead ends if crossings or connecting segments are eliminated.
That distinction is important. The value of a motorized recreation system is not measured simply by the number of miles of roads remaining open. Connectivity determines whether those miles continue to provide a functional recreation network.
CORVA requests that FERC require a comprehensive inventory of all existing motorized routes, crossings, access points, and recreation connections potentially affected by decommissioning. Where a route or crossing would be eliminated, the environmental review should identify how connectivity will be maintained or replaced.
CORVA is also concerned about the potential removal of existing recreation infrastructure associated with the Potter Valley Project. Campgrounds, day-use areas, parking areas, boat ramps, sanitation facilities, and other developed sites provide more than traditional lake recreation. Many of these locations also function as staging areas and base camps for people recreating throughout the surrounding National Forest.
OHV users frequently travel with trailers, tow vehicles, motorcycles, side-by-sides, four-wheel-drive vehicles, camping equipment, and recovery equipment. Adequate staging and camping infrastructure is therefore an essential component of motorized recreation. If existing recreation facilities are removed without replacement, the impact will extend far beyond former shoreline recreation. It could reduce public access to thousands of acres of surrounding public land.
CORVA requests that FERC require PG&E, in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service and other appropriate agencies, to determine which existing recreation facilities currently support access to surrounding public lands and to provide replacement or equivalent facilities where necessary.
Before Scott Dam is removed, CORVA believes there should be a formal Recreation and Motorized Access Mitigation Plan.
That plan should address, at minimum:
Existing Forest Service roads and designated motorized routes affected by decommissioning.
Vehicle crossings that may be eliminated or made unusable after reservoir drawdown.
Motorized route connectivity through and around the former Lake Pillsbury basin.
Existing campgrounds and staging areas that support OHV recreation.
Parking and trailer-staging capacity.
Dispersed camping access.
Day-use facilities and sanitation infrastructure.
Emergency and wildfire-response access.
Alternative road or trail connections where existing routes will be severed.
Funding for construction, relocation, or replacement of recreation infrastructure.
Long-term maintenance responsibilities for replacement facilities and routes.
These issues should be resolved before irreversible infrastructure removal occurs.It would be unacceptable to dismantle existing public recreation infrastructure first and attempt to address lost access afterward.
FERC should also evaluate the recreation displacement effects associated with eliminating or substantially reducing recreation opportunities around Lake Pillsbury. Recreationists displaced from the basin will not simply stop recreating. Many will shift their activities to other areas of the Mendocino National Forest, including established OHV destinations such as Middle Creek and Stonyford.
Those systems already support significant recreation activity. Concentrating additional OHV use into fewer areas can increase congestion, parking demand, sanitation needs, trail maintenance, enforcement requirements, and resource impacts. Over time, those pressures could themselves become justification for additional restrictions.
The environmental review should therefore evaluate the cumulative impact of shifting recreation from the Lake Pillsbury basin into remaining OHV systems rather than treating the loss of Lake Pillsbury recreation as an isolated site-specific effect.
Motorized access in this region also serves purposes beyond recreation. Roads and staging areas can provide access for firefighters, emergency responders, search-and-rescue personnel, land managers, utility crews, volunteers, and residents during wildfire and other emergencies.
Given California’s wildfire environment, FERC should carefully evaluate whether removal of existing roads, crossings, or recreation infrastructure would reduce emergency access or complicate wildfire response. Maintaining a connected transportation network across the basin should therefore be considered both a recreation issue and a public-safety issue.
FERC should also consider the economic consequences of lost recreation access.
Visitors to the Lake Pillsbury area purchase fuel, food, lodging, supplies, vehicle parts, camping equipment, and other goods and services from surrounding communities. OHV recreation, camping, hunting, fishing, boating, and overlanding collectively contribute to the regional recreation economy.
A reduction in public access can therefore have consequences well beyond the project boundary. CORVA requests that the environmental review evaluate these economic impacts and consider mitigation measures that preserve public recreation opportunities and visitor access.
CORVA recognizes that the Potter Valley Project involves complex considerations involving fisheries, water resources, tribal interests, sediment management, infrastructure, public safety, and environmental restoration.
Our comments are focused specifically on ensuring that public access and motorized recreation receive the same serious consideration as the other resources affected by this project.
Regardless of the ultimate decision regarding Scott Dam, the public should not unnecessarily lose access to surrounding National Forest lands because recreation infrastructure or transportation connections were removed without adequate planning.
The decommissioning process represents a rare opportunity to plan the future of this landscape before major physical changes occur. That opportunity should be used to create a long-term access strategy rather than leaving recreation connectivity to be addressed after the reservoir and its infrastructure are gone.
CORVA respectfully requests that FERC:
Require a comprehensive inventory of existing recreation facilities, motorized roads, OHV routes, access points, and transportation connections affected by the project.
Require analysis of how reservoir removal will affect motorized route connectivity throughout the Lake Pillsbury basin.
Require a formal Recreation and Motorized Access Mitigation Plan before decommissioning begins.
Require replacement or relocation of staging areas, campgrounds, parking areas, and other recreation infrastructure where removal would substantially reduce public access.
Require replacement crossings or alternative routes where decommissioning would sever existing motorized connections.
Evaluate recreation displacement into Middle Creek, Stonyford, and other areas of the Mendocino National Forest.
Evaluate cumulative impacts on OHV trail systems, maintenance needs, visitor capacity, dispersed camping, and surrounding communities.
Preserve access necessary for wildfire response, emergency services, Forest Service management, volunteer stewardship, and public recreation.
Establish enforceable mitigation commitments and funding responsibilities before existing recreation infrastructure is removed.
Include CORVA, Cal4Wheel, local OHV organizations, county representatives, recreation businesses, residents, and other affected recreation stakeholders in future planning discussions concerning access and mitigation.
The future of Scott Dam is a complex issue, but the future of public access should not be an afterthought.
For generations, the Lake Pillsbury basin has served as a gateway to recreation throughout the Mendocino National Forest. If the landscape is going to be fundamentally changed, the public deserves a clear plan explaining how access, connectivity, camping, staging, emergency routes, and recreation opportunities will be preserved.
CORVA’s position is straightforward: if Scott Dam is removed, the loss of the reservoir should not also mean the unnecessary loss of access to the surrounding public lands.
Motorized recreation connectivity must be identified, protected, and— where necessary— reconstructed before existing infrastructure disappears. CORVA appreciates the opportunity to provide these comments and requests continued involvement as the decommissioning and environmental-review process moves forward.
Respectfully submitted,
Mike McGarityPresidentCalifornia Off-Road Vehicle Association (CORVA)Protecting public lands FOR the people, not FROM the people.
You can submit your public comment electronically through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) online portal.
Depending on how long your comment is, use one of the two official links below:
Quick Submission Tips
Subject: Public Comment on Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project Decommissioning — Docket No. P-77-332
I am submitting these comments regarding Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s proposed surrender and decommissioning of the Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project, including the proposed removal of Scott Dam and the resulting elimination of Lake Pillsbury.
As a public-land recreationist, I am concerned about the potential loss of motorized access, recreation infrastructure, camping opportunities, and route connectivity in and around the Lake Pillsbury basin and the Mendocino National Forest.
Lake Pillsbury is more than a reservoir. The surrounding area serves as an important recreation hub for off-highway vehicle users, four-wheel-drive enthusiasts, dual-sport riders, overlanders, campers, hunters, anglers, and other visitors. Existing campgrounds, parking areas, roads, day-use facilities, and access points help connect people to a much larger network of public lands.
If Scott Dam is removed, the physical transformation of the basin could eliminate or disrupt vehicle crossings, road connections, shoreline access, staging areas, and loop routes that currently support motorized recreation. Removing existing recreation infrastructure without first providing replacement access could leave routes disconnected, reduce camping and staging capacity, and push additional recreation into already heavily used areas such as Middle Creek and Stonyford.
I respectfully ask FERC to require a comprehensive Recreation and Motorized Access Mitigation Plan before any irreversible decommissioning work begins.
That plan should:
I also encourage FERC to work closely with the U.S. Forest Service, Lake County, recreation organizations, local residents, businesses, and affected user groups before final decisions are made.
The future of Scott Dam may involve many competing considerations, but public access should not be treated as an afterthought. If the dam is removed, the loss of Lake Pillsbury should not also result in the unnecessary loss of access to the surrounding public lands.
Please ensure that motorized recreation, camping, staging, transportation connectivity, and public-land access are fully addressed before the project is approved.
Thank you for considering my comments.
Sincerely,
[Your Name] [City, State] [Optional: OHV club, organization, business, or years recreating in the area]
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