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Fighting For Forever In The Mountains

Samantha Hermann |
June 14, 2010 | 12:19 p.m. PDT

Staff Reporter
You need only walk about a mile along the West Fork of the San Gabriel River, which winds through the San Gabriel Mountains, to find yourself virtually alone with the sights and sounds of nature - birds chirping, water rushing, lush green vegetation with bright pops of yellow and purple wildflowers. If you walk a bit farther, you'll stumble upon a small waterfall tumbling down the mountainside.
    
"The waters that flow through the mountains, the wind that blows through the trees, the rustling sound of the critters on the ground, all of that gives us pause and time to step out of the busyness of our lives into a quiet place," said Rev. Dr. Art Cribbs as he described why he and his church, the San Marino Congregational United Church of Christ, support a group called San Gabriel Mountains Forever.

San Gabriel Mountains Forever is a coalition of conservation organizations, business and community leaders, and faith groups that have joined forces to campaign for the protection and preservation of the San Gabriel Mountains.
    
Being backed by leaders from diverse arenas has uniquely positioned the group, which formed two years ago, to reach out to the larger San Gabriel Valley community.
    
"When you start to get groups who aren't traditional environmentalists...I think it lends a lot of credibility," said Juana Torres, a regional organizer at the Sierra Club, which is a partner in the coalition.
    
This has been an intentional strategy.

"The people who use the forest are very diverse, and so the people asking for the protection of the mountains should be very diverse," said Torres.
    
At the forefront of San Gabriel Mountains Forever's current agenda is a proposal to expand three of the five existing wilderness areas in the San Gabriel Mountains, an addition of about 30,000 acres, and to add wild and scenic river designations to areas of the San Gabriel River and the San Antonio and Middle Fork Lytle Creeks.
    
Wilderness designations are the most stringent form of legal protection available for public land.  Cars, bikes, and motorized or mechanized equipment are barred from wilderness areas. Any construction, including roads and power lines, is forbidden.
    
"It keeps the land protected the way it is," said Torres. "There aren't a lot of places now that you can go in and say, 'Hey this is what it looked like, you know 1,000 years ago.' Now everything has a road in it, or a power line or there is some sign that we've been there."
    
Wild and scenic river designations offer similar protection for bodies of water, primarily prohibiting the construction of new dams.
    
None of these areas are in immediate danger of development. However, according to Torres, being preemptive may save San Gabriel Mountains Forever from what could be a harder fight with a large company years down the line.
    
"[In the past] there have been proposals to drill tunnels through the mountains to connect cities to the north, there has been lots of power line construction that has gone on in the forest," said Daniel Rossman, a regional associate in the Southern California office of the Wilderness Society, which is also part of the coalition. "We are not going to get more wild places. We have to protect what's there."
    
The same is true of the river and creeks in the proposal. 

"Sixty-five percent of our native fish species are extinct or declining and more than 90 percent of California's river habitats have already been destroyed," said Carolin Atchison, the Southern California outreach coordinator for Friends of the River, another coalition partner.
    

The U.S. Forest Service manages the San Gabriel Mountains, which stretch across the Angeles National Forest and into the San Bernardino National Forest. It is Congress, however, that must pass legislation in order for an area to receive these federal designations.
    
In 2009, after lobbying by San Gabriel Mountains Forever, Congress passed a bill that created two new wilderness areas in the San Gabriel Mountains. It is common for a group like San Gabriel Mountains Forever to petition for this sort of legislation.

"While the agencies do play a role in it, a lot of times the real driving force comes from one environmental group or another," said Justin Seastrand, a special uses coordinator with the U.S. Forest Service.
    
The areas currently in question are in Rep. David Dreier's, R-San Dimas, congressional district. In August 2009 Dreier met with representatives from San Gabriel Mountains Forever and expressed his support for the campaign. However, he has yet to introduce any legislation.
    
In a statement, Jo Maney, a spokesperson for Dreier, said the congressman had been working with interested stakeholders to make sure "that any protections for the San Gabriel Mountains provide for safety, recreation, and the preservation of our natural resources." While a specific reason for the delay was not provided, Maney said the process was ongoing.
    
Community support has not been in short supply. In part, organizers say, this is because those who live in nearby towns use the mountains regularly.
    
"There is no reason to drive six hours to the Sierras when you really have some places that equal the Sierras in our own backyard," said Torres.
    
The San Gabriel Mountains are also financially accessible.

"Not everyone can afford to go to Yosemite or Yellowstone, and not everyone wants to take that much time off," said Denis Bertone, a city councilman in San Dimas, which passed a resolution in support of the proposed designations.
    
There are no entrance fees and there is some free parking, although certain areas require a $5 day pass.  
    
The 650,000 acre range provides trails for hiking, rivers and streams for kayaking, swimming and fishing, and slopes for skiing and snowboarding--activities that are all permitted in wilderness and wild and scenic river areas.
    
No matter what draws them there, regular visitors said the mountains offer more than recreation.
    
Ahmed Hamed, who was walking along the West Fork of the San Gabriel River with his young son on a recent Saturday, said coming into the mountains is about, "just being away from all the cars and the noise."
    
A few miles away, Richard Encinas was relaxing with friends near the East Fork of the river. He comes to the mountains to camp every weekend and has found a sense of community among those who frequent the range.

"They are a neat group of people...I like the company," Encinas said.
    

San Gabriel Valley churches also use the mountains for baptisms and spiritual retreats.  For people of faith, the mountains have a special sort of value.
    
"In many ways the mountains draw us closer to God," said Rev. Cribbs. "As we go into ourselves more deeply we come closer to God, at least the awareness of God."
    
Recognizing the diversity of groups that use the mountains, San Gabriel Mountains Forever has targeted its outreach accordingly.
    
In April the group held an outdoor Easter service in the mountains. The faith community has been eager to lend its support. "We really feel that it's our job to take care of what God created," said Erin Weller, program director of Progressive Christians Uniting, another partner group.
    
Outreach to city governments led to the unanimous passage of a resolution in support of the proposal by the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, which includes representatives from all 31 cities.
    
Realtors have also come on board, acknowledging that the recreation and views provided by the mountains help sell houses. Rick Benavides, a Claremont realtor and supporter of the campaign, said development in the mountains is an eyesore and noted that protecting them will also help protect property values.
    
Torres said the group has encountered very little opposition. Opposition that does exist has not been particularly vocal. The mountain biking community has often challenged wilderness designations because biking is prohibited in these areas. 

The website for the Concerned Off Road Bicyclists Association, a Los Angeles-based organization, states that they would like to avoid any further wilderness designations in the San Gabriel Mountains. However, those familiar with the issue at the association did not return calls for comment.
     
In large part San Gabriel Mountains Forever organizers said the response has been positive.

"The beautiful thing about wilderness, protecting lands and protecting water... it isn't something that a lot of people are going to say, 'No, I'm against protecting water, or protecting land,'" said Torres.
    
Although Dreier has yet to take action, supporters said having such a broad and varied base of support has helped to influence him.
    
"I think what made the meeting with him impressive was the diversity of concern, interest, and presence," said Cribbs. "It has a deep personal impact on our lives and I think Congressman Dreier got that. "
    
"The window is closing for the ability to get legislation passed this year, which is why we are making a big push," said Rossman.
    
Though time is running out to have the legislation passed this year, San Gabriel Mountains Forever has not slowed down its efforts.

"We are continuing to collect letters, we are doing tabling events, people are calling [Dreier's] office, we are continuing to work with cities to pass resolutions, trying to get businesses on board," said Torres.



 

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