National Forests California

Waving an American flag and carrying picket signs with messages such as "This land is still our land," a small group of demonstrators marched in front of a ranger station Saturday to protest fees for use of the state's national forests. The Adventure Pass is a U.S. Forest Service program that since 1997 has charged visitors $5 a day, or $30 per year, to enter four Southern California forests.

Hundreds of firefighters made progress Sunday in containing a 1,350-acre wildfire in the San Bernardino National Forest, enabling 1,000 people who were forced to evacuate to return to their homes. The Bridge fire was 35% contained by the early evening, and work was continuing steadily with the help of calm conditions and relatively mild temperatures topping in the low 90s, officials said. Temperatures were expected to dip into the 50s and 60s overnight. "That's good.

On April Fools' Day the Inyo National Forest switched to a new system for dispensing permits to enter two popular Sierra wilderness areas. But local back-country enthusiasts and mountain guides were not laughing. They say the new reservation system will virtually lock locals out of the Ansel Adams and John Muir wilderness areas by letting distant city dwellers sign up for permits at prime times.

California's top federal forester is being transferred to a new job, dismaying conservation groups who fear the move portends the dismantling of a plan to protect old-growth forests and fragile wildlife in the Sierra Nevada.

To loosely paraphrase Joni Mitchell, much of our Southern California paradise has been paved into one gigantic parking lot. Luckily, in the hills beyond our strip malls, drive-thrus and chop shops, much of beautiful California remains, protected by national parks, national forests and the state park system. Here, in true Chris Berman fashion, are just a few of the highlights: NATIONAL PARKS * Yosemite National Park is the big kahuna.

As of Monday, visitors will have to dig into their pockets to hike, bike or swim in four Southern California national forests because of a pilot program to raise millions of dollars for improvements. The three-year program, approved by Congress last year, targets the eroding trails and services in Los Padres, Angeles, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests. The fees will be $5 a day or $30 for an annual pass.

When pioneer conservationist John Muir visited the San Gabriel Mountains in the 1870s, he found chaparral so thick the bears had trouble getting through it. Muir himself was compelled to do part of his exploring "on hands and knees," he later wrote. The area is easily traveled today, thanks to a network of paved roads that brings millions of visitors--and a host of urban ills--to what is now the Angeles National Forest, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

In a controversial move, the U.S. Forest Service imposed tough new restrictions Wednesday on logging throughout the Sierra Nevada to protect the California spotted owl. The restrictions, banning clear-cutting and the logging of the largest and oldest trees from the Oregon border south to Sequoia National Forest, are scheduled to take effect in March. They will apply for at least two years while scientists continue their studies of the owl and its habitat needs.

Despite opposition by virtually every major environmental group in California, the House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to reduce the threat of wildfires in the Sierra Nevada by increasing logging across three national forests. The plan, which could help break a long and bitter stalemate over the management of western U.S.

The U.S. Forest Service, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Angeles National Forest, drew attention Thursday to the forest's unique vulnerability to environmental damage and urban problems because of its proximity to Los Angeles. The forest is beset by litter, graffiti, vandalism, illegal dumping and commuter traffic from motorists seeking shortcuts through the mountains, said forest Supervisor Michael J. Rogers.

Waving an American flag and carrying picket signs with messages such as "This land is still our land," a small group of demonstrators marched in front of a ranger station Saturday to protest fees for use of the state's national forests. The Adventure Pass is a U.S. Forest Service program that since 1997 has charged visitors $5 a day, or $30 per year, to enter four Southern California forests.

Despite opposition by virtually every major environmental group in California, the House of Representatives on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to reduce the threat of wildfires in the Sierra Nevada by increasing logging across three national forests. The plan, which could help break a long and bitter stalemate over the management of western U.S.

As of Monday, visitors will have to dig into their pockets to hike, bike or swim in four Southern California national forests because of a pilot program to raise millions of dollars for improvements. The three-year program, approved by Congress last year, targets the eroding trails and services in Los Padres, Angeles, Cleveland and San Bernardino national forests. The fees will be $5 a day or $30 for an annual pass.

To loosely paraphrase Joni Mitchell, much of our Southern California paradise has been paved into one gigantic parking lot. Luckily, in the hills beyond our strip malls, drive-thrus and chop shops, much of beautiful California remains, protected by national parks, national forests and the state park system. Here, in true Chris Berman fashion, are just a few of the highlights: NATIONAL PARKS * Yosemite National Park is the big kahuna.

On April Fools' Day the Inyo National Forest switched to a new system for dispensing permits to enter two popular Sierra wilderness areas. But local back-country enthusiasts and mountain guides were not laughing. They say the new reservation system will virtually lock locals out of the Ansel Adams and John Muir wilderness areas by letting distant city dwellers sign up for permits at prime times.

In a controversial move, the U.S. Forest Service imposed tough new restrictions Wednesday on logging throughout the Sierra Nevada to protect the California spotted owl. The restrictions, banning clear-cutting and the logging of the largest and oldest trees from the Oregon border south to Sequoia National Forest, are scheduled to take effect in March. They will apply for at least two years while scientists continue their studies of the owl and its habitat needs.

When Santa Ana winds kick up in the fall, firefighters in the Angeles National Forest usually hang close to their fire stations, sniffing the wind, studying the horizon and getting ready for action. "You wonder when the next fire is going to pop," said Bob Serrato, supervisor of one of the U. S. Forest Service's eight expert firefighting crews--dubbed Hotshots--in Southern California. "When it starts during those times, you know it's going to be running fast."

California's top federal forester is being transferred to a new job, dismaying conservation groups who fear the move portends the dismantling of a plan to protect old-growth forests and fragile wildlife in the Sierra Nevada.

When pioneer conservationist John Muir visited the San Gabriel Mountains in the 1870s, he found chaparral so thick the bears had trouble getting through it. Muir himself was compelled to do part of his exploring "on hands and knees," he later wrote. The area is easily traveled today, thanks to a network of paved roads that brings millions of visitors--and a host of urban ills--to what is now the Angeles National Forest, which celebrates its 100th anniversary this year.

The U.S. Forest Service, celebrating the 100th anniversary of Angeles National Forest, drew attention Thursday to the forest's unique vulnerability to environmental damage and urban problems because of its proximity to Los Angeles. The forest is beset by litter, graffiti, vandalism, illegal dumping and commuter traffic from motorists seeking shortcuts through the mountains, said forest Supervisor Michael J. Rogers.