Local environmental organizations say the San Gabriel Valley will get valuable face time with some of the Obama administration's highest-level environmental policy officials next month to voice concerns about outdoor recreation opportunities here.
Lisa Jackson, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency - a Cabinet-level post, and Nancy Sutley, the principal environmental policy adviser to the president, could be among the administration officials to participate in a meeting planned for July 7 in either El Monte or Azusa, according to Belinda Faustinos, the executive officer of the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles Rivers and Mountains Conservancy.
The meeting is part of the administration's America's Great Outdoors initiative, which aims to increase conservation of open spaces and recreational opportunities in them.
High-level officials from the Department of Interior, the National Park Service, the EPA, and other federal departments are traveling the country hosting "listening sessions" to gather local input on the endeavor. And a coalition of local environmental organizations have been fighting to make the San Gabriel Valley a stop on their tour.
It appears they have gotten their way, though administration officials could not confirm the meeting.
"We are confident it is happening," said Juana Torres, associate regional representative of the Sierra Club.
If she is right, some of the highest level national policy makers would gain a greater appreciation for the challenges and opportunities of protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and making them more accessible to lower-income residents in the valley below, according to Torres and other members of the coalition.
"If you are told of a place, but have never seen it, you are not going to be as moved. But if you are out in a place, hear first hand from someone who values that place and knows what it is lacking, you are going to be moved," Torres said.
If the meeting takes place as hoped, the coalition will appeal for federal support of a National Recreation Area proposed for parts of the San Gabriel mountains and valley.
The designation could bring greater federal resources to the area, providing for new trails and picnic areas in the Angeles National Forest, more park rangers and explanatory signs, and increased connections between the mountains and local parks.
The nearby national forest provides some of the only outdoor opportunities for millions of people in the San Gabriel Valley, where many cities have a severe deficit in parks and residents suffer from a higher than average incidence of diabetes and obesity, Faustinos said.
"In terms of bang for your buck, this is it right here," Faustinos said.
They will have to get their message across fast - so far the meeting is only slated for one hour, from 7 to 8 p.m., according to Faustinos. A longer, more comprehensive listening session is slated for the following day at Occidental College in Eagle Rock.
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