© a Quinn Martin production
Lots of you have been asking what you can do to help. This year's resolution is to affect change on The Angeles and take back OUR forest. I will have an online petition circulating soon. Thanks everybody.

Introduction:
I originally wanted to blog about my adventures in the San Gabriel Mountains. I have some good stories, like the time I took a donkey to Ralph's Supermarket. But then the Station Fire started. I realized that there is much that needs to be brought to the attention of the mountain going public. Most folks are kept in the dark about how the Angeles National Forest operates. I will raise issues that are important to me, which are hopefully important to all citizens, but if you have any suggestions for discussion here, I am willing.

Here's the big agenda: Forest Supervisor Jody Noiron. I've made a few smart remarks and cryptic comments about her. But now, with the backing of some knowledgeable and trusted friends, it is time for a concerted effort to have her removed from her post. Stay tuned for details. And if you have any information you would like to contribute, anonymously or not, email me at gregsweet4@yahoo.com

I will get to some of the stories, sooner or later. Also, I want to make it clear that I no longer work at Adams' Pack Station, that these words are my own, and that the pack station is not the source of my information - they don't want trouble.

You Didn't Challenge The Legality Of Adventure Passes, Now Bend Over!

May I remind you people that you ARE the government? And that the Angeles National Forest is YOUR land? For over a decade now, you have been quietly paying your five or thirty dollars to park alongside a road or in a parking lot that you built with your own tax dollars without ever asking whether it is legal, or why the other 151 National Forests in The Country, besides the four in Southern California, don't require an Adventure Pass. And what did all that money get you? The biggest F-ing fire in 111 years!

Now they want to take the money and run. They want to take one of the last strongholds of democracy and turn it into a money making opportunity; a revenue office with the acreage of Rhode Island. They want to turn the San Gabriels over to the National Parks system. This would effectively take away many of your rights while turning our mountains into another Disneyland. Look at Yosemite National Park. Do you think it jives with John Muir's vision? It is now just another tacky California tourist trap.

Why do they think they can get away with this? Because you have proven to them that you will happily pay what ever they ask to access your land. Don't let it happen again. It is currently your right to freely access the Angeles National Forest, but it would be your privilege to pay to access the Angeles National Park.

DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN!! READ & RESPOND TO:
http://parkplanning.nps.gov/showFile.cfm?projectId=12203&docType=public&MIMEType=application%252Fpdf&filename=sangabriel%5Fsrs%5Fnewsletter4%2Epdf&clientFilename=sangabriel%5Fsrs%5Fnewsletter4%2Epdf

7 comments:

Cafe Pasadena said...

Are you talking about converting part of the ANF into a Nat'l Rec Area?

Greg Sweet said...

No, they want to turn the Angeles forest over to park lands. These are two VERY different entities.

In fact, the National Parks are administered by the Department of the Interior, and the National Forests are administered by the Department of Agriculture. The Angeles, under the management, if you will, of the USDA, already provides designated 'recreation areas' as they are mandated to do under the multi-use act. We don't need the Park Service to help the most recreated forest in the country attract more visitors.

This probably sounds nebulous to most, and at this point it kinda is, but I will try to explain the difference in subsequent posts.

Pasadena Adjacent Ace Reporter said...

We all knew this was illegal but when you looked at the labor going into cleaning up all the graffitti and keeping toilet paper around, not to mention never once finding the Chilao visitor center open to the public, it doesn't sound like a bad deal to hand over a few bucks.

OK...more rant...
I'd like to see some energy going into opening up of Fish Canyon to the public. Once a month at Vulcan's discretion? What Ass-w999l came up with that? Yes we can come in the long way but I'm getting old and with the advancing number comes the advanced number of years I've been a tax payer.

Oh vey!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful Paradise denied

Fish Canyon

Greg Sweet said...

I don't know what happened to Paul Ayers. He was instrumental in starting the campaign to resurrect the Altadena Crest Trail, but I haven't heard much about him in recent years. He used to cite a concept of the law called a historical easement, which certainly applies to Fish Canyon.

Anonymous said...

Do explain, because I'm not sure where I stand. I want Angeles to stay with whichever group will keep it most pure, yet still keep trails and such maintained. I'm actually all for an increase in tax to do this, though others may disagree.

Anonymous said...

I worked with a fellow who was involved with the crest trail. He went by the name of Jim McCarthy. He was with LA county and fighting that housing development at the top of Fair Oaks. He wasn't just a burocrat but pro-horse / pro-trail. The Altadena Crest trail is a different situation then Fish canyon isn't it?

Might want to look at the latest comments on my "Put Another Blog on the Fire" post. Got some inside info from a bartender who works at Newcombs.