Visit the Santa Ana Mountains Website.

Visit the Santa Ana Mountains Slide Show.

The Angeles and San Gorgonio Chapters have joined together to form a new task force to work on conservation issues in the Cleveland National Forest. Called the Santa Ana Mountains Task Force, the group will have the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest as the heart of it's area of interest, but some private lands adjoining the Forest will be included when appropriate. Top on the "to do" list of the Task Force are four projects of intense Sierra Club interest that have arisen in the past year:
 

The push by Riverside County officials to select and build a highway or highway/tunnel through the Trabuco District. We support the Orange County Transportation Authority's recent decision to concentrate on maximizing use of the 91 Freeway and the concept of light rail between Orange County and Riverside County. We will work for widespread citizen and political support to oppose the Riverside plan. 

A plan is underway to build a hydropower plant and 150-acre reservoir in upper Morrell Canyon in the Forest. This area is really pristine and has a large grove of native oak trees. It also would be immediately adjacent to the San Mateo Wilderness Area and visually impact the Wilderness. The plans have also included a proposal to build an electric power transmission line through the Forest. We will work with the Forest Service, the local water district and the CPUC to stop these projects.
 

Update of the Land and Resource Management Plan for the Cleveland Forest. This Update is done every 10-15 years and guides the Forest Service on its management of the Forest. Our goal is to work with the Forest Service and make a substantial input to this Update as it evolves.
 

California Wild Heritage Campaign, which, under Sierra Club staffer Tim Allyn, is working to add Wilderness Areas in the Trabuco District of the Cleveland National Forest. It is here that we have the greatest potential to protect the forest. If the Wilderness Areas are established, the road and power plant will not be built, and the forest will remain wild forever. The Task Force and the Campaign will work together to help make this happen.
Increasing populations in adjacent areas of Orange and Riverside Counties will bring new attempts to use the Trabuco District for commercial and other uses which will reduce its wild and natural attributes. We have established this task force to be alert to these dangers and to take the actions necessary to eliminate them.
The Committee will have 12 members; four each from Sierra Sage, and Orange County Groups in the Angeles Chapter, and four from the San Gorgonio Chapter. Each group will also provide one of three Co-Chairs; Paul Carlton for Sierra Sage, Jay Matchett for Orange County and Gene Frick for the San Gorgonio Chapter.
If you would like to help keep our backyard mountains the great place for hiking they are now and protect its diverse population of flora and fauna,
for future generations, contact Paul Carlton (949-661-9505), e-mail pfcsage@aol.com), Jay Matchett (714-730-7730), e-mail sierra_jay@juno.com), or Gene Frick (909- 609-0997), email  gfrick@cosmoaccess.net .