This info may already be posted. But last nights meeting was attened by 1 OHV'er... Forest Plan Update
Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests

January – February 2002 Public Workshops


Angeles National Forest (ANF)
(Discussion at all ANF meetings will focus on all ANF Ranger Districts)

January 29, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Glendora Public Library, 140 S. Glendora Av, Glendora, CA
January 31, 2002 – 6:00-8:00 pm – Lakeview Terrace Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Blvd, Lakeview Terrace, CA
February 4, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Comfort Suites, 25380 The Old Road, Stevenson Ranch, CA
February 5, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Ramada Inn, 300 West Palmdale Blvd., Palmdale, CA
February 6, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 1543 Barbara Street, Wrightwood, CA
February 13, 2002 – 6:00-8:00 pm – Pasadena Conference Center, 300 East Green St, Pasadena, CA
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Cleveland National Forest (CNF)
January 12, 2002 – 9:30 am-12:30 pm – Nydegger Building (Olde Fire Station), 31421 La Matanza, San Juan Capistrano, CA (Discussion will focus on Trabuco Ranger District)
January 17, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Ramona Community Center, 434 Aqua Lane, Ramona, CA (Discussion will focus on Palomar Ranger District)
January 23, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Alpine Community Center, Sage Room, 1830 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA (Discussion will focus on Descanso Ranger District)
January 31, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – East Valley Community Center, 2245 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA (Discussion will focus on Palomar Ranger District)
February 2, 2002 – 12:30-3:30 pm – Chula Vista Literacy Team Center, 389 Orange Avenue,Chula Vista, CA (Discussion will focus on Descanso Ranger District)
February 9, 2002 – 9:30 am-12:30 pm – Corona Public Library, 650 S. Main Street, Corona, CA (Discussion will focus on Trabuco Ranger District)

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Los Padres National Forest (LPF)
January 24, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Rancho del Rey Conference Center, 655 Burnham Road,Oakview, CA (Discussion will focus on Ojai Ranger District)
January 28, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – South County Regional Center, 800 West Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA (Discussion will focus on Santa Lucia Ranger District)
January 29, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Goleta Valley Community Center, 5679 Hollister Ave, Goleta, CA (Discussion will focus on Santa Barbara Ranger District)
January 31, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm, Community Hall, 300 Park Drive, Frazier Park, CA (Discussion will focus on Mount Pinos Ranger District)
February 5, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Conference Center, Highway 1, Big Sur, CA (Discussion will focus on Monterey Ranger District)
February 6, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Salinas Community Center, Gabilan Meeting Room, 940 North Main Street, Salinas, CA (Discussion will focus on Monterey Ranger District)
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San Bernardino National Forest (BDF)
January 26, 2002 – 1:00-4:00 pm – San Bernardino County Fire Station 15, Angelus Oaks, CA (Discussion will focus on Barton Flats area – San Bernardino County)
January 30, 2002 – 6:30-9:30 pm – Big Bear Discovery Center, Hwy 38, 6 miles east of Fawnskin, CA (Discussion will focus on Bear Valley & areas east of Deep Creek – San Bernardino County)
January 31, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Garner Valley Commons, 61600 Devil's Ladder Rd, Garner Valley, CA (Discussion will focus on Federal lands in Garner Valley – Riverside County)
February 5, 2002 – 6:30-9:30 pm – Bonnie Oehl Elementary School, 2525 Palm Ave, Highland, CA (Discussion will focus on front country & Cajon Pass – San Bernardino County)
February 6, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Idyllwild Fire Dept. Conference Room, 54160 Maranatha Rd. Idyllwild, CA (Discussion will focus on Idyllwild & areas to the north – Riverside County)
February 7, 2002 – 6:30-9:30 pm – Hootman Senior Community Ctr., 2929 Running Springs School Road, Running Springs, CA (Discussion will focus on mountaintop communities west of Deep Creek – San Bernardino County)
February 12, 2002 – 6:00-9:00 pm – Anza Valley Community Center, 56630 Highway 371, Anza, CA (Discussion will focus on Federal lands surrounding Anza – Riverside County)
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For information, visit our web site at www.r5.fs.fed.us/sccs

or call our toll-free information line at 1-866-252-8846

Forest Plan Update (858) 524-0140

Angeles National Forest (626) 574-5206 Los Padres National Forest (805) 968-6640
Cleveland National Forest (858) 674-2984 San Bernardino National Forest (909) 383-5588

This sucks, I still don't have a car or any money to fix it...anyone going to any of these from Simi that wants a freeloading passenger???:D


:usa:

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Pasadena Star-News Online
Forest health, public use in jeopardy

Agency revising restrictions for visitors, seeking public input

February 03, 2002

By Roy LaBomme
Correspondent

Stretching from Monterey to Mexico, the national forests of Southern California are used by millions every year in search of urban respite.

Their lakes, streams, campsites and miles of trails and roads lure campers, hikers, mountain bikers, off-roaders and others.

But the resources of these forests are not boundless, say forest officials and conservationists, and their increased use is putting their health in jeopardy.

In an effort to reverse this trend and better balance protecting the forest with its enjoyment, the U.S. Forest Service is revising the 15-year-old documents that govern how the 3.8 million acres are used.

"There is an urgency because the population is demanding more from the forest," said Gail Wright, U.S. Forest Service public affairs officer. "We have more demand from public use. We also have more species to protect."

The revision of the Forest Land and Resource Management Plans, or Forest Plans, began last year for all four of the national forests in Southern California -- the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino National Forests.

When completed in 2004, it will redefine what all users can and can't do for the next 10 to 15 years.

The need to update the plans became apparent in 1999, when a four-year study showed that an increase in use by public, government and commercial users was threatening the health of the forests.

From 1989 to 1999, the number of visitors to the four forests had risen steadily, while the number of animal and plant species listed as threatened or endangered went from 17 to 59, according to the study.

Today, there are 62 threatened or endangered species struggling for survival in the forests -- 16 of these in the Angeles, up from five in 1987, Wright said.

To update the plans, the Forest Service is holding public meetings and workshops. Two meetings in the San Gabriel Valley have been held so far.

Wright, who helps conduct the meetings, is encouraging the public to get involved.

"This is probably the best time to get involved in the process," she says. "These are public lands. They're there for public use. Public participation will assure that the desires and interests of the public are reflected in the revision process."

Tim Allyn, the Sierra Club's Southern California wilderness organizer, is one member of the public who is determined to have his opinion reflected in the new plan.

He attended both meetings.

"Our national forests began as wilderness -- undeveloped, natural areas," Allyn says. "But now, we see public lands around the nation being given away to the highest bidder. We want to keep the forest looking like a forest, so that future generations can enjoy what past generations have."

Allyn is the Los Angeles-area organizer for the California Wild Heritage Campaign, a coalition of four organizations -- including the Sierra Club -- representing more than 200 groups and businesses statewide.

The coalition wants to increase the area of Wilderness in the Angeles National Forest by 100,000 acres -- from 80,000 to 180,000, Allyn said.

Congressionally designated Wilderness areas are the most restricted areas in the national forest system, say Forest Service officials. In general, only pedestrians and horseback riders are allowed in, not mountain bikes or motorized vehicles.

Five areas in the San Gabriel River Ranger District have been proposed for Wilderness status: Cucamonga, Roberts Canyon, Sheep Mountain, and the East and West Fork of the San Gabriel River.

These proposals have been the most contentious issue at the meetings, Wright said, because if passed they would reduce recreational opportunities for some users.

Mountain bike and off-highway vehicle enthusiasts are flocking to the meetings in hopes of preventing that from happening.

"There are a lot of areas -- that are currently not designated as Wilderness -- that are being proposed for Wilderness," said Mike Bishop, an avid off-roader. "There are no new OHV areas proposed. All we are trying to do is hang on -- by the skin of our teeth -- to the areas we have."

Bishop, 37, is president of the Azusa Canyon Off-Road Association, a 13-year-old, grass-roots organization with a membership that fluctuates from 50 to 300 members -- depending on the seasons.

Riders of trucks, jeeps, SUVs, ATVs and motorcycles, they frequent the San Gabriel OHV Area in the San Gabriel Canyon area above Azusa, one of only two OHV designated areas in the Angeles Forest.

Bishop, who has also attended both meetings, says OHV enthusiasts are as concerned about the environment as everyone else. The majority of them, he says, are environmentally responsible, staying in designated areas and following rules designed to minimize any effect the vehicles might have on the surrounding habitats.

The maps outlining the boundaries of the proposed Wilderness and other restrictive areas are confusing and could lead to the closing of the OHV site, Bishop says.

"I support (groups) that want to expand wilderness areas, as long as they don't exclude the multiuses of the land," Bishop said. "The Forest Plan is a multiple-use plan, so it should provide for multiple uses."

-- Roy LaBomme can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2730 or by e-mail at tribune@email.com.


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