Big Bear Lake
LakeArrowhead
Johnson Valley
Stoddard Valley
Calico
Mojave Desert
Death Valley
Anza Borrego
Ridgecrest
Ocotillo
Imperial
Santa Barbara
Santa Clarita
Cucumonga/Devore
Gorman
San Bernardino
Subject: Boxer/McKeon Wilderness Bill - ACTION NEEDED
> Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:46:12 -0700
As you might already know, Senator Boxer and Representative McKeon  introduced the Eastern Sierra and San Gabriel Wild
Heritage Act, H.R. 6156  in the House and S. 3069 in the Senate last May.
This bill has been in the works for quite some time and over the last  two years many stakeholders have met with and worked with
Congressman McKeon  to make the bill more reasonable and workable. However, recent amendments  to the bill are totally
unreasonable and contrary to the previous  discussions with his staff. Among the changes are additional inappropriate  wilderness
expansions in the White Mountains, expansion and Congressional  designation of the Ancient Bristlecone Forest, and the
designation of the  entire length of the north fork and main fork of Cottonwood Creek as a Wild  and Scenic River.
Almost all of the White Mountains north of the Inyo/Mono County line is  to be designated as wilderness in the original bill. The latest
amendments  include wilderness designation for the entire Cottonwood Basin including the  Eva Belle Mine all the way along
Crooked Creek to the Inyo/Mono County line.
Although some of the roads are cherry stemmed into the proposed wilderness,  it would adversely affect many forms of recreation
traditionally occurring  in the area including camping, hunting, and rockhounding.    The expansion of the Ancient Bristlecone Forest
would eliminate
rockhounding in several key locations and possibly eliminate traditional  motorized access used for hunting and four wheeling.
If this legislation is enacted, it will eliminate motorized access on  the Furnace Creek Road. The Furnace Creek Road is a
spectacular four  wheel-drive route that begins just inside California near Dyer, Nevada. The  route has spectacular scenery and
stretches into the White Mountains to Tres  Plumas Meadow, a beautiful meadow at 10,500 feet with the best backcountry  
recreation and deer hunting in the White Mountains. The road was featured  as one of the best routes in Roger Mitchell's 1969
publication 'Inyo/Mono  Jeep Trails'.
During the development of the Inyo National Forest Land and Resource  Management Plan, the Furnace Creek Road was a topic
of considerable  discussion. During the process there was a collaborative workgroup made up  of representatives from a very
diverse group of public interests. The  workgroup concluded with a consensus agreement that the Furnace Creek Road  would
remain open for motorized use and in return other areas would be  recommended for wilderness designation in the Forest Plan.
Unfortunately,  the very same environmental representatives, the Forest Service, and Senator  Boxer's and Congressman
McKeon's staff refuse to honor that commitment.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

The good folks at Pirate 4X4.com have offered to help us effectively  oppose this ill-conceived and unfair legislation. The Pirate
4X4 website
has put up a letter generator which will allow you to generate a letter to  Senator Boxer and Representative McKeon with very little
effort. You simply
fill in the blanks and type in a short personal note and then click on the  'submit' button. It should only take you five minutes or so to
generate
your letter and it would really help defeat the bill. If we are able to  generate 2500 letters, our friends at Blue Ribbon Coalition have
offered to
print them and hand-deliver them to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.  That would really be a big deal! The letter
generator is located at
http://www.pirate4x4.com/letters/
PLEASE SUBMIT A LETTER AND PASS THIS MESSAGE ON TO ANY FRIENDS OR ASSOCIATES  THAT SUPPORT PUBLIC
ACCESS TO PUBLIC LANDS.
New Legislation form Boxer/McKeon
This could be a huge loss of access to Public Land
What's New
Copyright 2009 Don Alexander
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Congressman Jerry Lewis  
Representing California's 41st District
Send a Message to Jerry Lewis  
District Office
1150 Brookside Avenue
Suite J-5
Redlands, CA 92373
Phone: (909) 862-6030
1-800-233-1700 (within California)  
Washington, D.C. Office
2112 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5861
San Bernardino National
Forest CONTACTS
Supervisor's Office
602 S. Tippecanoe Ave.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
(909) 382-2600 (Voice)
(TDD/TTY dial 7-1-1)

Arrowhead Ranger Station
(909) 382-2782

Barton Flats Visitor Center
(909) 794-4861 Summer
Season Only

Big Bear Ranger Station &
Discovery Center
(909) 382-2790

Idyllwild Ranger Station
(909) 382-2921

Lytle Creek Ranger Station
(909) 382-2851

Mill Creek Ranger Station
(909) 382-2882

Santa Rosa and San Jacinto
Mountains National
Monument
(760) 862-9984
PERMENENTLY CLOSED TRAILS AND ROADS LIST
CLICK HERE
TEMPORARILY  CLOSED TRAILS AND ROADS LIST
CLICK HERE
San Bernardino National Forest Fire Conditions
(CLICK HERE!)
San Bernardino National Forest Weather Conditions
(CLICK HERE!)
San Bernardino National Forest Off Highway Vehicle
Info (CLICK HERE!)
Road Conditions (Highways) (CLICK HERE!)
Fire Restrictions (CLICK HERE!)
San Bernardino National Forest Alerts and Notices
(CLICK HERE!)
Cal 4 Wheel Safety Requirements (CLICK HERE)
What you can do!
Click HERE!
Travel Management Directives; Forest
Service Manual 2350, 7700, and 7710
and Forest Service Handbook 7709.55
From the Federal Register, 12-09-08
this document covers amendments to the
Forest Service Travel Management plan.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS FOR YOUR INFORMATION
CLICK ON THE DOCUMENT NAME TO DOWNLOAD OR OPEN
In the coming months, we will post articles offering opinions
about these documents and how you can use them and/or their
contents to keep access to the San Bernardino National Forest.  
For now, continuing to use the land and your vehicles in a
resonsible manner is the most important tool we have.
Travel Management;
Designated Routes and
Areas for Motor Vehicle Use
this document covers: The Department of
Agriculture is revising regulations
regarding travel management on
National Forest System lands to clarify
policy related to motor vehicle use,
including the use of off-highway
vehicles.
THIS IS THE MASTER DOCUMENT FOR ALL
NATIONAL FORESTS TO USE AS A GUIDE
FOR LOCAL TRAVEL MANAGEMENT PLANS
LINKS TO IMPORTANT
INFORMATION WEB SITES
The Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976
this document was created by Congress
to establish public land policy; to
establish guidelines for its administration;
to provide for the management,
protection, development, and
enhancement of the public lands; and for
other purposes.
FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK NATIONAL
HEADQUARTERS  WASHINGTON, DC
CHAPTER 20
this document is CHAPTER 20 - TRAVEL
ANALYSIS
FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK NATIONAL
HEADQUARTERS  WASHINGTON, DC
CHAPTER 10
this document is CHAPTER 10 - TRAVEL
PLANNING FOR DESIGNATIONS
FOREST SERVICE HANDBOOK NATIONAL
HEADQUARTERS  WASHINGTON, DC
CHAPTER 7710
this document is CHAPTER 7710 –
TRAVEL PLANNING
Environmental Assessment
Motorized Travel
Management EA
San Bernardino National
Forest
this document published in January,
2009, is the key document covering, if you
looking deep enough, what is going on in
the San Bernardino National Forest right
now.
Boxer/McKeon Wilderness Bill - ACTION NEEDED
Click on a link for
more INFO!
Senator Boxer
Legislation Info
Senator Feinstein
Wilderness Bill
ACTION
NEEDED
ITEMS