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The future of the SBNF is in your hands!

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  • The future of the SBNF is in your hands!

    Fellow Jeepers, our local forests need your support!
    If you only take action on this environmental stuff once in your life, make this one be it. The Forest Plans for the four Southern California forests has been released to the public today. There will be many open houses in and around the forest, and we'll be updating you all as we find out more information.

    I said before that we need to make comments but the truth is, it's too late. My bad.

    Please, everyone, read this thing and attend a meeting, there are alot of wilderness areas on the ballot, which equals NO ACCESS. The area of Pontiac Sluice and Heartbreak Ridge for example - yes, this is hitting very close to home.

    We'll keep this thread updated, so stay tuned, and please participate however you can.
    Last edited by sarah; 10-12-05, 03:35 PM.
    :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

  • #2
    Thanks for that Info Sarah. There is a meeting spot right next to where I work in SJC. I havnt had time to really get into the site, but I am hoping that they go over all forests at each location, rather than just dealing with the cleveland national forest only in the area.
    Supe
    97 TJ, 4" ProComp, 1" BL & MML, RE Adj. Control Arms, Rear 44 ARB. Front ARB. 35" MT/R's, York OBA
    Rock-it Man gear, STaK 3 Sp.

    Comment


    • #3
      I will try to make it to the one here in Hesperia on 10/19/05, due to the fact of having oral surgery having my last wisdom tooth removed :ouch:
      1993 Wrangler Black, 4" ProComp Lift, 33s.
      Glad to be back in California!

      Comment


      • #4
        Here are the official 14 questions and answers

        Q1. What do the new Forest Plans emphasize?

        A. The new plans emphasize recreation use while restoring forest
        health and protecting the unique biological resources of southern
        California. The selected alternative has been modified from the
        preferred alternative identified in the Draft Environmental Impact
        Statement to reflect comments received from the public, tribal
        governments, other agencies, scientific review, agency review, and
        consultation with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries.
        You can find more information on the selected Alternative 4a in the
        Record of Decision published for each Forest.

        Q2. Does the new plan identify the locations where you are planning
        new campgrounds and other facilities? What about plans for specific
        roads and trails construction or closures?


        A. The Forest Plans do not make site-specific decisions such as
        sites for construction of new campgrounds or other facilities.
        Likewise, the plans do not identify any specific roads or trails
        projects. Similar to county zoning plans, they provide a broad-based
        strategic framework to guide local managers in future planning and
        decision-making. The plans identify the suitable uses within each
        land use zone, and the standards that must be met by various
        activities.

        Q3. What will be different under the new plans?

        A. Land Use Zones – The new Forest Plans apply land use zoning that
        includes: Developed Area Interface, Back Country, Back Country
        Motorized Use Restricted, Back Country Non-Motorized, Critical
        Biological, proposed Recommended Wilderness, Existing Wilderness, and
        Experimental Forest (Angeles NF only).

        B. Recreation – The new plans recognize our growing populations and
        provide strategies to manage increased use, including emphasis on
        public education to resolve resource conflicts.

        C. Motorized use – Zoning has been fine-tuned to more clearly
        display where motorized use is appropriate. Motorized use is allowed
        only on designated forest system roads and trails.

        D. Focus on Forest Health – The new plans focus on treating
        vegetation to promote forest health.

        E. Fuels Treatment in the Urban Interface – The new plans emphasize
        treating hazardous fuels by prescribed burning, thinning and other
        techniques. Most work will be done in the urban interface; some work
        will be done in remote areas.

        F. Wildlife and Biodiversity - The new plans establish new wildlife
        protections, including Critical Biological zones and additional
        standards to protect species at risk. They also considered areas
        where linkage is needed between wildlife habitat on National Forest
        lands and similar habitat outside the Forest boundary.

        G. Mountain Bikes – The new plans restrict mountain bicycles to
        system roads and trails, outside of Wilderness or the Pacific Crest
        Trail. No cross-country travel is permitted.

        H. More Flexible Standards – Standards provide greater flexibility
        to protect forest resources while using adaptive management to
        monitor impacts resulting from other permitted uses. Existing
        special use permits will be brought into compliance at permit re-
        issuance.

        Q4. How did you decide which areas to propose for recommended
        Wilderness?


        A. The decisions on which areas to recommend for Wilderness
        designation were made after careful consideration of factors specific
        to each area. Wilderness evaluations were prepared as a part of the
        planning process and included examining Wilderness characteristics
        and manageability (capability); weighing if the value of Wilderness
        offset other foregone values including other uses and demands
        (availability); and considering the public need for additional
        Wilderness and contribution to the National Wilderness Preservation
        System. One example of a use foregone by Wilderness is mountain
        biking. Another is the full range of tools to actively manage
        important needs such as fuels treatments. Managers considered the
        overall issues of each area to make a decision to recommend
        Wilderness or not.

        Q5. How does Wilderness get designated?

        A. The Department will submit its administrative recommendation for
        Wilderness to the President and Congress for congressional action.
        The Congress has reserved the authority to make final decisions on
        Wilderness designation. In the interim, the plan directs that
        Wilderness characteristics be protected in the areas until Congress
        takes final action.

        Q6. What activities are allowed in Wilderness?

        A. Wilderness is managed to protect the primitive character and
        natural condition of the area. Hiking and equestrian use are
        allowed, while motorized use and mechanized activities such as
        mountain bicycles are not permitted. Developments such as power
        lines, pipelines, and other utilities are generally not permitted.

        Fire suppression in Wilderness is allowed and protocols exist to
        quickly obtain approval for the use of equipment and aircraft to
        fight fires in Wilderness areas. Fears of lack of fire suppression
        capability in Wilderness, especially near communities, is mitigated
        in part by the adoption of a Wilderness fire strategy in the new
        Forest Plans that allows for prescribed burning in designated
        Wilderness to maintain Wilderness values or to provide for community
        protection.

        Q7. What happens to the inventoried roadless areas?

        A. The inventoried roadless areas will be managed according to the
        land use zones described in the Forest Plans. In most cases, the land
        use zones reflect the current condition of the area, including
        inventoried roadless areas. The new plans require that motorized use
        be limited to designated forest system roads, trails, or OHV areas
        (Cleveland and Angeles National Forest) only.

        Projects in roadless areas will only be undertaken after an
        evaluation of the effects of the project on the roadless character.
        In general, roadless areas are managed in the new Forest Plans to
        retain their undeveloped landscape character. Where zoning other
        than Recommended Wilderness was applied, the intent is to offer
        managers a broader range of options to actively manage these areas to
        address important issues such as fuels treatments, forest health, or
        habitat improvement.

        Q8. How do the new plans address unauthorized vehicle use?

        A. Both the prior plans and the new plans require that vehicles
        operate only on designated routes; however, in some areas,
        improvements are needed in the system to help discourage unauthorized
        use. Although none of the four Forests intends to make large
        additions to their OHV systems, all may eventually need to make some
        adjustments. The Back Country zone provides the flexibility to make
        those improvements.

        Q9. Are any new areas being opened to off-highway vehicles?

        A. The new Forest Plans do not open any new areas to off-highway
        vehicle use. In fact, the plans require that vehicles be operated
        only on designated routes. The current status of designated OHV
        routes (roads, trails and limited areas on the Angeles and Cleveland
        Forests) is unaffected by the new Forest Plans. All designated
        routes or areas are in zones in which public motorized use is
        allowed. Any changes in the future will be proposed within areas
        that are zoned for public motorized use and will be subject to site-
        specific planning including public involvement.

        Q10. Why do the Forest Plans designate Critical Biological zones?

        A. The designation of Critical Biological zones is intended to
        provide an added measure of protection in the most important areas
        for management of species which are most at risk. The zones are
        focused on areas where there are active conflicts between certain
        listed species and existing facilities or activities such as
        campgrounds, road crossings, and grazing allotments. More Critical
        Biological areas are selected in the approved plans than initially
        proposed in the Draft EIS and Forest Plan. However, even though more
        species and Critical Biological areas are protected in the new plans,
        the acres do not show an increase. This is because in the draft the
        Cleveland National Forest used relatively large Research Natural Area
        boundaries as the Critical Biological zone boundaries but later
        adjusted the boundaries to focus on species habitat, which is the
        target of the zone's protection.

        Q11. What is the Forest Service doing to protect habitat linkages?

        A. The new Forest Plans address the areas where additional habitat
        linkage is needed to connect National Forest land with other
        important habitat areas. Because the Forests have limited funding to
        acquire linkages, and because the Forest Service does not normally
        acquire lands outside the National Forest boundary, the Forests must
        work in partnership with state and local agencies to effectively
        address the linkage issues.

        Q12. What is the Forest Service doing to meet the needs of the
        broader recreating public? Are you providing more trash pickup or
        more restrooms?


        A. Although the Forest Plans identify the uses that are appropriate
        in each land use zone, the amount of funding is not a decision made
        in a Forest Plan. However, the new plans do emphasize working with
        local communities and user groups, partners, volunteers, and other
        resources to help achieve these important recreation objectives.

        Q13. What monitoring is planned?

        A. Monitoring and evaluation are key elements of the new Forest
        Plans and are intended to help us determine whether the desired
        results are being achieved. The results of our monitoring will
        determine whether changes are needed in the plan. This process is
        called adaptive management. The public is encouraged to assist in
        the monitoring effort.
        :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

        Comment


        • #5
          Ok everyone, listen up!

          I've posted the SBNF meetings on the calendar, so everyone go sign up for the one they can attend. If you attend only one thing this year - MAKE THIS IT! I better see everyone's names on the roll calls!!

          There are also meetings for the Los Padres, Angeles, and Cleveland National Forests. We are focusing on the SBNF here, since we travel there the most and have adopted a trail there. Please feel free to visit the other open houses if you have time. Thanks!
          :gun:'99 TJ Sport:gun:

          Comment

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