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VENTANA WILDERNESS WATCH ventanawild.org Newsletter of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance Volume 19 Number 1 I Spring 2018 Timber Top, Big Sur © 2005 by Tom Killion I tomkillion.com You Can’t Get There 2017 Frogs and Toads From Here Annual Report of the Ventana Region Protecting the Big Sur Backcountry VENTANA WILDERNESS WATCH I Volume 19 Number 1 I SPRING 2018 VENTANA WILDERNESS WATCH Newsletter of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance Message from the Executive Director It’s been almost two years since the Soberanes Wildland Fire; and more than a year since one of the heaviest winters in PO Box 506 I Santa Cruz, California 95061 recorded history dumped record rainfall (831) 423-3191 I ventanawild.org on denuded slopes. That “perfect storm” The mission of the reshaped the backcountry severely enough Ventana Wilderness Alliance that familiar places may be barely recogniz- is to protect, preserve and restore able. Road and trail closures, fallen trees, the wilderness qualities and biodiversity of the public lands and fire-prompted regrowth have rendered within California’s northern many destinations unappealing, others Santa Lucia Mountains nearly inaccessible. As is the boom and and Big Sur coast. bust reality of a rapidly changing climate, BOARD of DIRECTORS 2018 is an entirely different story. Unless Tom Hopkins, President we’re blessed with unseasonal levels of late David Jacobs, CPA, Treasurer Maria Ferdin, Secretary spring precipitation, more months of this year will be spent in fire season than out. Betsy MacGowan, Director at Large Al Budris, Director at Large Regardless, spring has sprung! It’s prime time to get out and give back; and in the spirit of Greg Meyer, Director at Large the season, VWA field programs are in full swing. Volunteer and contract trail crews are Elizabeth Thomas, Director at Large working hard to improve and restore access. Youth in Wilderness expeditions are booked John Tilley, Director at Large Dottie Massey, Director at Large solid, with Field Instructors doing their best to pay it forward and inspire a brand-new generation. Volunteer Rangers are protecting Wilderness character by cleaning up camps STAFF Toan Do, Youth in Wilderness and helping the Forest Service manage an ever-increasing number of visitors with fewer Program Manager and fewer places to go. Amy Patten, Administrative Assistant For some of us, it’s enough to know that these wild places exist. We’d stand up and fight Richard Popchak, Communications and Development Director for Wilderness simply for its intrinsic value—as a bastion where natural processes prevail, Mike Splain, Executive Director and as habitat for the millions of species with whom we share this fragile planet. Other Trevor Willits, folks prioritize self-reliance, primitive recreation, solitude, or spiritual values. Still others Stewardship Program Coordinator (including many VWA youth program participants) have yet to encounter landscapes as NEWSLETTER PRODUCTION awe-inspiring as the Ventana and Silver Peak Wildernesses. To know these places is to love Editor: Richard Popchak Design: Lynn Piquett them; to love them is to rise to their defense. Printing: Community Printers, Santa Cruz This issue of Ventana Wilderness Watch begins by highlighting an especially hard-working Printed on 30% post-consumer waste recycled paper with agri-based inks. cadre of Wilderness defenders. And whatever your motivation, if you’re seeking someplace wild, read on for an overview of current conditions and worthwhile destinations. Assuming ON THE COVER your aim is reasonable hiking with some semblance of solitude, we’ve also included The rugged scenery of recommendations of some places to avoid. We’ll examine some of the fascinating critters Northern California that, like us, cannot live without wild places. Last but definitely not least, we’ll acknowledge inspired Tom Killion from an early age to the partners, funders, and members who make this labor of love a reality. Our hope is that create landscape prints using linoleum you’ll be inspired to join their ranks and to roll up your sleeves and get involved because, and wood, strongly as Ed Abbey famously recognized, “The idea of wilderness needs no defense. It only needs influenced by the traditional Japanese ukiyo-ë style of Hokusai and Hiroshige. A long-time supporter of more defenders.” VWA, Tom’s image of Ventana Double Cone is the centerpiece of our logo. Tom has been producing block prints of the Ventana region since the late 1970’s. Many of his striking Big Sur prints are included in his most recent collaboration with poet Gary Snyder, California’s Wild Edge: The Coast in 2 Prints, Poetry, and History, published by Heyday Books. Mike Splain I [email protected] Please visit tomkillion.com for more information. Rangers Defend Wilderness We all have the right to visit our public lands. We also have the Volunteer Wilderness Rangers have completed 438 patrols since duty to enjoy them responsibly. Backcountry visitors need to at the program’s inception. some point learn how to prepare for a visit into the wild. Once there, someone has to teach them the actions and behaviors neces- sary to protect the resources. But not everybody is getting this training. That is why VWA organizes and funds the Volunteer Wilderness Ranger (VWR) program in conjunction with the US Forest Service (USFS). VWRs patrol the backcountry, greet visitors, instill Leave No Trace ethics, and teach people how to minimize their impacts. Oh, and they clean up after previous visitors, most of whom are more unenlightened than they are malicious. The program is serious business. VWRs wear a uniform and are certified in Wilderness First Aid. They carry a radio and maintain contact with USFS dispatch on each patrol. They are courteous and intimately Since 2010, VWRs have donated 15,091 hours of service, an familiar with the Ventana region. in-kind contribution of $390,827 to public lands in the Big Sur backcountry. Until such a time when the USFS is properly staffed and funded to deliver this service, the VWR program will remain essential. The We would like to thank Steve Benoit, Lead Volunteer Wilderness following graphs illustrate the progress made since the program’s Ranger, for managing the program from its nascent stages to where founding in 2010. it is today. Leading this program requires tremendous attention to detail and follow-through. We can’t thank Steve enough. Steve reminds us that without the dedication, creativity, and resolve of Beth Benoit and Lynn Moncher, he’d be in over his head. Thanks to Beth, Lynn, and all the other Rangers for their amazing work. Please contact us at [email protected] or 831-423-3191 if you’re interested in becoming a VWR. Candidates need to be self-motivated, familiar with the Big Sur backcountry, and willing to join the group on a one-year probationary trial period. ■ 2017 RANGERS and ASSOCIATES: (kneeling left to right) Joe Radoslovich, Steven Moore, Sharol Sevilla, Steve Benoit, Cynthia Grall, Anne Canright, Stuart Carlson, Vince Silva, Beth Benoit (standing left to right) Josh Rude, Andrew St. Cyr, Maria Ferdin, Trevor Willits (VWA staff), David Hirsch (Trail Crew Leader), Betsy MacGowan, Bob Stallard (Trail Crew Leader), Lynn Moncher, Mike Grall, Bobby Steger, Steve Cypher, Dave Wachtel, Roger 3 Beaudoin, Darlene Felsman, Gary Felsman, Mike Heard, Tom Murphey (USFS). VENTANA WILDERNESS WATCH I Volume 19 Number 1 I SPRING 2018 ‘You Can’t Get There From Here’ I by Mike Splain We’ve heard it from songs, poems and, sadly, the U.S. Forest Service. Fire, flood, and pestilence (read: Sudden Oak Death) have wrought havoc on favorite camps and trails. Many access roads are in bad shape, some have been closed for years. The good news is that, generally speaking, you can get there from here. It just might take some extra work. The bad news is that there’s a major exception, and it’s the single most popular backcountry destination. The severely damaged Pine Ridge Trail remains closed between Big Sur Station and the Big Sur Trail. Terrace Creek Trail is also closed, which means no access to Ventana, Terrace Creek, Barlow Flat, Sykes, or Redwood camps. The VWA is helping the Forest Service devise a repair plan but that could be a long time coming. Despite some difficulties, hundreds of miles of backcountry trails are “open for business.” So where should you go? Here’s a regional overview of the Los Padres National Forest, Monterey Ranger District. Northern Big Sur Coast I Everyone loves to witness the “greatest meeting of land and sea” and therein lies the problem. Solitude is rare on the crowded Big Sur coast and road The De Angulo Trail ascends steeply from Highway 1 near Partington closures complicate access. For instance, Palo Colorado Road is Ridge. closed 3.3 miles from Highway 1, so just getting to the Skinner Ridge Trail involves four miles of road walking. The Little Sur and campsites are often full by midmorning. Originating from Trail is similarly challenged, as 3.7 miles of Old Coast Road must Nacimiento-Fergusson Road about a mile from Highway 1, the Mill be walked merely to reach the trailhead. The Mount Manuel Trail Creek Trail ascends its namesake creek amid a lovely redwood ascends from Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to grand views atop its forest. Although water is abundant, the trail is camp-less and best namesake peak but difficult conditions and a lack of water make suited for day hikes. The Prewitt Loop Trail has north and south it best for day hikes. The Boronda Trail and De Angulo Trail trailheads about a mile apart on Highway 1 in Pacific Valley. Both originate as ranch roads just north and south of Torre Canyon ends have their charms and access camps near fairly reliable on Highway 1.