Angeles Forest

The free-lance photographer charged with the murder of former Raiders cheerleader Linda Sobek was named as a suspect Wednesday in the 1992 slaying of another model as law enforcement authorities re-examined unsolved murders in several states, including Ohio, the suspect's former home. Ending several days of speculation that murder suspect Charles E.

Ruling on a three-year controversy, U.S. Forest Service officials in Washington have concluded that the management plan for Angeles National Forest adequately provides for off-road vehicle recreation, contrary to complaints by three off-road groups. In a 23-page ruling released last week, forest service officials denied appeals by the off-roaders--motorcyclists, four-wheel-drive vehicle drivers and others--who said they were shortchanged by the 10-year plan for the forest adopted in 1987.

I had expected a deserted and dilapidated structure. Instead, I found a picturesque lookout staffed by a retired warrior with a gentle soul and a riveting past. Vetter Mountain Historic Fire Lookout straddles a peak 5,908 feet above sea level at the southern edge of Angeles National Forest, a mile west of the Angeles Crest Highway. I had seen it on a map, and as wildfires ravaged Griffith Park, I decided to visit the lookout.

U.S. Forest Service officials are scheduled to rule this month in a three-year-old dispute over control of off-road vehicles in the Angeles National Forest. The controversy arose in 1987 when three off-road organizations and Los Angeles County parks officials appealed a forest land-use plan that they said shortchanged off-road enthusiasts by failing to provide an adequate system of parks and trails.

As dusk descends in the San Gabriel Mountains, a white pickup pulls over to the side of the Angeles Crest Highway and a man clambers out, lugging a bag marked "K-Grow." He plods into the brush, and radios crackle as federal agents hiding along the crest report his position.

On a warm Saturday afternoon in February, five young city dwellers ventured innocently into the Angeles National Forest. Carrying six packs of beer, they followed a slow-moving mountain stream for about a mile until it emerged from the woods and became Switzer Falls, one of the best spots in the forest for a view and a party. They were at the top of the falls, which slices through a deep granite gorge in the rugged San Gabriel Mountains.

Grinches planning on poaching Christmas trees from the national forests could be in for a surprise this year with stepped-up patrols and roadways closed due to icy conditions, U. S. Forest Service officials said Wednesday. Unusually cold weather has forced the closure of most dirt roads above the 5,000-foot elevation where the most desirable pine trees thrive, said Steve Bear, Forest Service resource officer for the Tujunga District. "Our forests are very fragile areas," he said.

Angeles National Forest offers a wilderness retreat within easy access of millions of Southern Californians. Unfortunately, city slickers who head for the forest too often are ill-prepared or unaware of natural wilderness hazards that can be deadly. But warnings at dangerous spots, and even trail signs, are virtually nonexistent in the forest. That's inexcusable and worrisome, especially since Angeles is the nation's most popular forest--host to 20 million visitors annually.

At a time when mistletoe sprigs tied with red ribbon are beginning to appear in grocery stores and Christmas shops, the U.S. Forest Service is trying to control mistletoe in the forest, where the popular Yuletide symbol is a tree-killing parasite.