Wilderness boundaries revisited

By KATHY PORTIE

When the U.S. Forest Service was in the early stages of revising its forest management plans for the San Bernardino National Forest, a proposed Wilderness Area bordering the community of Sugarloaf came under scrutiny. The proposal concerned Big Bear City Fire Chief Dana Van Leuven because the new boundary would greatly restrict the ability of firefighters to protect the community from wildfires.

Heavy vehicles and machinery are prohibited within Wilderness Area boundaries, restricting ways to fight fire. Van Leuven met with representatives of the Sierra Club and Senator Barbara Boxer's office to discuss a compromise to move that proposed boundary further south to the Sugarloaf Mountain ridgeline.

Now, months after the public comment period on the revisions has ended, the city of Big Bear Lake has asked the Big Bear City Community Services District to join in Valleywide support for the wilderness boundary to remain south of Highway 38, even further away from civilization than the boundary compromise worked out by Van Leuven. Local agencies are moving quickly to revisit the issue as a result of the Bush administration's recent policy change regarding forest management plans. The new policy allows the Forest Service to review its management plans on an ongoing basis, speeding up the process and eliminating red tape.

"The Forest Service is relooking at its forest plan," said Rod Watkins, CSD general manager. "This is an ongoing opportunity for us to deal with the Forest Service on this issue." And keeping the boundary south of Highway 38 would allow fuels reduction projects to move forward. Projects that have become more important to the community since the Old Fire in 2003 include thinning and prescribed burns on the up slope area between the ridgeline and the highway.
"We need to work hard on this one because we could have (Wilderness) in our back yard," Watkins said. "The board's decision to do something other than Chief Van Leuven's compromise with Sierra Club and Senator Boxer would not be a reflection on him and what he did with them. You, as board of directors, are the ones to make the final decision. It's perfectly acceptable."

Director Bob Colven suggested that Valley agencies get together and pass a resolution to support removing the area from Wilderness consideration. After attending public hearing meetings with the Forest Service last year, Colven became concerned that even the compromise was being overlooked in the six alternative proposals. "Plan Six still had the wilderness right on top of the community," Colven said. "We were told it was an oversight."

Van Leuven told the board that local Forest Service representatives wanted to be able to help protect the community. "I've been working on it for two to three years," Van Leuven told the board. "With the (policy) changes, the Forest Service is taking another look at making some considerable changes over and above what they initially started with. The Forest Service wants to continue fuel breaks on the back side. They can't do that if wilderness is there."

The board unanimously passed a motion Jan. 3 to join with the city of Big Bear Lake in supporting the location of the Wilderness Area boundary south of Highway 38. Watkins told the board he would get together with Michael Perry, Big Bear Lake city manager, to write letters to send to the appropriate parties at the Forest Service. At press time, neither Perry nor a San Bernardino National Forest representative were available for comment.