Crowdog
01-22-2002, 08:55 PM
Public input sought on land-use plan for Cleveland forest
By Norberto Santana Jr.
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 22, 2002
Cleveland National Forest officials want the public to help them craft a balance between recreation and preservation on the lands they oversee in San Diego County.
Forest managers will be listening for ideas at three workshops during the next two weeks. The first will be in Alpine tomorrow night.
"What we're really looking for are . . . areas where the public wants to see better usage," said Tom White, a senior land planner.
Encompassing more than 420,000 acres, the Cleveland National Forest stretches from Lake Morena in the south into Orange and Riverside counties. Two areas of the forest -- Descanso and Palomar -- lie within San Diego County.
Current land-use plans provide for camping, hiking and vehicle access, but not the mountain biking and off-road vehicle use that has grown popular since the plan was developed in the mid-1980s.
Environmentalists have been working for years to catalog sites they want to see permanently protected, which would restrict recreational uses to those with a light impact.
In updating land-use plans, officials are required by federal law to find ways to protect endangered animals and plants.
Last year, officials conducted public forums about how the update process would work. The next stage will produce environmental-impact studies this fall.
Meeting dates include:
Tomorrow, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Alpine Community Center, Sage Room, 1830 Alpine Blvd., Alpine.
Jan. 31, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., East Valley Community Center, 2245 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido.
Feb. 2, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Chula Vista Literacy Team Center, 389 Orange Ave., Chula Vista.
For more information on the forest management update, call (866) 252-8846. Or visit the U.S. Forest Service's Web site at http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/sccs.
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Crowdog
By Norberto Santana Jr.
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
January 22, 2002
Cleveland National Forest officials want the public to help them craft a balance between recreation and preservation on the lands they oversee in San Diego County.
Forest managers will be listening for ideas at three workshops during the next two weeks. The first will be in Alpine tomorrow night.
"What we're really looking for are . . . areas where the public wants to see better usage," said Tom White, a senior land planner.
Encompassing more than 420,000 acres, the Cleveland National Forest stretches from Lake Morena in the south into Orange and Riverside counties. Two areas of the forest -- Descanso and Palomar -- lie within San Diego County.
Current land-use plans provide for camping, hiking and vehicle access, but not the mountain biking and off-road vehicle use that has grown popular since the plan was developed in the mid-1980s.
Environmentalists have been working for years to catalog sites they want to see permanently protected, which would restrict recreational uses to those with a light impact.
In updating land-use plans, officials are required by federal law to find ways to protect endangered animals and plants.
Last year, officials conducted public forums about how the update process would work. The next stage will produce environmental-impact studies this fall.
Meeting dates include:
Tomorrow, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Alpine Community Center, Sage Room, 1830 Alpine Blvd., Alpine.
Jan. 31, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., East Valley Community Center, 2245 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido.
Feb. 2, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Chula Vista Literacy Team Center, 389 Orange Ave., Chula Vista.
For more information on the forest management update, call (866) 252-8846. Or visit the U.S. Forest Service's Web site at http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/sccs.
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Crowdog