Action Alert - Forest Service is not prioritizing the reconstruction of Holy Jim, West Horse Thief, and Trabuco Trails

Action Alert - Forest Service is not prioritizing the reconstruction of Holy Jim, West Horse Thief, and Trabuco Trails - Re-Opening may take up to 4 years

Since we put out our alert informing the public of the lack of priority in rebuilding the trails damaged by the Holy Jim Fire there has been no effort on the Forest Service to consider rebuilding them a priority or any effort made to inform the public of their intentions.

My real concern is if they don't make restoration of these trails a priority forest users will create their own - and they will not be sustainable (or ecological in regards to endangered plants trying to recover). Getting our input and labor involved (not mentioned in the FOIA documents) would move the process forward and maybe have some creative ways to make the trail sustainable and challenging.

The fact there has been NO outreach or updates since the fire closure started almost 3 years ago to our organization, the Sierra Club (or the public), which performs 99.9 percent of the trail maintenance - says a lot about the priority placed on reconstruction; they have purposely have kept us in the dark.

If we do not push the Forest Service to make the reconstruction of the trails a priority and to seek the public's support we may not have those trails back for 2 to 5 years, or instead many illegal and unsustainable trails built by users (especially if they know it will be years before they will be reconstructed).

Darrell Vance, the District Ranger, is known for considering the public's access to our forest a low priority, both by advocacy groups that have worked to keep the trails open and former employees of the Forest Service that have since retired; no public in the Forest - less work.

We have used the funds raised by our Pow Wow event for the last 25 years to maintain our power equipment used to cut brush and to feed our volunteers who maintain the trails in the National Forest, as well as our advocacy to keep the trails open. Darrell Vance, the District Ranger, is attempting to bankrupt our organization and rob us of funds to continue our maintenance activities and trail access advocacy by not permitting our Pow Wow event in 2022.

IF YOU WANT THESE TRAILS RESTORED IT WILL BE UP TO THE PUBLIC TO CONTACT THIER REPRESENTATIVES TO ASK FOR FUNDING AND TO FORCE THE FOREST SERVICE TO TREAT THIER RESTORATION AS A PRIORITY - AND TO SEEK THE HELP OF THE VOLUNTEER GROUPS WHO HAVE MAINTAINED THESE TRAILS FOR YEARS.

THE ONLY WAY TO MAKE THE TRAIL RECONSTRUCTION HAPPEN IS FOR THE PUBLIC TO MAKE IT A PRIORITY AND CONTACT THEIR REPRESENTATIVES - IF THE PUBLIC DOES'NT MAKE IT A PRIORITY - THE FOREST SERVICE WON'T!!!!

1. Join us at our protest sites at the intersection of Silverado and Santiago Canyon Road and at Cook's Corner. Bring signs stating "rebuild our trails" and "Remove Darrell Vance as District Ranger"Email us at: countingcoup@warriorssociety.org

2. Email Nathan Judy, the Forest Service PIO (public information officer ) AND LET HIM KNOW YOU HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN DARRELL VANCE AS DISTRICT RANGER AND DEMAND A TIME TABLE AND QUARTERLY UPDATES AS TO WHEN THE TRAILS WILL BE OPEN AND THE CURRENT WORK BEING DONE: nathan.judy@usda.gov

3. Email Darrell Vance and demand quarterly updates as to the progress of the trail rebuilding and to stop the retribution and communication black out against the Warrior's Society and to allow our Pow Wow event in April 2022: darrell.vance@usda.gov

Orange County Board of Supervisors member Lisa Barlett, whose 5th district includes the canyon areas of Orange County: Lisa.Bartlett@ocgov.com (714) 834-3550