Sierra Madre Residents on Alert After Two Mountain Lions Spotted at House(includes nice video)
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/131043153.html
"A public safety alert will be put out to residents in Sierra Madre Tuesday after two large mountain lions were spotted overnight, said police.
The two big cats were camped out in the front yard of a residence in the 600 block of Camillo Street at around 12:30 a.m.
“The two mountain lions stayed in the area for about 15 minutes until our officers ran them back up into the hills,” said Sgt. Joe Ortiz, of the Sierra Madre Police Department.
The animals were very large, and probably each weighed around 200 pounds, according to officers. The homeowners, who have lived at the home for nearly 20 years, said they've seen bears and bobcats, but nothing like these cats....."
Santa Monica Mountain's Lions Face Extinction
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/201...monica-mountains-li_n_990572.html
"...Of the group of 21 lions that have been collared over the years in the Santa Monica Mountains few have survived. Only one male is known to have come from the outside, from the Simi Hills across the 101 freeway into the Santa Monicas, this in 2009, bringing fresh genes with him. Biologists estimate there are currently about 10 of the big cats in the encircled zone...."
San Bernardino Sheriff's Department issues bear advisory(includes video)
http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story...ocal/inland_empire&id=8366355
"RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. (KABC) -- A large bear has been seen in residential areas on the north end of Rancho Cucamonga and residents were reportedly trying to get close and take pictures with the bear.
The Rancho Cucamonga neighborhood at the north end of Burrell Street is right up against the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, so a bear sighting isn't totally unexpected.
However, sheriff's deputies are concerned that some people aren't taking these sighting seriously enough so they've issued an advisory.
A picture of the bear taken just a couple of days ago showed it going through a trashcan that was knocked over outside a home at Burrell Street. ....."
Missing Father Ate Bugs and Leaves for Six Day Before Being Recued by Three Adult Children
http://sanfrancisco.ibtimes.com/a...ee-adult-children-david-lavau.htm
"David Lavau, 68, who had been reported missing on Sept. 23, was rescued last Thursday by his three adult children from the bottom of a rugged ravine located at Angeles National Forest(Lake Hughes Road, Castaic area), approximately 50 miles north of Los Angeles, authorities have confirmed.
According to Capt. Mike Paker, a spokesman of the Sheriff's Department, that three adult children of Lavau rescued their father Thursday after searching along the highway between their father’s home in northern Los Angeles County and Ventrra County. They had carefully examined treacherous drop-offs calling out for their father.
Lavau survived after falling six days in the ravine, eating bugs, leaves and drinking creek water. According to Parker, the location was confirmed through Lavau’s bank and cellphone records before the children commenced the search...."
Hikers discovered the skeletal remains of a man in Angeles National Forest on Sunday, but his identity still remains unknown, according to coroner’s officials.
Crescenta Valley sheriff’s deputies arrived at the Big Tujunga area on Sunday night and called the coroners at 11 p.m. Sunday, Capt. John Kades of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office told Patch.
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST -- Sheriff's search and rescue teams located two mountain bikers Monday who had gone missing during a night ride in the Angeles National Forest.
The bikers, who are brothers, aged 42 and 45, set out with two other bikers from the Switzer picnic area just before 11 p.m. Sunday, said Deputy Mark Pope of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau. They were planning to ride to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena -- a distance of about nine miles.
After the brothers fell behind three miles south of Switzer's, their companions reported that they were lost and search and rescue teams from Altadena, Montrose and Sierra Madre were activated, Pope said.
The brothers were located at 5:15 a.m. in good condition. One of them is overweight with high blood pressure and possibly diabetic.
http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/...ued-monkey-canyon,0,4081025.story
"...U.S. Forestry personnel reported that they found the man just after 1:50 p.m. at the bottom of the canyon bottom off Angeles Crest Highway. They found the hiker unconscious and bleeding from the ears, officials said.Sheriff's rescue helicopter Air-5 flew to the area and the crew began searching the canyon bottom. They found the hiker lying in shallow in water a remote area about five miles from Angeles Crest Highway....."
Life on the Crest(Jerry Schad)
http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2011/sep/28/feature-life-crest/
"Jerry Schad died on Thursday, September 22, 2011. He wrote the Roam-O-Rama outdoors column for the Reader from 1993 to 2011. This is the first part of a story originally published in the Reader's pages on April 2, 1987; next week, the second, final part details the Trailmaster's roots....
Stars above the San Gabriel Mountains
http://blog.hodomania.com/stars-above-the-san-gabriel-mountains/
"The other night, me, my tripod and my camera sat by the side of the road on Angeles Forest Highway, in the San Gabriel Mountains, above Los Angeles."[/i]
Sierra Madre Residents on Alert After Two Mountain Lions Spotted at House(includes nice video)
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/131043153.html
"A public safety alert will be put out to residents in Sierra Madre Tuesday after two large mountain lions were spotted overnight, said police.
The two big cats were camped out in the front yard of a residence in the 600 block of Camillo Street at around 12:30 a.m.
“The two mountain lions stayed in the area for about 15 minutes until our officers ran them back up into the hills,” said Sgt. Joe Ortiz, of the Sierra Madre Police Department.
The animals were very large, and probably each weighed around 200 pounds, according to officers. The homeowners, who have lived at the home for nearly 20 years, said they've seen bears and bobcats, but nothing like these cats....."
What gender are these cats? Any other info? _________________ Hike up! The world's about to end.
A number of mountain lion sightings in recent weeks have put foothill residents on high alert for the safety of themselves and their pets. Last Friday, Sept. 30, Patch Blogger, Library Trustee and Canyon Dweller Catherine Addé spotted this mountain lion near her home on Skyland Drive in the upper Sierra Madre Canyon.
Just last month, another Sierra Madre resident reported seeing a large mountain lion in the area of W. Mira Monte Avenue. Only three days later, Monrovia Patch reported that a local house cat had been killed by a mountain lion.
And just to add a news item I missed...
Rubio Cañon Land & Water Association missed required water quality tests
http://www.altadenablog.com/2011/...required-water-quality-tests.html
"The Rubio Cañon Land & Water Assn. sent out a letter to shareholders last week saying it failed to monitor drinking water standards for uranium as required by the state health department during two quarters of 2010.....The three water sources, which include a well, a tunnel, and the stream in Rubio Canyon, come from a place with natural uranium, and are mingled with other sources in the treatment plant. The three sources are supposed to be tested quarterly, and samples are taken by a water company employee. Wood said that the uranium from the canyon water sources is usually so small, and so diluted when it leaves the treatment plant, that it doesn't present a problem....."
This is a mating pair. The smaller one is the female of course. The male is the one that stretches and walks away at the end. (two words...fuzzy dice)
So cool!!!!!
Ah - the two photos are of a bobcat though.... _________________ http://www.cougarmagic.com
From the peaks gigantic, from the great sierras and the high plateaus,
From the mine and from the gully, from the hunting trail we come, Pioneers! O pioneers!
Scoutmaster Rescued Near Switzer Falls Area Saturday(10/30/11)
http://altadena.patch.com/article...-near-switzer-falls-area-saturday
"Some quick thinking from a Boy Scout troop helped Air-5 rescue a local scoutmaster who had fallen 20 feet onto a bed of rocks while leading the troop on a hike on Bear Canyon Trail, which is about two miles south of Switzer Falls in the Angeles National Forest, according to authorities...."
Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement Act of 2011 Signed by Obama
http://corbamtb.com/news/2011/11/09/ski-area-recreation/
".... The act goes on to specifically mention mountain bike terrain parks and trails, zip lines, frisbee golf courses and ropes courses as acceptable additional recreational activities for ski areas. It excludes activities such as tennis courts, water slides, swimming pools and golf courses.
In the Angeles National Forest there are four ski areas: Mountain High (East, West & North), Mt. Waterman, Ski Sunrise and Mt. Baldy. For a few short weeks in 2009 Mt. Waterman opened to bicycles in the summer, but was forced to abandon its mountain bike park plans because of the limitations of their ski area permit. The passage of HR 765 now allows the Secretary of Agriculture to issue permits for mountain bike parks to existing ski area permit holders..."
Historical: the San Gabriel - a river on the edge
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7196468...pth-look-at-the-San-Gabriel-River
A 64 page exhaustive news report on the San Gabriel river in the year 2000....for example on page 51, forest service George Duffy and his vision of lakefront hotels and shopping centers in 25-50 years from then.
Spanked on Baldy
http://www.backpacker.com/blogs/673
A cautionary tale of winter storms on Baldy
"On Christmas Eve, 2008 Amkraut climbed Baldy's Devil's Backbone Route, beginning from the top of Mt. Baldy ski area, to test a high altitude mountaineering tent and some other gear....Indeed. Amkraut got struck by a storm that measured 70 mph. "But the wind wasn't the problem," he says. "It was an ice blizzard. Freezing rain coated everything." ....Teaching moment here: Rewarming shock occurs when dilating blood vessels at the extremities can drop your blood pressure to dangerous levels. This is often accompanied by a dump of toxins into the bloodstream, upping the potential for heart and kidney problems. Amkraut ended up in the hospital for four days...."
photos
http://difabu.smugmug.com/
The backpacking and hiking collection, with a lot of San Gabriel locations
01/22/2012 15:34 Lost Teenagers Search & Rescue Garcia Canyon Trail/Glendora Ridge Motorway
01/22/2012 12:54 Rescue/Arroyo Public Assist Arroyo
01/22/2012 11:57 Cliff Rescue Search & Rescue Millard Cyn across from Millard Campground
01/22/2012 11:22 Injury/ Ankle Medical Aid Chilao Area on PCT
01/21/2012 19:05 SAR Activation Search & Rescue Eaton Cyn. b/t the waterfalls & the parking lot
01/21/2012 14:16 FATALITY Medical Aid ACH mm 41.94
01/21/2012 10:43 OVERNIGHT GROUP Miscellaneous VALLEY FORGE
Vigen Sarkisyan, 18, Killed When Car Plunges 500 Feet off Angeles Crest Highway
http://blogs.laweekly.com/informe...igen_sarkisyan_18_killed_when.php
"Vigen Sarkisyan(18 years old) was in a car with two of his friends when it flew off the side of the highway -- plunging 500 feet into a ravine in the Angeles National Forest.
One of his friends managed to crawl up to the road and flag down some help...... but by the time Sarkisyan and another injured passenger were pulled from the wreckage (near mile marker 41) by an Air Rescue helicopter from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department, the former was declared dead....."
Teens Rescued, Air-Lifted from Millard Canyo
http://sierramadre.patch.com/arti...ed-air-lifted-from-millard-canyon
"Three South Pasadena teens—one a 19-year-old woman, who was trapped on a cliff with a 100-foot drop to Millard Canyon—were rescued Sunday around 12:30 p.m. after going on a hike earlier that day, reports Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD)....."
Sheriff's copter rescues 3 boys from Angeles National Forest
http://www.insidebayarea.com/california/ci_19799976
"...A 14-year-old boy who managed to get cell phone reception on a cliff in Azuza Canyon called at 3:40 p.m. Sunday to report that he and two friends were stuck and needed to be rescued, said Capt. Mike Parker of the Sheriff's Headquarters Bureau.
Air-5 Rescue pilots and deputies with paramedic found the boys near Garcia Canyon Trail off Highway 39 north of Azuza, he said.
The four Azuza residents were "trapped on the mountainside, " Parker said. "The steep terrain was made worse by the loose rocks that would cause them to fall if they tried to climb up or climb down. Also, if one boy were to fall, he could knock others off the cliff as well."
One deputy was lowered from the helicopter by hoist as it hovered 300 to 500 feet above the canyon to rescue the boys one at a time, he said. By 4:50 p.m., all four were inside the helicopter.
"Once they were safely in the aircraft, they were all smiles and thank yous and started saying how much better the helicopter was than video games," said Sgt. Tom Giandomenico of the sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau.
"We later learned they had gone hiking and gotten lost between two mountain ridges," he said. "They were wearing shorts and t-shirts with no hiking equipment. They clearly were not prepared where they ended
up..."
Lost Boy Scouts Found
http://www.crescentavalleyweekly....01/22/2012/lost-boy-scouts-found/
"At about 8:35 p.m. on Saturday night the Montrose Search and Rescue Team was activated to respond to the Mount Wilson area regarding two boy scouts and their leader who had been separated from their group while hiking and were presumed lost. They were well equipped for the conditions.....The Search and Rescue Team located the hikers near their last known location in the Mount Wilson area. They had begun to set up camp and had planned to continue their hike during daylight. They were all in good health and were all decided to continue camping for the night...."
Second NPS extension for comments on San Gabriel Watershed plans
http://www.examiner.com/san-gabri...ts-on-san-gabriel-watershed-plans
"The National Parks Service (NPS) has extended the deadline for public comment on the Draft San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study and Environmental Assessment to Feb. 13, 2012. This is the second extension of the deadline; previous deadlines were Dec. 16m 2011 and Jan. 9, 2012......Next Steps in the Study Process
Spring 2012:
Comment Analysis/Determine Necessary Revisions to Study Report
Spring/Summer 2012:
Final Study/Transmittal to Congress..."
Manzanita Cider
http://honest-food.net/2010/08/22/manzanita-cider/
"...Ever since I moved to California I’d read that the berries were quasi-edible, that someone — Indians or Spaniards — did something with them at some point....As it happens, the Franciscan friars, who were the first European settlers of California, made a sort of cider from the berries. The California Indians did the same thing, plus they made a meal from the dried, ripe berries they’d later use for porridge in winter.....But really? I’d eaten a berry or two, and I can tell you manzanita is definitely not something to munch on while walking a trail. The berries are loaded with tannin, which sucks all the moisture from your mouth and replaces it with a coating of felt —...."
AW, many thanks to ya for all the fun, informative and educational material that you have posted in the past, the now and the future(in case I forget).
I really appreciate reading something different from just a regular trail report!!!... 666 _________________ some French dude said this: I may not agree with what you have to say but I will defend your right to say it
"Andrew Mander Searcy was driving back to La Mirada after visiting his family when his car plunged 300 feet off Angeles Crest Highway at Mt. Gleason Road on Monday. He was 25.....Searcy went missing Sunday and the crash site was found about 8:15 a.m. Sheriff's deputies from the Norwalk Station used a helicopter to trace Searcy's route and found the vehicle crashed, the La Canada Valley Sun reported. According to a CHP accident report, investigators concluded that Searcy was driving southbound on Angeles Forest Highway, south of Aliso Canyon Road and Mt. Gleason Road, when he lost control of his vehicle. His car then plunged down a 300 foot embankment and came to rest on its roof, investigators wrote. Sheriff's Air 5 located Searcy's vehicle and lowered a paramedic who pronounced him dead, said Reserve Chief Mike Leum of Montrose Search and Rescue Team."The Montrose team performed the body recovery, which took many hours due to the complexity of the car’s location," Leum said...."
Car overturns, injures 4 on Big Tujunga Canyon Road 2/24/12
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_20035975
"TUJUNGA - Four people were injured, one critically, when a Mustang convertible overturned in the Angeles National Forest Thursday night.
The vehicle overturned in the 11900 block of Big Tujunga Canyon Road around 9:45 p.m., said Los Angeles Police Department Officer Gregory Baek.Three people were trapped in the vehicle, which was badly crushed, and had to be freed by rescuers, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department......The driver[drunk], a male, was taken into custody, said LAPD Lt. Debra Brounsten....."
Forest Service to drop fees at most national forests
http://www.latimes.com/news/local...-fee-20120229%2C0%2C1863639.story
[quote]....The U.S. Forest Service proposes eliminating fees for three-quarters of the forest areas where they are now imposed, including 19 in Southern California....Many trail heads, day-use sites and general forest areas where fees are now in effect in the region's four national forests will become free, said Tamara Wilton, a California Forest Service manager.....The Forest Service launched a national review of the fee program last year. Regional offices drew up a list of proposed changes that will be released to the public in the next few months and submitted them to an advisory committee representing recreation interests, said Frances Enkoji, a manager in the agency's California office. The revisions would probably take effect next year.
Twenty-five fee areas would remain nationally, including 12 in the Southland. The agency plans to retain the Adventure Pass. In many areas where fees are eliminated, the agency proposes to continue charging for use of certain busy sites that are equipped with six specific amenities outlined in the 2004 law. Those include toilets, interpretive signs, trash cans and picnic tables.
That may spark more legal battles. What if you park at one of the fee sites to go hiking but don't use any of the facilities? Do you have to pay? "Yep, right now, that's the way we are managing the program and the way we are interpreting" the law, Wilton said...."
The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments voted unanimously last week to oppose Caltrans' abandonment of 27 miles of Highway 39 from Azusa to Crystal Lake.
The local joint powers agency also voted to write a letter requesting the state transportation agency continue the project it started in 2009 to repair a 4.4-mile gap in the the state highway between Islip Saddle and Wrightwood at Angeles Crest Highway. That upper portion of State Route 39 has been closed to the public since 1978 due to a mud slide that damaged the roadway.
The COG, a collaboration of 31 cities, three county supervisors and three water agencies, addresses issues that affect the entire San Gabriel Valley and give the region a greater voice in federal, state and county government.
It is the first time the agency has weighed in on the Highway 39 issue since this newspaper reported in October Caltrans' decision to drop the roadway completion project. In December, this newspaper reported Caltrans said it could no longer afford to maintain the mountain portion of State Route 39, citing budgetary reasons, and said it was shopping the highway to other governmental entities.
It costs Caltrans about $1.6 million a year to upkeep the road, which connects county flood control workers to three key mountain dams, as well as millions of visitors to recreation areas that are part of the 650,000-acre Angeles National Forest.
A group of business leaders, cabin owners and some
environmental groups support re-opening Highway 39 as a continuous loop from Azusa and Glendora through the forest, to ski areas in Wrightwood, as well as destinations to the west in La Canada Flintridge. They contend the 34-year closure acts like a clog in the state route system, keeping visitors congregating along the west and east forks of the San Gabriel River, instead of allowing them to circulate more freely in the forest and beyond.
Barret Wetherby, a proponent of re-opening the road, called the COG action "great."
"I think that will help," he said.
Wetherby and members of the Azusa Chamber of Commerce met with state Sen. Edward Hernandez, D-West Covina, on Jan. 27, to talk about the issue. Also at the meeting were officials from Caltrans and the state Department of Fish and Game. Another meeting is set with Sen. Hernandez on March 9, Wetherby said.
At that meeting, the Department of Fish and Game will discuss whether reopening the roadway will cause harm to the San Gabriel Mountains Big Horn Nelson Sheep. Caltrans cited concern for the sheep as a reason for not pursuing the project.
Some residents of Wrightwood, however, are in agreement with Caltrans' latest decision. They say opening the road will bring too much traffic, litter and other problems from the San Gabriel Valley to the mountain resort town. Others say the mountain environment will be damaged from more cars and auto exhaust.
A two-page memo from Duarte City Councilman John Fasana, COG transportation committee chairman, notes that the re-opening project "was fully funded and was programmed in the 2008 State Highway Operation and Protection Program for $47,592,000, capital and support." Construction on the project was to begin last year.
Caltrans said in October 2011 the project was "not realistic or cost effective."
Wetherby, at the meeting with Sen. Hernandez, said he questioned Caltrans officials why an 800-foot section of Angeles Crest Highway above Pasadena was repaired in 1.5 years, while "we are still waiting more than 30 years later" for Caltrans to repair 500 feet of the 39 roadway.
When Azusa chamber officials asked what happened to the money for the project, Caltrans said they no longer had the funds.
On the issue of turning over the 27-miles of mountain highway to another entity, both the county of Los Angeles and the U.S. Forest Service have declined, according to the COG memo.
A call came out for stranded hikers in Eaton Canyon at approximately 5:30p.m. on Tuesday February 21.
By the time the first unit was dispatched we were able to make contact with one of the individuals on their mobile phone. After verifying whether there were injuries and if they were safe, we were able to determine their approximate location. The information that our victims were uninjured, in a safe location and somewhere between the 2nd pitch and the top of the falls was relayed to our field crews. The victims were updated with an occasional text, letting them know crews were on the way. A short time later the field crews made contact with the victims. The victims were located on the north side of the ridge, with two of the four over the side of the ridgeline on a ledge.Two team members proceeded up the ridgeline to set hand lines and raise two of the victims from the ledge to the ridge. The other team members remained on the canyon floor, including the crew chief, to run the operation from below.
Once in place, the hand lines allowed team members to escort the victims from the ridgeline to the canyon floor safely
A dispute over a dog leash at Eaton Canyon Nature Center ended with a county park employee in the hospital.Sheriff's officials said it all started when the park employee asked a 28-year-old woman to put a leash on her dog on Friday.According to deputies, the employee asked Arune Kavaliauskaite three times to put a leash on her dog.Officials said Kavaliauskaite became angry, got into her car and then purposefully drove into the employee, knocking her into a parked car.Kavaliauskaite was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. She's being held on $30,000 bail.
Rancho Cucamonga stepping up trespassing enforcement at Cucamonga Canyon
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_19964670#ixzz1nv51ioqY
"RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The city is stepping up enforcement against trespassers on their way to Cucamonga Canyon, the area north of Alta Loma marked by cliffs and waterfalls.There is only one legal way to enter this popular canyon -- through Big Tree Road, also known as Cucamonga Truck Trail. But many canyon visitors take short cuts through private property north of Turquoise Avenue or through the residential development west of Skyline Road.At a special meeting with the City Council and Cucamonga Valley Water District board on Tuesday, law enforcement officials said "no trespassing" signs will soon be posted and violators will be cited.San Bernardino County sheriff's Lt. Steve Smith said trespassers will be cited using the state Penal Code and prosecuted through the District Attorney's Office...."We may even film people being cited and post it on Facebook," Smith said.A public meeting on the issues of Cucamonga Canyon will take place at Stork Elementary on March 12 at 6:30 p.m."
Early Tuesday morning, a grey Nissan Altima went careening off a cliff on Angeles Crest Highway.The unidentified driver was on his way to work in La Cañada Flintridge when the accident occurred. George Beltram, an employee of Pro Traffic Services, was the one who walked down the hill and called the incident in. He said the car fell 600 feet. “He was all the way down there.” Another eyewitness, who works for Par Electrical Contractors, said that cars continued to speed at “70 or 80 miles an hour” even after seeing the accident before. The car was flipped, with its roof crushed, trapping the driver inside. Members of the US Forest Service, LA County Fire Department 130 and the Department of Public Works arrived on the scene. The roof of the car was sawed off and the driver was eventually airlifted to Antelope Valley Hospital. Despite the fall, he remained conscious through the ordeal.
Angeles Crest Highway remained closed for over two hours as the wreckage was removed
Water worries again....
Worries mount for Sierra, water supply
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbc...le?AID=/20120301/A_NEWS/203010329
"Stockton remains in danger of having its driest winter since 1975-76, depending on what March and April have to offer.
"It ain't over yet," said walnut farmer Tom McGurk, whose orchards may not have the soil moisture they need this summer if Mother Nature does not deliver. Stagnant, dry weather quadrupled the number of no-burn days in San Joaquin County this winter, from 7 days last winter to 29 days this winter, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District reported Wednesday. Inspectors wrote 88 citations for local residents who burned on no-burn days, compared with nine citations last winter. The restrictions are now over until next fall.
In 20 years of farming east of Linden, the least amount of rain McGurk ever got was 10 inches. The most was 21 inches.Right now he is at 4.5 inches, with time running out....There is still enough water stored in reservoirs to get Stockton through summer, but then we would have little left for the following year...."
O.C. forests turning fee-free
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/area-345278-service-forest.html
"....Huge chunks of land where the passes are required are being greatly reduced, making access, yes, free......The ruling left the timing and locales somewhat murky. But I talked to the feds and they explained that they are in the process of reviewing specific areas and will soon make changes based on certain amenities.
But they agreed to a preview: Huge parts of the Holy Jim area in Trabuco Canyon will become exempt as will nearly all of the Ortega Corridor......Forest Service officials tell me they are going along with the ruling and cite six things that all must have for a pass to be required.The six required amenities are: picnic table, trash receptacle, toilet, interpretive signing or display, parking, and security.The first five are concrete. But security? I asked Tamara Wilton, Region 5 recreation fee program manager, to explain.Like many things in the bureaucratic world, security is sort of vague. It might mean a daily or weekly patrol. It might mean something like a gate.But in areas where the amenities aren't in place, sometime around summer's end Adventure Pass will no longer be required.
Why not a firm date for the change to free access?First, the Forest Service needs to review its review of amenities. Then it needs to map specific boundaries. When those maps are available, I plan to publish them....."
Uncovering San Dimas Canyon's Hidden History
http://www.kcet.org/updaily/the_b...dimas-canyons-hidden-history.html
"...Framing our route were the river-rock foundations of cabins that had housed upwards of ninety families on land leased from the Angeles National Forest. Vinca minor, an exotic vine with periwinkle-blue flowers, crawls over the gutted structures, cast-off kitchenware, and exposed nooks and crannies; climbing up the eastern and western slopes are sturdy clumps of cacti left to fend for themselves after the 2002 Williams Fire gutted these residences, a blaze that ultimately torched the entire watershed.
As for the road that had snaked along the San Dimas, it too had fallen victim to the conflagration: intense post-fire flooding and erosion has taken out most of its bed, and what remains is almost impassable; we had to clamber over alders, oaks, and pines that have dropped like Pick-Up-Sticks to block its meandering route.
A ghostly community: its silence shattered when a red-tailed hawk coasted overhead and let out a hoarse scream.
These communal artifacts, as haunting as the raptor's cry, were not the ones we were seeking. Instead our small party of three had set off from the Forest Service's San Dimas fire station hoping to relocate a memorial plaque erected in 1927 on an upstream hillside honoring Stuart J. Flintham....."
Montrose Search and Rescue Team members responded to a call of 12 stranded hikers at 11:08 a.m. this morning. The hikers started out of Chantry Flats earlier today, despite the impending storm, hoping to reach Mount Wilson.
“Four or five of the hikers got back to their car. The others were found and are being transported,” said CV Sheriff’s Station watch commander Lt. Debra Herman. They were found at 12:45 p.m. and were transported to their cars at the Chantry Flats area by the Montrose Search and Rescue Team and sheriff’s department vehicles.
In an interview on Friday, both MSR Team member Mike Leum and David Sweet, meteorologist with the National Weather Service, advised that no one go out into the storm if travel was not necessary.
The rain is predicted to continue throughout the day with snow levels dropping as low as 2,000 feet.
Closer to home, and also in Vimeo, Sierra Descents checks in with some socal skiing...
http://www.sierradescents.com/video/2012/03/19/the-deep-report.html
"....I mean, there was snow on I-10 in Beaumont! That’s 2500 feet above Sea Level, 35 miles from Palm Springs. On Secret Hidden Peak, Trevor and I found snow so deep it was hard to move—even headed downhill. Luckily, we got things figured out and had one of those mind-blowing days that stays with you forever. "
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