Summer 2008 ForestWatch The Quarterly Membership Publication of Los Padres ForestWatch

FORESTWATCH is the only organization working to protect the entire Los Padres National Court Halts Logging Project in Fragile Burn Area Forest — from the Big Sur coast to the Sespe wildlands — In a case with far-reaching effects across the West, a federal from damage caused by oil court has ruled that the Forest Service “ignored or entirely drilling, off-road vehicle abuse, dismissed” its own regulations in approving commercial log- unmanaged livestock grazing, ging in a remote section of the Los Padres National Forest. and other resource extraction. The ruling halts the 1,000-acre project until officials prepare an Environmental Assessment or shrink the project’s foot- print to reduce the environmental impacts in this fragile burn Inside this issue: area in northern Ventura County.

Director’s Message 2 The court’s ruling responded to a lawsuit filed by Forest- Watch in February challenging the Forest Service’s approval Oak Group Art Show Benefit 2 of the so-called Day Fire Hazard Tree Removal Project. We filed the lawsuit after officials refused to prepare an Environ- mental Assessment for the project to evaluate the impacts of Thanks for Your Support 3 heavy machinery on the post-fire landscape. The areas slated for logging had partially burned in the 2006 Day Fire Wild Wilderness Spring BBQ 3 and were just beginning to recover.

Non-Lead Bullets 4 “This ruling is a tremendous victory for our local forests, wild- in Condor Country life, and watersheds,” said Jeff Kuyper, ForestWatch execu- Volunteers Clean Up (Continued on page 10) 4 Thorn Point Lookout

Removing Tamarisk 5 in the Sisquoc River Fire Season Returns to the Los Padres Looking Across the Forest 6-7 Fire season started with a fury this year in the Los Padres National Forest, one of the most fire-prone forests in the country. On June 8, an escaped campfire in the Monterey Truck Ban on Highway 33 9 Ranger District started the Indians Fire that burned more than 76,000 acres in and around the Ventana Wilderness. Two weeks later, lightning strikes near Big Sur ignited Oil Drilling on the Carrizo 9 two additional fires which have since merged into the Basin Complex fire, burning more than 140,000 acres. And with resources already stretched thin by these and more than Forest Plan Update 11 three hundred lightning fires burning throughout California, another fire was reported on July 1 in the front range of the Santa Ynez Mountains above Goleta. It burned nearly ForestWatch Hosts Wild & 9,500 acres before firefighters contained that blaze. It's going to be a long fire season 11 Scenic Film Festival in SLO in the Los Padres National Forest and throughout the state.

Field Notes: Sisquoc River 12 It all began on June 8, when an escaped campfire at Escondido Campground quickly spread into the rugged Ventana Wilderness. The fire - now fully contained - burned more than 76,000 acres, from the Arroyo Seco River on the west to Reliz Canyon on the east. (Continued on page 8)

printed using vegetable-based inks on 100% recycled paper produced with renewable wind power Page 2 ForestWatch

ould our region’s wild lands look any different today if you and I weren’t willing to protect them? That’s the mark of a truly effective conservation organization, and without the dedication and commitment of our growing alliance of supporters, W these special places would be a little less special today. Without us, the Bureau of Land Management in 2006 would have auctioned off more than 10,000 acres along the frontiers of our region’s public lands to oil companies. Without us, the oil industry would have already started to expand their operations in the Los Padres Na- Jeff Kuyper is the Executive tional Forest...for less than a day’s supply of crude. Without us, the multinational oil company Director of ForestWatch. responsible for last year’s devastating spill in the Sespe Creek watershed would have gone unanswered and likely unpunished. We’ve protected our public lands from commercial ex- BOARD OF ploitation for three years and counting, demanding accountability from the oil industry. DIRECTORS

Without us, logging companies would be removing live, healthy trees from Grade Valley and BRAD Alamo Mountain as we speak. Without us, the Forest Service would have cut down large old- MONSMA President growth conifers on Figueroa Mountain without even preparing an Environmental Assessment. Camarillo Our advocacy efforts have compelled agencies to follow our nation’s environmental laws.

PAT VEESART Without us, two more oil wells would have been drilled on the boundary of the Sespe Condor Vice President Sanctuary, dangerously close to critical nesting sites. Without us, more than seven hundred San Luis Obispo pounds of microtrash would still be scattered across the forest, waiting for condors to swoop PHILIP down and bring the small bits of trash to their young. We have directly protected endangered TSENG California condors, and their habitat, from harm. Secretary/ Treasurer Santa Barbara And without us, sixty mature tamarisk plants would have spread thousands of seeds along the Sisquoc River this spring. Our volunteers are keeping this highly invasive plant in check. RUTH LASELL Ojai We’re the only nonprofit organization working exclusively on these issues day after day. We’re a small but effective bunch, channeling our resources where it matters most and tackling the MICHAEL tough issues that would otherwise fly under the radar screen. We’re making a difference and, SUMMERS Santa Barbara with your continued support, we can leave our region’s wild lands even more majestic tomor- row than they are today. LOUIS ANDALORO Santa Barbara For the forest,

Oak Group Art Show Benefits ForestWatch

In March, more than one hundred ForestWatch supporters and art aficio- nados gathered at Marcia Burtt Studio in Santa Barbara to celebrate the opening of Backcountry Majesty, an exhibition of landscape paintings of the Los Padres. The month-long art show featured eighty paintings and photographs from more than two dozen local artists who donated half of the proceeds from art sales to ForestWatch. Altogether, the event raised nearly $10,000 for our local forest protection efforts! The exhibit was hosted by Marcia Burtt Studio and organized by The Oak Group, a collec- tive of local artists who dedicate their work to the preservation of open space throughout the Central Coast. Our sincerest thanks to everyone who participated in this successful event! Page 3

Thank You to Our Recent Supporters! We’d like to thank these new and existing members for your generous contributions since our last newsletter through the end of June. Your support allows us to continue our important work to protect our region’s natural treasures.

NEW MEMBERS RENEWED SUPPORT Greg + Jennifer Frugoli, Michael Mulligan + OJAI WILD! EVENT Richard Maxwell, Ecotones Joy Sawyer Mulligan Bon Appetit Jesse Arnold Dolli Alexander Dieter + Cynthia Goetze Babak Naficy Lesley Alexander George + Peggy Melton Doug Campbell Sheila + Lincoln Anderson Linda + Frank Granat Paulita Neal + Edwin Pounder Louis Andaloro William + Marlene Miley Jeremy Carroll George Appel Carl + Marian Greenfield New Camaldoli Hermitage Don Anderson + Nita Whaley Brett Millar Michael Crookston Astrov Fund Dennis Hadenfeldt Joanna Newton George Appel Spence + Mildred Mitchell Marge Erickson Luann Beach Jan Hamber Peggy Nielsen Robert Auric + Anna Jacobs Brad Monsma Vince Gerwe June + Shed Behar Curtis Harrington Carole + Dennis Nord Tessa Barnhardt Michael Mulligan + Michele + Glenn Havskjold Larry Bennett John Heinsius Ken + Alex Palley Bettina Barrett Joy Sawyer Mulligan Jaspa George Berg Barbara + Gerald Hess Jon + Maria Parisen Christopher Bates Lisa + Mitch Myers David + Phyllis Johnston Ron Bottorff Winifred Hirsch Patagonia Holly Blackwell Barbara Perkins Norman Livermore III Karen Bradstreet Donn Howell Robert Pavlik Emily + Brad Boyes Linda + Ron Phillips Laurence LoVerde Tom + Betty Budlong Kathe Hustace Gena Pennington Doug + Lee Buckmaster Sagebrush Annie's Jim Lowery Gary Bulla Angelica Jochim Lorna Pinassi Tom + Betty Budlong Fred + Phyllis Schoen Margaret Mansfield Jones Brad + Beth Cardinale Ernest Jones Kate Pond Sandy + George Buechley Tassajara Zen Mountain Ctr Jennifer Mello Lee Chiacos Donald Kahn David + Valerie Powdrell Thomas + Frances Chadwick Thacher School Jeanine Moret Jim Childress Kalon + Karen Kelley Patricia Puterbaugh Mike Chambliss + Sonia Son- Charlotte + Ron Williams Ken Owen Walter + Louise Choate Ron Kopp Alan + Jan Rains damer Keith Zandona Melissa Riparetti-Stepien Cornelia Corbett Don + Carol Lauer Arnie Schildhaus Mark Condon Gareth Sadler Kevin Corse Tony Lee Lorraine Schulmeister Kevin + Sonia Connors OAK GROUP BENEFIT Bill Shanbrom Karen Cotter Jim Little Celia + Peter Scott Alasdair + Lauren Coyne Robert + Tomika Sollen B.D. + Liz Dautch Suzanne + Tom Londo John + Aida Shellabarger Carlos Frilot Bob Barker Nick Todd Arden Day Ken MacDonald + Stuart Sherman Greg + Jennifer Frugoli Michele Coyle Scott Waters Nan Deal Rachel Haymon Lynne Stark Lydia Golden + Brock Tom Farr Jim Williams Bill Denneen Steven + Jan Howell Marx Martin Stevenson Bernstein Peter Ford Kenneth Wolf Peter Dolan Steven Marx Richard + Suzanne Still Carol + Brian Gravelle Cassandra Grant Keith + Claudette York Peter Dullea Jane McCord John Swanson Brian Halvorsen + Rose Quinn Christy Hamari Jeri Edwards Bob + LaVerne McDonnell Peter Swanson Louise Heydt Tina Hasche FOUNDATION SUPPORT Clyde Eriksen Robert McLaughlin Eleanor Thomas Iron Mountian Boys Bob Maloy Yvonne Esler Ralph Mendershausen Rosita + Barney Tower Island Seed + Feed Marcia Burtt Studio Earth Friends Wildlife Fdn Garold Faber Karina Kansky + Larry Hogan Kate McCurdy Environment Now Brad Monsma Philip Tseng Matthew + Marisa Fienup, Allan Morton + Art + Judy Vander Kalon + Karen Kelley Bob Nisbet Fund for Santa Barbara Earthworks LLC Ed + Andrea Kish Richard Schull + Santa Barbara Foundation Paula Steinmetz Richard + Audrey Vincent Joel + Vasanti Fithian Burton Moyer + Ernest + Elynor Whitaker Dan + Joan Kuyper Ginny Turner Schull McCune Foundation Carlos Frilot Ruth Lasell Christina Siegel Ben + Jerry’s Foundation Marilyn Clark Jeff White Wilco Phoebe Lenhart Lindsay Skutch Geo Wilde Bruce Livingstone Leigh Sparks Charlotte + Ron Williams Los Padres Outfitters Richard Stahl Julie Manson Ed Vernon

Wild Wilderness! Event A Huge Success Photo by Brett Millar Our first-ever membership event was a wild success, with more than fifty wilderness enthusiasts gathering to celebrate the com- ing of spring with friends and family at Diamond Hitch Camp in Ojai at the base of the Los Padres. The afternoon featured a guided nature walk, music by the Iron Mountain Boys, a raging campfire, horse and wagon rides, local wines and appetizers, and a delicious gourmet barbeque. A lively auction topped off the event, featuring a three-day guided pack trip for two into the Sespe Wilderness donated by Los Padres Outfitters, a two-night stay in a remote wilderness retreat donated by the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center, and a guided tour of the Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge with wine tasting and dinner at Sagebrush Annie’s.

Special thanks go to the Thacher School for graciously hosting this event, raising $8,000 for our local forest protection efforts. Plans are underway for an even bigger event next year to celebrate our Fifth Anniversary. Thanks to everyone for joining us on this special afternoon and we hope to see you at Diamond Hitch again next year! Page 4 ForestWatch

Lead Bullet Ban Takes Effect in Condor Country

New state hunting regulations require the the nervous system, leading to death or use of non-lead ammunition in habitat for intensive and painful chelation to remove the endangered California condor. Lead- the lead from the condor’s system. free bullets are now required anywhere within the condor's range, including Ven- Safe, reliable non-lead bullets and shot tura, Santa Barbara, Kern, San Luis made from copper and other materials Obispo, and Monterey counties. The regu- are widely available and perform as well lations are designed to decrease the inci- as, or better than, lead ammunition. A list dence of lead poisoning, the leading of certified bullets and a map of the areas cause of death for condors in the wild. encompassed by the ban are available at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/ Traditional lead ammunition breaks apart condor. ForestWatch will work to educate into small fragments that the condors con- hunters about the new requirements and sume wile scavenging carcasses. Lead is monitor compliance. a highly toxic heavy metal that impacts

Thorn Point Lookout Tower: A Trashed Treasure in the Sespe

After gathering around the The morning began with a gentle hike campfire and retiring to their along the headwaters of Cedar Creek, but tents for a good night’s razor-sharp switchbacks on steep slopes sleep, eight dedicated For- quickly turned our journey into a very chal- estWatch volunteers awoke lenging one. The trek was worth it, as it on an early May morning to afforded dramatic vistas in all directions, summit Thorn Point, one of colorful wildflowers along the trail, and a the tallest peaks in the surprising diversity of plant life as we Sespe Wilderness at nearly made our way through a conifer forest of 7,000 feet in elevation. Their massive ponderosas, sugar pines, and mission: to clean up micro- big-cone Douglas firs. trash around a historic fire lookout tower frequented by After pausing for lunch and admiring the the critically endangered panoramic views, we cleaned up the en- California condor. tire site in about two hours. The site still The Thorn Point microtrash needs work, as both the lookout tower work crew. ForestWatch vol- A popular stop-over for condors traveling and the adjacent shed have fallen into unteers have now removed between the Hopper Mountain and Bitter disarray over the years and if they aren’t 724 pounds of microtrash Creek National Wildlife Refuges, Thorn repaired or secured, we can expect to see and other trash from condor Point has accumulated its fair share of a lot more microtrash in the future. We’re habitat. glass, bottle caps, bullet shells, and other currently discussing the issue with the tiny bits of trash. When adult condors take Forest Service to see if we can diminish the trash back to their nests, it becomes the risk to condors in the future. harmful – even deadly – to condor chicks. Microtrash has become one of the leading Thanks to everyone who participated in threats to condor recovery. this challenging but rewarding project! Page 5

ForestWatch Volunteers Tackle Invasive Tamarisk on the Sisquoc

The Sisquoc River is one of the most pris- Manzana tine streams in southern California, but Creek and tamarisk – an alien invader that grows the Sisquoc rapidly, choking out native vegetation and River, would consuming large amounts of water – serve as a threatens to change that. Tamarisk has picturesque appeared in scattered locations through- and central out the Sisquoc watershed, and for the last location for decade the Forest Service has tried to con- our work trol this voracious non-native plant. over the next few days. This year, ForestWatch—in coordination with the U.S. Forest Service—launched a By the end of comprehensive tamarisk removal project the trip, we along the entire length of the 33-mile river, had removed which flows through the heart of the San more than Rafael Wilder- fifty mature tamarisk plants from a four- ness. Our goal mile stretch of the Sisquoc River. Most of is to eradicate the tamarisk we found were mature plants invasive tama- and could not be pulled out by hand. Nor risk plants could they just be trimmed - they will re- from this ecol- sprout from the roots. Instead, our volun- ogically sensi- teers went to the root of the problem… tive water- literally. We carefully dug around most of shed. the plants, cutting the root deep beneath the surface and handing the evil-doing Early one April morning, a team of six For- plants their ultimate demise! estWatch volunteers converged near Nira Campground and hiked to Schoolhouse Our dedicated team of ForestWatch volun- Camp, our base camp for the next three teers, our U.S. Forest Service crew, and our days. This site, nestled amongst the oaks horse and mule support team all left the and sycamores near the confluence of Sisquoc River with a sense of accomplish- ment, knowing that wildness has been re- stored to a four mile stretch of this pristine watershed.

ForestWatch is organizing additional tama- risk work projects in the Sisquoc River in Fall and Winter 2008, after the summer heat passes. By the end of the year, we hope to have eradicated tamarisk from twelve miles of stream. If you have a hearty appetite for adventure, we hope you'll join us on our next trek into the mighty Sisquoc!

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NORTHERN LOS PADRES

Santa Margarita Ranch: Forest- Watch reviewed the final Environ- mental Impact Report to ensure that this mega-development will not impair the adjacent Santa Lucia Wilderness.

Ventana Wilderness: We’re working to improve commercial livestock grazing practices in the forest’s largest wilderness Twitchell Dam: ForestWatch is area to better protect their wild leading a coalition of conserva- character and rare wildlife in tion organizations in demand- Reliz Canyon, Vaqueros Canyon, ing adequate downstream flows for steelhead to swim and Sweetwater Canyon in the from the ocean to the Sisquoc. Arroyo Seco watershed.

Sisquoc Tamarisk Removal: O volunteers are working to re- move invasive tamarisk from this pristine watershed. PAGE Wildfires Burn in Los Padres: Fire season begins early with two wild- fires in the Ventana Wilderness and a third in the Santa Ynez front range. PAGE 1

LOOKING an update on how ACROSS we’re protecting THE FOREST your region... Page 7

Carrizo Management Plans: ForestWatch joined a coalition SOUTHERN LOS PADRES of conservation organizations in calling for strict land manage- ment standards for the Carrizo Plain National Monument and the adjacent Carrizo Plain Eco- logical Reserve. Carrizo Oil Exploration: Forest- Watch convinced the BLM to prepare a full environmental analysis before approving oil exploration in this National Monument. PAGE 9

Bitter Creek: ForestWatch Cerro N oroeste: Day Fire Salvage Logging: authored a We’re working We prevailed in our lawsuit letter support- to prevent the seeking to protect Grade ing a plan to removal of old- Valley and Alamo Mountain restore native growth conifers from damage caused by grasslands on used for condor commercial logging. PAGE 1 this wildlife roosting on refuge. Cerro Noroeste mountain.

Thorn Point: Vol- unteers cleaned up 50 pounds of Our microtrash in the Sespe Wilderness to protect condors. E 5 PAGE 4

Happy Canyon: ForestWatch submitted comments to the Forest Service to protect springs and riparian areas from overgraz- ing in the Cachuma watershed. Ojai Fuelbreaks: ForestWatch reached agreement with the Forest Service to allow the Piru Creek: We support construction of fuel breaks Highway 33 Trucks: Forest- current legislation to add 7 while reducing their environ- Watch and Ojai residents se- miles of Piru Creek to the mental impact. The fuel breaks cured a ban on additional nation’s Wild & Scenic were originally proposed to be gravel truck traffic on this sce- River system. up to 2,000 feet wide for 50 nic highway. Now we’re work- miles around the Ojai Valley. ing to ensure the ban remains permanent. PAGE 9 Page 8 ForestWatch

Los Padres Ablaze (from the front page)

Two weeks later, a freak lightning storm housed in the release pens, temporarily near Big Sur started two separate fires - moving the endangered birds out of the Gallery Fire along the coast (pictured harms way to the nearby Pinnacles Na- left) and the Basin Fire inside the remote tional Monument. The rescued condors Ventana Wilderness. These two fires have will be released into the wild later this since merged into one and have con- year. sumed more than 137,000 acres, with full containment expected by July 30. Further south, on July 1, a fire broke out near Lizard’s Mouth, a unique sandstone The Basin Fire at one point prompted the outcrop on the crest of the Santa Ynez closure of a 30-mile stretch of Highway 1 Mountains. With hundreds of wildfires and, after the fire jumped containment burning in the State of California, officials lines, an evacuation of the entire Big Sur declared the Gap Fire as the state's num- community was ordered. The flames are ber one priority. being fueled by high temperatures and Smoke rises from a hillside in the Los Padres after a freak erratic winds, as well as tens of thousands More than 5,000 residents in Goleta and lightning storm hit the Big Sur of dead oaks that have succumbed to a outlying mountain communities were or- coast. Photo courtesy of Jenni- disease called sudden oak death. The dered or warned to evacuate from their fer Stevens. Basin fire also passed over the remote homes as the fire spread towards Condor Tassajara Zen Mountain Center deep in Peak and Upper Tecolote Canyon on the the Ventana Wilderness, and the monks fringe of the Gaviota Coast and towards there successfully defended the retreat San Jose Canyon near Highway 154. De- while losing only a few outbuildings. The spite fierce “sundowner” winds pushing fires, which have so far cost more than the fire towards town, more than 2,500 $65 million to suppress, have prompted emergency responders were able to pro- the closure of the entire Monterey Ranger tect all homes from the blaze. Now con- District until further notice. tained, the Gap Fire has covered nearly 9,400 acres of the Santa Ynez front coun- Thankfully, all but one of the 25 wild con- try and has cost more than $20 million to dors in Big Sur are accounted for, includ- suppress. Until further notice, all national ing two chicks that were nesting in the forest lands south of Camino Cielo be- burn area. The fate of a third chick nest- tween Gibraltar Road and Refugio Road ing in the cavity of a redwood tree remains are closed to public entry. unknown. The fire also affected a condor release site As both fires reach full containment, administered crews are focusing on rehabilitating dozer by the Ven- lines, to the extent possible, to minimize tana Wildlife erosion during winter rains. The Forest Society. A Service will also undertake a Burn Area U.S. Coast Emergency Response process to evaluate Guard heli- the expected impacts to watersheds in copter res- the burn areas from flooding and land- cued the slides due to loss of vegetation. Forest- eight condors Watch will closely track both processes. Page 9

Scenic Highway 33 Protected from More Gravel Truck Traffic...For Now

In May, ForestWatch moved one step When added to existing closer to protecting the Ojai Valley, the truck traffic, this would Los Padres National Forest, and Scenic have resulted in one truck Highway 33 from an influx of as many as every four minutes during 138 gravel truck trips per day to and from peak production, accord- the Diamond Rock Mine planned for the ing to the mine’s Environ- Cuyama Valley. mental Impact Report.

The mining company had initially pro- While the Diamond Rock posed to send as many as 138 truck trips truck ban is now in effect, per day along Highway 33, a narrow, wind- the mine operator can ask ing two-lane mountain road designated as that it be lifted anytime in the future. Forest- a California Scenic Highway and a Na- Watch and the Stop the Trucks Coalition will tional Forest Scenic Byway. The trucks continue to demand that the ban remains would have cut through the heart of the permanent. With your support, we will also Los Padres National Forest, rumbling by continue to monitor additional mines that popular swimming holes, campgrounds, could send hundreds of additional trucks hiking trails, wilderness areas, and a ten- through the heart of the Los Padres. mile stretch of Sespe Creek.

Oil Exploration Planned for the Carrizo Plain National Monument

An oil company recently announced plans The Carrizo Plain was established as to explore for oil along five-miles of the a national monument in 2001 to pro- Carrizo Plain National Monument’s ecol- tect the area’s unique wildlife and ogically sensitive interior using dynamite cultural resources. Dynamite and and 60,000-pound thumper trucks. Due thumper trucks would cause signifi- to the highly fragile landscape, Forest- cant ground disturbance that would Watch and a coalition of conservation or- affect endangered wildlife like the ganizations recently convinced the Bureau giant kangaroo rat, the San Joaquin of Land Management to conduct the high- kit fox, and the blunt-nosed leopard est level of environmental review before lizard, all of which live in the area in allowing the exploration to proceed. underground burrows.

Vintage Production LLC, a subsidiary of oil With your support we’ll continue to giant Occidental Petroleum Corp., owns build on our track record of protecting the The Carrizo Plain is home many rare plants and ani- 30,000 acres of mineral rights on the val- Carrizo Plain from additional oil development. mals, including reintroduced ley floor of the Carrizo Plain National What little oil remains in the monument is not herds of pronghorn antelope Monument. This same company was re- worth the damage that could occur from us- (shown) and Tule elk. sponsible for last year’s devastating oil ing thumper trucks and explosives in this spill in the Los Padres National Forest. ecologically fragile area. Page 10 ForestWatch

ForestWatch Halts Illegal Logging Project (from the front) tive director. “The court confirmed what salvage logging projects larger than 250 we’ve been saying all along—that an inten- acres, and had miscategorized the project sive commercial logging operation would as “routine road maintenance” in an ef- wreak havoc on this ecosystem just as it fort to avoid preparing this important envi- begins to recover from the effects of wild- ronmental document. This project was fire.” more than four times larger than the al- lowable limit, clearly requiring an EA. “The court confirmed After the 2006 Day Fire passed through what we’ve been say- Grade Valley and Alamo Mountain on the The court agreed, concluding, “Due to the ing all along – that Mt. Pinos District of the Los Padres Na- acreage of trees involved, the Forest Ser- tional Forest, officials became concerned vice plainly erred in making use of the an intensive com- that “dead or dying” trees might fall onto Road Maintenance and Site Maintenance mercial logging op- the road, and proposed the Day Fire Haz- CEs and its decision to do so was arbitrary eration would wreak ard Tree Removal Project. and capricious.” havoc on this ecosys- tem just as it begins But instead of simply cutting the trees and During the approval process for this pro- to recover from the leaving them in place for soil nutrients ject, ForestWatch presented the Forest and wildlife habitat, logging companies Service with several scientific studies effects of wildfire.” pressured the Forest Service to allow a showing that salvage logging can seriously commercial timber sale in the area. And hinder the recovery of burned areas fol- to fast-track the project through the ap- lowing wildfire. Logging requires the use proval process, the Forest Service classi- of heavy equipment on fragile soils, and fied the logging as “routine road mainte- can cause long-term damage through the nance,” which removed it from the re- construction of landing areas, road widen- quirement to prepare an Environmental ing, and dragging trees to loading areas, Assessment (EA). according to those peer-reviewed studies.

The court’s ruling centered on whether The project was fraught with problems this “road maintenance” classification from the beginning. In addition to the More than 1,400 trees were was consistent with agency policy. In a agency’s failure to prepare an EA, Forest- marked, like this one, for stinging rebuke of the Forest Service’s Watch also discovered—through several logging even though many approach, the court found that the Forest visits to the project area — that as many of them were not “dead or Service “ignored or entirely dismissed” its as 20% of the trees marked for logging dying” and presented no own requirement to prepare an EA for any were still living and did not even qualify as public safety hazard. hazard trees to begin with.

The court’s ruling will have far-reaching effects on national forests across the country, hopefully prompting a more sen- sible approach to hazard tree manage- ment, one that treads lightly on the land and fully allows the recovery of the post- fire landscape. Thanks to all of our mem- bers and supporters for providing the re- sources necessary to bring justice to the forest. And a big thank you to our attor- ney, Erik Ryberg, who brilliantly presented this case on our behalf. Page 11

Land Management Plan Update: Plans, Postmarks and Politics, Part Two

In our last issue, we told you about how a And we’re in good high-ranking Forest Service bureaucrat in company. The State Washington D.C. refused to consider the of California also ap- conservation community’s appeal of the pealed the new for- new management plan for the Los Padres est plan, arguing that National Forest. His refusal had nothing to the plan allowed too do with science-based land management much development in and everything to do with politics, claiming the forest’s pristine that our appeal was filed one day late and roadless areas. But didn’t have a postmark! the Forest Service bureaucrat rejected We’re pleased to report that a federal their appeal, too, judge has ordered the agency to respond prompting the State to our appeal. As you may have guessed, to sue the Forest Service. The new management the Forest Service “responded” by reject- plan for the Los Padres National Forest includes ing every single one of the issues pre- In today’s political climate, wildlife too vague standards, less sented in our appeal. Having exhausted often take the back seat to development accountability, and weaker all other options, ForestWatch joined a and resource extraction interests. Your safeguards for threatened coalition of conservation organizations support allows us to continue to demand wildlife like the California this spring in filing a lawsuit to challenge strong protections for our local wildlife red-legged frog. Photo the forest management plans in court. and the wild places they inhabit. courtesy of Patrick Briggs, californiaherps.com

ForestWatch Hosts the Wild & Scenic Film Festival in San Luis Obispo

ForestWatch is hosting the Wild & Scenic Environmental Film Festival On Tour as it comes to San Luis Obispo! The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 18 at the Spanos Theater on the Cal Poly campus and will include an evening of short and longer films designed to in- spire all of us to go out and make a difference in our community.

You’ll LEARN new ideas from a selection of inspiring environmental films with hardhitting topics including water issues, wilderness preser- vation, citizen activism, and more. You’ll EXPERIENCE the adrenalin of kayaking the wildest rivers, climbing the highest peaks, and trekking across the globe with adventure films around the world. You’ll EX- PLORE the issues and movements with leading environmental activ- ists and professionals, filmmakers, and celebrities. And you’ll CELE- BRATE the natural and wild world.

All proceeds of the event will benefit Los Padres ForestWatch. Stay tuned for more details about this exciting evening! For more informa- tion or to become an event sponsor, call us at (805) 617-4610. Field Notes: The Wild & Scenic Sisquoc River

Hailed as “the most pristine stream” in our region, the Wilderness Area. In 1992, 33 miles of the Sisquoc were Sisquoc River offers untouched wildlife habitat and wil- added to the nation’s Wild & Scenic River system to pro- derness landscapes to those few hearty souls who reach tect their outstandingly remarkable values. this remote area by foot or horseback. The mighty Sisquoc Never dammed, the Sisquoc is originates on the slopes of one of our region’s only free- 6,590-foot San Rafael Moun- flowing rivers. While once sup- tain, flowing downstream for 33 porting tens of thousands of miles through the rugged San steelhead, current downstream Rafael Wilderness, flanked by dams and water uses prevent the Sierra Madre Mountains to steelhead from swimming up- the north and the San Rafael stream to the Sisquoc in all but Mountains to the south before the wettest years. The river valley eventually emptying into the is home to several other rare crit- Cuyama River. ters like arroyo toads, red-legged frogs, southwestern pond turtles, Chumash rock art sites are scat- and California condors. tered throughout the valley, as are remnants of an 1880s faith-healer homestead com- The Sisquoc River Trail — an old overgrown wagon road — munity. The Manzana Schoolhouse (a historic landmark) provides hiking and equestrian access along the entire and various ruins are all that remain after prolonged length of the Sisquoc River, from the wide sandy flood- drought forced the settlers out. plains of the lower river to the upper reaches dominated by mixed conifer forests, narrow rocky areas, waterfalls, Efforts to protect the Sisquoc began in 1932 with the and deep pools. The Sisquoc is a truly sacred place, and establishment of the San Rafael Primitive Area, and will remain so thanks to the foresight of those who fought three decades later with the creation of the San Rafael to protect it.

The Quarterly Membership Publication NONPROFIT ORG of Los Padres ForestWatch US POSTAGE PAID SANTA BARBARA CA Post Office Box 831 Santa Barbara, CA 93102 PERMIT NO. 221 Phone: 805-617-4610 E-mail: [email protected] ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED Web: www.LPFW.org

Protecting Our Public Lands Along California’s Central Coast