In this important Forest Plan Access Alert:
1. How you can help
2. An explanation of the proposed designations - Wilderness, Wild and Scenic Rivers, Natural Research Areas and Special Interest Areas
3. Listings (by National Forest) of proposed designations
4. National Forest meetings
At this draft stage of the process, the preferred alternative for the
Angeles, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests is alternative 4.
The preferred alternative for the Cleveland National Forest is alternative
2. These alternatives are good news, but we still must evaluate areas being
proposed for specific designations to see what effect they will have on
existing trails and roads.
THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES ARE NOT LEGALY BINDING. After public comments on
the draft environmental impact statement are received and analyzed, the
selected alternative will be identified in the final environmental impact
statement and the reasons for this choice explained in a record of decision
that accompanies its release. The preferred alternative at this stage,
represents the agency position for the 90-day DEIS comment period, and is
NOT a decision.
We encourage active stakeholders to attend their local open houses (or not
so local if they know the other area / Ranger District / Forest well) and
try to learn as much as possible about the Draft RFP and how it will affect
future management of the Forest. We need the people who are most familiar
with specific areas that are being considered for changing designations such
as the Wilderness Designation, Wild and Scenic River Designation, Research
Natural Areas, and Special Interest Areas to report what is actually on the
ground. Quite often the planners don't have as much on the ground knowledge
as local trail users.
We need to collect as much information and pictures of locations proposed
for the Wilderness Designation, Wild and Scenic River Designation, Research
Natural Areas, and Special Interest Areas designations to support our
position if we intend to appeal these designations or prevent trails from
being closed. Not just questions like "will this close the xyz trail?", but
looking out past the immediate plan effects to "how could the Preferred (or
other) Alternative management affect trail xyz in the future?" Questions
about the real "need" for a particular direction or designation, what the
"threats" are (real or overblown), etc. will help guide what information
needs to be collected for DEIS Draft Plan comments, and future actions
(appeal, ...) if needed, to show a particular direction or designation is
simply not needed.
Bottom line, people with extensive local knowledge need to decide if a
particular direction / designation is really needed, adequately justified,
and how it will affect their interest -- both short and long term. If it
isn't needed, is weakly justified (no real threat), and will or could affect
their interest, they need to start collecting information (ground work,
review of literature, FOIA, ...) to show with hard facts *why* it's a bad
decision.
This will be used for the DEIS / Draft RFP comments, but the information
collection should continue on critical areas, especially if we think we may
need to appeal.
In this alert we have by, National Forest, a list of areas being proposed
for the Wilderness Designation, Wild and Scenic River Designation, Research
Natural Areas, and Special Interest Areas to help you assist us in
evaluating threats to our access. Keep in mind, if trails do go through
these areas we may not oppose these designations, but instead ask that the
rerouting of these trails be designated in the plans as a condition of these
areas being designated.
If you can assist us in evaluating the plans for the National Forest near
you please email us.
Those assisting in evaluating the plan will qualify for free entrance in
our Vision Quest and Toad Festival events, as well as our volunteer events.
Remember when evaluating these areas:
When submitting your comments on the draft Forest Plans and draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), your feedback will be most helpful if
you:
* are as specific as possible with your comments
* describe the location(s) where your comment applies (e.g., if applicable,
it is helpful if you note the National Forest(s), Planning Place(s), or name
of proposed wilderness area, Wild and Scenic River, Natural Resource Area,
Special Interest Area you are commenting on) and provide pictures
* indicate where clarification is needed
* suggest alternative management approaches or solutions to the specific
problem
The Forest Service will read and organize all comments received by subject
matter through a content analysis process. Significant comments will be
addressed through revisions made in the final environmental impact statement
(FEIS). All comments and the forests' responses to these comments will be
published as an appendix to the FEIS.
Keep in mind, Final Plan can change from the Draft Plan (sometimes
significantly for particular issues), and that change may not be in our
direction.
Also keep in mind the importance of not letting our guard down. Remember we
are up against a multi-million dollar organization, the Sierra Club, which
is seeking to remove as much of our access as they can. But even their
money, given by unsuspecting supporters who do not know their true agenda,
cannot stand up to our passion to protect our historical freedom to access
our public lands - and so far we have proven that.
You should all know by now that the wilderness designation is very
restrictive and best described as near abandonment of active land
management. The wilderness designation also BANS MOUNTAIN BIKING.
One of the main concerns of the forest service is the limitations that
wilderness puts on fire prevention and management due to its restriction on
motorized equipment. This concern was expressed by the Angeles National
Forest Supervisor in a letter to Tim Allyn of the Sierra Club through a
letter obtained by the Freedom of Information Act:
WildernessAlert07.html
In a May 7, 2004 Los Angeles Times Article Tom White, an assistant project
leader for the Forest Service who helped draw up the Forest Plan proposals
said forest managers believed there was, for the most part, enough existing
wilderness. And he noted that access was limited in non-wilderness areas
because Southern California forests have a lower density of roads than other
national forests in the state because of the rugged terrain and the relative
lack of logging.
"A lot of the wilderness character is actually inherent in the
non-wilderness because it's so steep," White said.
But in this article the Sierra Club (and most likely their allies the Center
for Biological Diversity) are not satisfied and it is obvious from their support for
Alternative 6 that their goal is to stop citizens (and mountain bikers in
particular), from recreating in the forest and maintaining their historical
access by removing roads and trails.
In a future update we will be quoting directly from their own Conservation
Alternative 6 document a poison pill provision that would allow them to
easily sue to remove roads and trails as well as restrict the use of fire
retardants and other fire fighting methods - which would put fire fighters
and canyon communities at risk.
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