LOS ANGELES - The idea is a bold one for the San Gabriel Valley: to create a national recreation area that expands healthy recreation opportunities in the San Gabriel Mountains, improves San Gabriel River water quality, and enhances park access for residents from Glendora south to El Monte.
Supporters of this proposal, including San Gabriel Mountains Forever, believe that a San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation Area could better link communities along the San Gabriel River to the myriad of outdoors opportunities in the mountains through a new system of parks and trails.
"Imagine our communities where the childhood obesity rates are soaring," said Martin Nava, Director of Community Health for the Oldtimers Foundation. "So many of our children and families could improve their health if they just had better access to the San abriels and could connect from their homes in the city to the local hiking trails and rivers in the mountains. This idea of connecting our neighborhoods to the mountains is a gift that will benefit us for generations."
The concept is similar to the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area on the western edge of Los Angeles County, a broad swath of mountains, canyons and creeks that are an outdoors destination for millions of visitors. A NationalParks study team has been researching a similar plan for the San Gabriel Mountains and its watershed for two years. This team will present several proposals to the public, including plans for a San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation Area, at a series of upcoming meetings. Presentations will be at 7 p.m., followed by a question and answer session, and ending with public comments.
Following the local public meetings and a written comment period, a final recommendation will be submitted to Congress for possible action. The study team's recommendations will likely include ways to restore natural resources and wildlife habitat, and establishing a regional partnership or new resources to support recreation in the Angeles National Forest.
San Gabriel Mountains Forever, a diverse partnership of local business owners, residents, faith and community leaders, health and social service organizations, and conservation groups who are working to preserve this mountain range in the Angeles and San Bernardino National forests, supports a plan that combines the best of the three alternatives offered by the National Parks Service. The group supports a proposal that includes the maximum amount of the Angeles National Forest in the National Recreation Area (as in Alternative A) plus a community recreation network and partnership (as in Alternative C). San Gabriel Mountains Forever also backs the idea of adding extra resources from the National Park Service, but keeping the Forest Service as the authority that manages national forest lands in a newly created recreation area.
"The San Gabriel Mountains are a favorite destination of local families for hiking, fishing, picnicking, swimming and many other activities," said Dianne Erskine-Hellrigel of the Community Hiking Club, who frequently leads hikes out of Santa Clarita. "This visionary proposal of a National Recreation Area could help bring new recreational resources and rangers to the historically underfunded Angeles National Forest, which would allow for future generations to enjoy these popular activities."
The National Parks Service public meetings will be held at the following locations:
- El Monte
Monday, August 31st
7pm - 9pm
City of El Monte Senior Center
3120 N. Tyler Avenue - Diamond Bar
Wednesday, September 2nd
7pm - 9pm
Diamond Bar Center Ballroom
1600 S. Grand Avenue - Santa Clarita
Thursday, September 3rd
7pm - 9pm
George A. Caravalho Activities Center
Santa Clarita Room A
20880 Centre Point Parkway - Glendora
Monday, September 14th
7pm - 9pm
Glendora Public Library
140 South Glendora Avenue - Palmdale
Tuesday, September 15th
7pm - 9pm
Larry Chimbole Cultural Center,
Lilac Room
38350
For more information about the study and the three proposed alternatives go to: http://www.nps.gov/pwro/sangabriel/.
Contact: Juana Torres, San Gabriel Mountains Forever
(818)571-9598 (cell)
(213)387-6528 x.226 (office)
