Forest Campaign expands efforts

and Bill Corcoran

Two-thousand five was an extremely eventful year for our southern California national forests as threats to their health and beauty increased, and the Forest Service issued flawed new management plans that put natural and recreational values at risk.

Photo (c)2005 Andrew M. Harvey/Lighthawk Morrell Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest would be drowned behind a 180-foot dam as part of an energy scheme that would also require 30 miles of new power lines. Gateway to San Mateo Wilderness, the canyon is a popular hiking location previously recommended for wilderness protection by the US Forest Service.

The forest management plans serve as a blueprint for how our forests will be managed for the next decade or more. The ones issued last fall for the four southern California national forests-Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres and San Bernardino-open our forests to new toll roads, dams, power transmission lines, oil drilling, and more loud off-road vehicles.

So now that the plans are out, what can we do to better protect our forests in 2006 and beyond?

The Southern California Forests Campaign will respond to the flawed forest plans by launching a series of new initiatives in 2006. These efforts will include adding more voices-and new voices-on our side to make sure we are heard. We will also begin working to develop a positive, long-range vision for managing our forests that will truly protect them for generations to come.

Chapter volunteers and campaign staff will also expand efforts in 2006 to protect forest 'hot spots'-areas left extremely vulnerable by the management plans. A new program to build support for these areas, Hiking For A Generation To Come, will provide fun, conservation-oriented outings into these areas.

Additionally, the Sierra Club plans to file a formal administrative appeal of the plans by the May 2006 deadline.

'We will keep constructive pressure on the Forest Service to do the right thing,' said Angeles Chapter Forest Committee Chair Don Bremner. 'The ultimate goal in coming years is to amend the forest plans to significantly improve them.'

Photo (c)2005 Andrew M. Harvey Hikers enjoy a break in Morrell Canyon.

Sierra Club staff and volunteers will also monitor the implementation of the forest plans to make sure that their modest virtues, such as smattering of new wilderness recommendations, are managed appropriately.

Hot Spot Campaigns

Protecting Morrell Canyon in the Cleveland National Forest will be the first 'hot spot' campaign of 2006. The area is adjacent to the existing San Mateo Wilderness and is located not far from where the boundaries of the Angeles, San Gorgonio, and San Diego Sierra Club Chapters meet.

The major threat to picturesque Morrell Canyon is a proposed hydroelectric dam that would drown its oak-filled hiking trails. In its draft forest plans the Forest Service wisely recommended wilderness protection for Morrell Canyon. In its final plans the agency took a major step backwards zoning the area to allow for the dam and massive power transmission lines. Sierra Club volunteers, hang gliders, and off-road vehicle users in the area all oppose the project.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has been preparing to release its environmental analysis of the proposal. This analysis is one of the key steps that could lead to a 180-foot-high dam in Morrell Canyon. See the forests campaign website for an update and for a list of simple actions you can take to help protect Morrell Canyon. Watch the website in the coming months for additional hot spot campaigns.

New Voices, New Vision

It's not enough to just fight bad projects, however. We must do more in 2006 to present our case to the public and to those who decide the fate of our forests. One part of this effort is finding new stewards for our forests. To that end, forests campaign staffer Juana Torres has been working with faith organizations (See accompanying article, 'Reaching out to people of faith').

Another new part of our effort to protect nearby national forests is creating a vision worthy of our aspirations. All of America's great natural legacies-including what is now Yosemite National Park-have been preserved not by fighting one threat after another but by acting with a long-term vision in mind. By providing the vision and the leadership, we will one day win new plans for our forests that protect their wild character while providing for hiking, biking, fishing, picnicking, wildlife viewing and other sustainable public uses. We will also win new wilderness areas to make sure that southern Californians will have places nearby that are forever wild.

Later this year you will get a chance to participate in this effort to create a new vision of stewardship for our forests.

Hiking For A Generation To Come

The Southern California Forests Campaign isn't about endless meetings under fluorescent lights. Yes, we occasionally need to meet but that doesn't mean we can't get work done on the trail or over a meal. As often as possible we want to bring people together to explore and enjoy the land.

The forests campaign's new outings program-Hiking For A Generation To Come-is designed to be a fun way to explore and build support for highly threatened forest areas that deserve special protection such as official designation as wilderness. If you are a certified outings leader who wants to help out, let us know. Or come on a hike and learn about these special forest places. You can visit our website for details on hikes and other events.

By supporting the Southern California Forests Campaign, you can help protect an irreplaceable natural legacy for future generations, make some new friends and see some new places along the way.