Wilderness Area

Orange County's Environmental Management Agency, which oversees operations at a south county park where a young boy was mauled by a mountain lion Oct. 19, has recommended that children be barred from the park's camping area and nature trails. The agency, in a written report to be delivered today to the Board of Supervisors, also is recommending that hiking at the Ronald W.

They've oversimplified the Canadian Rockies, according to the region's venerable mountain men. Without remorse they've turned some of the world's most rugged and remote landscape into a packaged vacation wonderland. They've built towns with state-of-the-art conveniences, and codified the wilderness. Every trinket, knickknack and screened T-shirt with a Canadian Rockie emblem is being hawked along the congested main street in the Banff and Jasper town sites.

The recent discovery of four female mountain lions--one possibly pregnant--in north Orange County may mean the cats have a better chance of producing offspring in the rapidly developing region than researchers once believed. The four adult females were captured in the past two weeks in the foothills of the Santa Ana Mountains north of Santiago Canyon Road. In addition to the lion who may be pregnant, another appears to have mated recently, meaning at least one male lion has established a presence in the area, according to Paul Beier, a wildlife biologist who heads the Orange County Cooperative Mountain Lion Study.

At least 17 mountain lions now roam the Santa Ana Mountains, living off deer and small animals without having to forage in campgrounds and neighborhoods for food. Those are some of the findings of the yearlong Orange County Cooperative Mountain Lion Study, which was completed this week, and a report submitted to county officials for review.

The Descanso Ranger District near Pine Valley, now open to the public as the Pine Creek wilderness area, is ready with maps and brochures for visitors to the 13,000 acres of brush-covered slopes and tree-lined canyons south of Interstate 8. In a designated wilderness area, visitors cannot use cars, motorcycles and bicycles, said Greg Greenhoe, a recreation officer in the Descanso Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest.

Mountain bikes, trail management and the development of trails within the protected San Gabriel Wilderness Area are among the topics scheduled for discussion Monday during a public meeting to be held by Angeles National Forest's Arroyo Seco District. People who wish to make formal comments during the meeting have been asked to submit written summaries in advance, Ranger Terry Ellis said. Summaries can be delivered to the district office at Oak Grove Park or sent by fax to (818) 790-5392.

The 930-acre Arroyo Trabuco wilderness area, one of the most active wildlife corridors in the county, will be twice as large as originally planned when it opens in a few months. With the recent grant of an additional 980 acres of open space by the Santa Margarita Co., outdoors enthusiasts will be able to enjoy hiking trails that stretch for up to 12 miles. "We've owned the land since 1983, yet we've never been able to open it to the public until now," county parks manager Tim Miller said.