Category: USFS

BSMAAC Meeting report

Yesterday’s meeting was very informative, and led by Bill Monning, managed to stay on schedule and on time. It was nice to see our new Sheriff, Scott Miller in attendance, as well as PUSD Superintendant, Rayanne Thomasson. Here are just a few of the reports given by various attendees.

State Assembly Member Bill Monning reported on the current status of the Coastal Trail project, then called on other core members of the team developing the planning process document for their assessments. Mike Caplin and Jack Ellwanger both provided their positions, while members Honey Williams and Betty Withrow stood on Monning’s report. The current configuration of the trail process can be obtained from Noelle White, Monning’s aide. The next meeting of the planning process group will be held February 22nd from 3-5 pm

Of course, budgets, federal, state, and local were a great part of the reporting by various agencies. It affects services governmental agencies can provide. Sherry Tune, of the USFS reported that forest wide, the Los Padres National Forest is under injunction from a law suit filed by Los Padres Forest Watch preventing any road maintenance, until a more current up-to-date biological report can be created.

Bad news for me and other users of Plaskett, which hasn’t been graded in 10 years. South Coast Ridge Rd. was graded this past spring, so it should be alright this year. Willow Creek Rd. and Nacemiento Rd. are both county, so should not be affected.

Also of note to Big Surians, the AMAGEN bicycle race is back on Highway One this year, but it is to be held in May.

Finally, meetings which are of note coming up are: March 8th and 9th with the USFS regarding the proposed Milpitas Special Interest Area in and around The Indians, Junipero Serra Peak, and Merle Ranch. These meetings will be held in the King City USFS office. March 10th and 19th, CPOA and Sam Farr are hosting a meeting regarding HR 4040- the proposal to create the Monterey District Unit of the Los Padres National Forest. These meetings will be at 10am and held at the Conference Center at the Big Sur Lodge at Big Sur State Park.

Lots of information this past week, and will be covering the upcoming storms next week, but I would love to post some photos and art for a change of pace the next few days.

USFS Press Release re controlled burns

Press Release issued Monday, January 10, 2011:

Los Padres National Forest officials today announced plans to launch a series of prescribed burn projects over the next several months to eliminate piled brush and mechanically treated vegetation on the Monterey Ranger District.

This process will involve crews burning piles of vegetation in order to remove hazardous fuel loads and improve the overall health of the forest. The project will commence when weather conditions and air quality are suitable for safely burning these fuels. The brush was masticated and piled during thinning projects around administrative sites throughout the District over the course of last year.

Burning will begin the week of January 10 and continue through April. If you have questions about the projects, please contact Monterey Fire Management Officer Tom Plymale at (831) 385-5434, ext. 231.

USFS Road Brushing

The USFS has begun the brush work on South Coast Ridge Rd. There were two mowers parked on the road today.

And here is a better look at the mower itself.

Here is one bank that they did, and it looks pretty good.
Then some other areas, not so good. They are mowing through everything – small pine trees and all.

More campfires

This time, it was on South Coast Ridge Rd., which is behind me, running north-south. Thank goodness someone (probably a local) reported it or it was discovered on routine patrol! Good job, everyone!

Reported on WildCAD:

07/27/2010 12:34 LPF-2295 camp fire Wildfire SO COAST RIDGE RD

USFS projects

1:30 pm – just got word that the USFS CANCELED the controlled burn at the Brazil Ranch today. Unknown at this point if it will be rescheduled this season.

Additionally, I will scan and upload the map of all the brush work that will be done now through the end of summer later today here on this post. That announcement is also on the USFS page to the right.

Okay, let’s try that again. It came through upside down!

The legend in the lower left corner is extremely hard to read due to the size, but it lists the names, numbers, and length of each section scheduled to be brushed out.

Illegal Campfire #2 on Plaskett

I started to post a comment to yesterday’s post, but thought that in fact this should probably be a new post.

The current maximum fine for an illegal campfire is $5,000.00. Whether it is imposed, or how much is imposed, is quite another thing. From the order banning campfires in LPNF on June 26, 2010 until the rains: “A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 USC 551 and 18 USC 3559, 3571, and 3581.” In other words, it is a federal misdemeanor. A criminal act. You can read the entire order here:

Yesterday’s illegal campfire was in the exact same spot I posted at my “How not to build a campfire” which is here: it is the second fire ring, behind the grass up against the bushes.

What is distressing about these campfires is that they are below the only really populated area on Plaskett. Lots of structures. Fortunately, that portion of the road is often in the fog, and is regularly traveled by locals, and so fires there are usually caught in time to report them before they run amok.

Today, a friend found yet ANOTHER illegal campfire only a few hundred yards away from yesterday’s camp fire!! He reported it to the USFS. Now, if they actually fined these people the maximum (probably not, unless they have a history) that $10K could pay for some much needed work and/or equipment to actually prevent this sort of behavior. I would love to see tickets or arrests made for each and every illegal campfire, particularly where as here, the offenders are immediately caught. Until the current codes are enforced, regularly, the behavior will not stop.

Come on USFS. You can make some money here. Stop treating these people as lost, clueless souls, and treat them as the danger they really are.

Monterey District of LPNF to get stimulus money

This morning, I received a phone call from Sherry Tune, District Ranger of the Monterey District of the Los Padres National Forest. She informed me that the District Office of the LPNF has decided to make stimulus monies available to the Monterey District under the American Recovery and Rehabilitation Act for road repair and maintenance. There are a number of roads which will become more accessible for fire fighting in the near future.

A full report of the roads and work to be performed will be released next week, with schedules specific to the various areas to follow as it becomes available. But included (this list is preliminary, not exhaustive) on the list of roads are: Arroyo Seco, Alm’s Ridge, Plaskett Ridge, and Botcher’s Gap.

I will keep my readers informed, as additional information becomes available.

Plaskett Ridge Rd.

Plaskett Ridge Rd. is now virtually impassable, and should be closed to the public, until we get a week of sunshine. Rock Knocker (with 30 years experience on Cal-Trans mudslides, and slippery roads) got stuck yesterday. On the way up this afternoon, the slippery clay caused me to slide into a ditch the depth of about 1/2 the circumference of my tire today, and the ONLY reason I got out is my 5.2 liter Jeep, 4×4, good tires, and 15 years experience on this road, and even so, it was quite “iffy.” I was shaking so badly by the time I got out of the trees to the top, I had to stop.

This is the price I pay for living “On Top o’ the World.”

Trail clearing by explosives in Big Sur

Today’s Pinecone has an article you might be interested in, penned by Chris Counts. Here is the lead-in:

“A TRAIL crew will use explosives as part of an effort to
remove trees and improve accessibility for hikers along the
Pine Ridge and Terrace Creek trails in Big Sur.

The project begins Jan. 11 and is expected to be completed
by Jan. 22.

Surprisingly, use of explosives is often considered a better
alternative to the use of chainsaws for doing backcountry
trailwork.”

To read the rest of the article, please go to the following link, which unfortunately is not article specific, and is in pdf format, so may take a while to download. If you can’t get it here, google Carmel Pine Cone. You want to read this:
Pinecone

Now, I would like to know who thinks explosives are a “better alternative to the use of chainsaws”? I admit ignorance on this issue, and am more than willing to be educated.