Archive for the ‘California’ Category
Local Spin on Great Outdoors Program
Wednesday, February 23rd, 2011Pump Track Brings out High School Volunteers
Monday, January 24th, 2011
Pump Track Raising
CORBA’s trail crew took on an unusual assignment on this past Saturday, January 22nd. Trail Crew leaders Hans Kiefer and Steve Messer took CORBA’s trail crew trailer out to Riverside to support the So Cal High School Mountain Bike League’s construction of their first pump track.
A pump track is a man-made track comprised of rollers, bermed turns, table tops and other possible features. It is designed to be ridden not by pedaling, but by using the terrain, full body movement and simple physics to propel the rider forward around the track. It teaches one how to flow with the terrain and be more in tune with the bike and trail. It’s an incredibly taxing whole-body workout, but the most important aspect is that it is just pure fun!
The pump track will be used for training, skill building and skills clinics, and the occasional special event by the SoCal High School League. It was constructed with the generous donation of space by Woodcrest Cycling team Coach Peery and his family. The space was created by removing about a dozen orange trees from the Peery family orchard. Renowned pump track guru Lee McCormack (http://www.leelikesbikes.com) designed a custom track for the terrain available. McCormack is the author of “Welcome to the Pump Track Nation” and was on-hand to oversee the construction.
Giant Sequoia National Monument – Public Comments Extended
Thursday, November 4th, 2010Many mountain bikers from Southern California venture out to the trails of the Southern Sierras. Places like Freeman Creek Trail, Quaking Aspen, Camp Nelson and other areas have been enjoyed by off-road cyclists for many years.
Camp Nelson Trail, at the heart of the Monument
The Sequoia National Forest is currently accepting public comments on the Giant Sequoia National Monument draft Environmental Impact Statement, which includes several Management Alternatives. This Draft Environmental Impact Statement (draft EIS) describes six alternatives that would amend the 1988 Sequoia National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan to manage the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The draft EIS document will implement President Clinton’s 2000 Proclamation which established the Monument.
Of the six management alternatives presented, Alternative C could result in a ban for mountain bikes on trails in the Monument, while Alternative D would limit mountain bikes to existing trails without any future expansion. Dispersed camping and other activities are also adversely affected. The remaining options allow for most current trails to be grandfathered in, with varying degrees of flexibility for trail use designations.
We prefer Alternative B, which allows for existing bicycle use and future expansion of recreational opportunities. Alternative F is also favorable to multi-use and bicycles, with the only difference between B and F being the way that fuels reduction and fire control are managed. The complete draft statement is available online for review.
For those who are concerned about California trails being forever closed to mountain bikers, please make your comments to the Sequoia National Forest. This National Monument is bordered by extensive Wilderness areas and a National Park, all of which is off-limits to mountain bike use. We can’t afford to lose more! If you haven’t ridden this area, it offers some spectacular high-country riding and is well worth a visit. It is also very much worth protecting for it’s unique ecological and recreational value.
IMBA is also reviewing the document drafts and will issue their official comments soon. We encourage everyone to write in support of Alternative B, and strongly against Alternatives C and D. Note that you must login and/or register on the SNF Public Comment Portal to post your comments.
Comments are being accepted through December 3rd, 2010.
Topanga State Park Meeting #2
Saturday, August 14th, 2010On July 28, Jim Hasenauer and Jeff Klinger attended the second General Plan Meeting for Topanga State Park. It is important that riders weigh-in on this process and view the planning website at: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=25956.
Most of this meeting focused on the vision for the park and the idea of management zones. There are several important concerns for cyclists. Input at this phase of the General Plan process will be used to formulate the Preferred Plan. Please read the following, check out the website and comment at: enviro@parks.ca.gov
1. The plan emphasizes preservation of Topanga’s significant natural resources. We support that. Unfortunately, the vision does not give strong enough commitment to trail recreation in the park. The mission of California State Parks is: To provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Topanga’s vision needs to be consistent with the agency’s mission. The Vision should include a statement such as: “Provide outstanding sustainable and diverse trail experiences for hikers, mountain bicyclists, equestrians and other park visitors.”
2. Mountain bicyclists have enjoyed Topanga since the very first days of our sport. One of the early mountain bike pioneers, Victor Vincente of America, developed his prototype “Topanga” mountain bike there. When CORBA was formed in 1987, it was partially in response to the closing of singletracks in Topanga State Park. Mountain bicyclists want equity of trail experiences, diversity of trail experiences, and connectivity of trails. The plan will influence each of these for many years, so it’s important that you submit comments now.
Equity of trail experience – If you ride Topanga, you know that on any given day, most of the trail users are on bicycles. In contrast, we’re only allowed on less than half the trails/roads. All singletracks, with the exception of Roger’s Road, are closed to us. It’s fine to have one or two singletracks “hiker only,” but it is not fair to have all but one of them closed. An early descriptive statement on the Planning web page says “singletrack trails host hikers and sometimes equestrians.” It’s time for this to change. Let the Park Service know which singletrack trails would be important to you. Ask them to open them. Another concern is that the park is considering “natural and cultural preserves.” In most cases, preserves ban bicycles. We are, of course, committed to protecting these wild and significant areas, but there should be bicycle access to and through these preserves.
Diversity of Trail Experience—Mountain bicyclists, like other outdoor recreationalists, are diverse in our interests and abilities. Topanga riders range from beginners, including children first learning to ride, to skilled, technical, even professional riders. The one size fits all view of “fire roads yes/singletracks no,” does not serve the public’s recreational needs. Our highest priority for the Santa Monica Mountains has always been access to the entire length of the Backbone Trail. In Topanga, Hondo Canyon and the Musch trail are sections of the Backbone that mountain bikers want open. In the planning meeting, they presented a “Visitor Based Camping and Trail Map” that shows the Hondo Canyon section of the Backbone open to bikes. We need to support that. It is true that not everyone could ride all of the Hondo Canyon trail without walking, but that doesn’t mean it should be closed to us. In fact, part of the experience of mountain biking is the adventure of exploring new trails and to hop off and hike-a-bike sections that are too steep or technical for our abilities. Land managers don’t seem to understand this concept, or mountain bikers in general. The Musch Trail is a significant missing link in all of their plans. There’s a trail camp there, which we need access to. The Backbone Trail is the most significant, long distance trail in the Santa Monicas. It should be open to us. The Plan also envisions a major trailhead for the Coastal Slope Trail, a long distance trail on the ocean side slope of the mountains. This too must be multiple-use.
Connectivity of trails – There are at least two major obstacles to connectivity in Topanga. The first is the cyclist missing link to the Backbone mentioned above. The second is bike access to Temescal Canyon. Over the last several years, Temescal Canyon has become the site of regular meetings, seminars, interpretive events, family activities, etc. Those of us coming from the San Fernando Valley side cannot get there by bike. That’s particularly frustrating because there are two trails that go from Topanga State Park to Temescal and one trail that goes from Will Rogers State Park to Temescal. All three of these are closed to us. The Visitor Based map indicates that the Temescal Ridge Trail would be open to bikes. This is significant and needs to be supported.
Vehicles on dirt Mulholland – State Parks is considering allowing cars to drive along dirt Mulholland in the Mulholland Corridor Zone (see map). We oppose this. Note that it does not have to be either “visitor based” or “preservation based,” it can be a mix of both.
It’s important that you let State Park officials know that you love Topanga State Park and have specific recreational needs there. We have seen the Angeles District of State Parks spend tax dollars on new “No Bikes” signage in Topanga and we’ve seen their employees attempt to re-designate Sin Nombre and two Foxes trails in Pt. Mugu to hiker-only (which CORBA literally caught in the act and prevented). Overall, they APPEAR to be biased against, and turning a blind-eye to the needs of the State’s residents who visit and recreate at State Parks via mountain bicycle. Well, State Parks is reaching out to the public for input and support. Let them know that you, as a State Parks visitor, supporter, and enthusiast, expect more from them, and equitable representation in this plan. Email comments to: enviro@parks.ca.gov or write: SOUTHERN SERVICE CENTER / Project Lead, 8885 Rio San Diego Dr., #270, San Diego, CA 92108-1627
Thanks,
Jim Hasenauer & Jeff Klinger
Fire-danger level being raised at Angeles National Forest
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010ARCADIA, Calif. – The Angeles National Forest fire-danger level will be raised from “Low” to “High” on Monday, May 24, to enhance public awareness that fire-risk conditions are rising with warmer weather and drier local vegetation.
“High” is the third in a six-level, graduated fire-danger rating system, shown in the enclosed graphic. Factors determining the levels include vegetation-moisture levels, weather conditions and available firefighting resources.
Despite the change, there are no new campfire restrictions. Open wood and charcoal fires will still be permitted in approved “developed” campgrounds and picnic areas. Gas and propane-powered stoves and grills are permitted in non-developed areas with a state Campfire Permit.
Forest visitors should check spark arrestors (required year-round) on off-road vehicles, chain saws and other equipment with internal-combustion engines to ensure they are in working order. Drivers in the forest should stay on designated roads and never park on dry brush or grass, to avoid risk of starting a fire.
For more information, please contact Sherry Rollman, public affairs officer; or John D. Wagner, assistant public affairs officer, at (626) 574-5208.
Red-Flag Protocols Are Changed to Reflect Local Conditions
Monday, April 19th, 2010The National Weather Service will significantly change to the way forecasters issue red-flag fire warnings, which could mean fewer such alerts for fire-prone areas from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
The changes were made after officials determined that the current red-flag protocols were not always the most accurate precursors to major fires.
For example, the National Weather Service office in San Diego issued warnings during period of low humidity — prompting fire departments to marshal resources — even though officials believe a large wildfire is unlikely there without strong winds.
By contrast, large fires in Los Angeles County can start without high winds, pointing up another vulnerability. That was the case with last year’s Station fire, which was sparked during a period of high temperatures but light winds.
The new red-flag warning system is meant to be more selective and to take into account local geography and terrain as well as wind conditions and humidity levels. San Diego County, which is highly vulnerable during strong winds, will have different criteria than Los Angeles County’s foothills and mountains.
Weather experts found that there are a lot more ways for explosive wildfires to happen in the L.A. area than in Orange to San Diego counties.
“We hope to reduce warnings for conditions we learned don’t produce large, damaging fires,” said Mark Jackson, head meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Oxnard.
The changes have major implications not just for fire departments, which often rely on the warnings to mobilize resources, but also for residents in some hillside areas, who are restricted from street parking during red-flag alerts.
The Weather Service in San Diego has enacted the new red-flag warning criteria; Oxnard is expecting to apply them as soon as the fire season begins in earnest, possibly as early as June.
The warnings are not predictions of fires but rather of the kind of conditions that are ripe for large-scale blazes.
Weather experts regularly consult with fire officials about these conditions and about the need to tweak the criteria for determining whether red-flag warnings need to be issued.
More than a year ago, fire officials urged the Weather Service to reexamine protocols for issuing the alerts.
Both in San Diego and Oxnard, weather experts conducted historical studies of the conditions that provoked and fanned large, out-of-control fires. The differences were stark from county to county.
“California has so many microclimates. It’s not a one-size-fits-all,” said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which determines firefighter staffing in part based on the red-flag warnings.
Although typically drier, San Diego County has less steep terrain and sparser vegetation than L.A. County. In part because of this, the counties farther south tend to experience conditions primed for behemoth wildfires only when there are strong winds. That was the case with the deadly Santa Ana-whipped Cedar fire of 2003, which began in central San Diego County. But weather experts there said that for years, they issued warnings based on extremely low relative humidity alone.
The new criteria call for the San Diego’s Weather Service to issue red-flag warnings generally only when extremely low humidity is accompanied by winds of at least 25 mph.
“We found very few cases of large fires” when the only weather factor was low relative humidity, said Jim Purpura, head meteorologist of the National Weather Service in San Diego.
Counties farther north, including L.A. and Santa Barbara, tend to have more mountainous terrain, thicker forests and denser vegetation. When the humidity drops low enough, these conditions can lead to large fires even without vigorous winds.
That was the case with the Station fire, which last year burned more than 160,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains.
“The winds were mostly calm. For the most part, that was not a wind event,” said Frank Vidales, an assistant chief for the L.A. County Fire Department’s forestry division. “But it was very hot and very dry.”
In the past, criteria for calling a red-flag warning for Los Angeles County and some other areas included relative humidity of 15% or less and winds of at least 25 mph. Under new standards, those criteria can also be met with winds as low as 15 mph, as long as the humidity dips below 10%, Jackson said.
He pointed out that based strictly on those guidelines, the Station fire may not have been preceded by a red-flag warning because the winds were so weak. But Jackson said that is why forecaster discretion will remain a key part of making the ultimate call.
Jackson said that if the relative humidity is above 15% but the winds are very strong, an alert could still be issued.
“Conversely, if the forecaster feels there’s an extremely dry fuel situation, and that we’re very volatile, they can still issue that red-flag warning without winds,” he said.
Report on the 2010 National Bike Summit
Monday, March 15th, 2010League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit 2010, March 9-11 in Washington, DC.
by Jim Hasenauer
State Parks Programatic EIR Public Hearing
Wednesday, November 10th, 2010This Saturday, November 13, California State Parks will be hosting the final public hearing on their Draft Programatic EIR.
Bicycle access to trails in the Santa Monica Mountains and many other areas will be directly affected by the final version of this document, so it is important to ensure that mountain bikers are fully engaged in this process. CORBA and IMBA representatives will be attending, and we urge everyone who would like to see more trails opened for bicycles in State Parks to attend and make comments.
What is a Programatic EIR? This is an effort to streamline the process of converting trails from one designation, such as hiker-only, to another designation, such as multi-use. This is good for mountain biking. According to IMBA:
California State Park’s Director Ruth Coleman has embraced a statewide Programatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) that will improve the process to convert trails to shared-use status. “This will lay the groundwork for the efficient conversion of trails that IMBA California and clubs have been requesting for some time,” says IMBA California’s Tom Ward. This bodes well for efforts to open Bill’s Trail in Marin, as well as numerous trails in Santa Cruz and Humboldt counties, Mt Diablo State Park, Folsom State Recreation Area, Donor Lake State Park, various Sonoma County parks and miles of trails in the Los Angeles basin. According to Ward, park managers have often shown support for improved mountain bike access — but each time they attempt implementation they are threatened with lawsuits from opposing forces. “The intent of PEIR is to curtail the legal challenges to each trail conversion project,” says Ward. He adds, “This is a major milestone for IMBA’s efforts to increase mountain bike access in state parks.”
The meeting will take place from:
1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Saturday, November 13
Lake Activities Building,Lake Perris State Recreation Area,
17801 Lake Perris Drive,
Perris, CA 92571 [map].
The Notice of Preparation for the draft PEIR can be found at http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=980. Public comments are being accepted through November 30. Comments on the PEIR may be submitted in person at the workshops, or by either mail to:
Environmental Coordinator – Trails PEIR
1 Capitol Mall, Suite 410
Sacramento, CA 95814
Or by email to: ceqansc@parks.ca.gov
(Note: In the Subject Line, write: ‘Trails PEIR’)
Comments can also be submitted by Fax to: (916) 445-8883; Please address faxes to: Environmental Coordinator – Trails PEIR
We’ll have more details and a more thorough report after Saturday’s presentation and hearing.
Tags:Advocacy, Public Comments, public hearings, Santa Monica Mountains, State Parks, Topanga
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