Southern California Forests Face Uncertain Future
Report Released Today Identifies Leading Threats to Region's Last Natural Areas

Los Angeles - A report released today by The Sierra Club Southern California Forests Campaign takes an in-depth look at numerous challenges facing the four national forests of southern California. The report, "At Risk: Southern California's Magnificent National Forests," documents the damaging impacts of several proposed projects, including plans to flood a popular recreation area for a private hydroelectric plant, build a toll road through wilderness-quality lands, drill for oil in condor habitat, and construct massive power transmission lines along a spectacular scenic vista.

"The national forests of southern California face new and rapidly growing threats to their long-term health and natural beauty. The Forest Service must act decisively so that these spectacular, unspoiled places are conserved for future generations of southern Californians," said Doug Hansen, President of the California Chapter of REP America (Republicans for Environmental Protection-www.rep.org).

The report is issued as the Forest Service prepares to release its final Land Management Plans later this month for the Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests.

Stretching from Monterey to Baja, the forests are visited by over eight million people a year-twice the number of visitors to Yosemite National Park. These local forests are where many children play in snow for the first time, see their first pinecones and deer, and wade in their first creek. "So many people come up here on weekends with their kids, their bikes, to find some peace and get in touch with nature," said Chay Peterson, a mountain biker and resident of Silverado Canyon, which neighbors an area of the Cleveland National Forest threatened by a proposed toll road. "What is sacred and special about this area, and so beneficial to the residents of southern California, is going to be lost forever if it's paved over."

The report also illustrates how major new developments are encircling our forests, threatening vital wildlife migration trails, increasing the risk of fire, and threatening recreation opportunities. As the amount of open space beyond forest boundaries dwindles and the population grows, protecting the unspoiled scenic beauty and recreational opportunities provided by the four forests is of ever growing importance.

According to Michael Hamilton, Director of the University of California James San Jacinto Mountain Reserve, "Too much of our native wildlife is struggling just to survive. Southern California's national forests provide the core refuge for many of these animals, and the Forest Service has a responsibility not only to protect the forests for wildlife but also to maintain crucial connections to other natural areas."