August 2015 Volume 3, Issue 3 Wilderness Begins to Heal in Aftermath of Historic Lake Fire By Bettye Miller, Val Silva and Ted Schofield When the Lake Fire roared through the San Gorgonio Wilderness in June, charring favorite trails and campsites, many of us felt as if we’d lost our best friend. While some areas, like Grinnell Mountain Aspen Grove. Photo by Robin Eliason, USFS and Fish Creek, will take years to recover, the forest is beginning to heal. Just weeks after the fire was contained, ferns and wildflowers began poking through the ash along the decimated waterline trail. In the treasured aspen grove, new trees are sprouting and are knee-high. The fire consumed 31,539 acres, much of it in the wilderness, and is still burning. It won’t be out until there are many days of drenching rain or heavy snow. Smoldering tree stumps and roots, dangerous snags and See Lake Fire on page 3 Annual Forest Festival Returns Aug. 15 The annual Forest Festival will be held Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Barton Flats Visitor Center. The family-friendly festival is free and open to the public. Picnic facilities are available. Food and beverages will be available. Smokey Bear will greet visitors as they use a crosscut saw to create a “tree cookie” that is then branded with U.S. Forest Service and Smokey Bear logos; try their hand at nature crafts; learn what it takes to serve on a search-and-rescue team; meet horses used to pack in tools and supplies for wilderness trail maintenance crews; and visit with SGWA members. Information also will be presented about long-term impacts of the recent Lake Fire that devastated the San Gorgonio Wilderness, and what to expect as the forest recovers. Wilderness Link San Gorgonio Wilderness Association Calendar of Events These are the major events of the year. For more information about these and other activities, or to sign up for events go to www.sangorgoniowilderness.org. August 8 Mill Creek Restoration Day 15 Forest Festival 25 Board Meeting September 5 Mill Creek Restoration Day 26 National Public Lands Day 29 Board Meeting October 4 Close Barton Flats 6 Radical Reels 10 Awards Lunch 11 Close Tulakes 27 Board Meeting November TBA USFS Volunteer Appreciation December 12 Christmas Party May 2016 21 Orientation Day
Transcript
August 2015 Volume 3, Issue 3
Calendar of Events These are the major events of the year. For more information about these and other activities, or to sign up for events go to www.sangorgoniowilderness.org. February 8 Cucamonga Wilderness training 25 SGWA board meeting 27 Banff Mountain Film Festival March 1 Banff Mountain Film Festival 25 Board of Directors elections 29 LNT Awareness Day April 5 Trail boss training 12 Ranger talk training 29 Board meeting May 3 Whispering Pines cleanup 17 Volunteer training day 24 Trail patrols, ranger talks begin June 7 Thurman Flats cleanup 14 or 21 INFRA training July 5 Thurman Flats cleanup 5 Birthday Bash 4-5 Ranger talks August 2 Thurman Flats cleanup 16 Forest Festival 30 Volunteer potluck 31 Last ranger talk September 3 50th anniversary Wilderness Act
Questions?
Mill Creek
Heaistoric
Wilderness Begins to Heal in
Aftermath of Historic Lake Fire
By Bettye Miller, Val Silva and Ted Schofield When the Lake Fire roared through the San Gorgonio Wilderness in June, charring favorite trails and campsites, many of us felt as if we’d lost our best friend. While some areas, like Grinnell Mountain Aspen Grove. Photo by Robin Eliason, USFS and Fish Creek, will take years to recover, the forest is beginning to heal. Just weeks after the fire was contained, ferns and wildflowers began poking through the ash along the decimated waterline trail. In the treasured aspen grove, new trees are sprouting and are knee-high. The fire consumed 31,539 acres, much of it in the wilderness, and is still burning. It won’t be out until there are many days of drenching rain or heavy snow. Smoldering tree stumps and roots, dangerous snags and See Lake Fire on page 3
Annual Forest Festival Returns Aug. 15
The annual Forest Festival will be held Aug. 15 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Barton Flats Visitor Center. The family-friendly festival is free and open to the public. Picnic facilities are available. Food and beverages will be available. Smokey Bear will greet visitors as they use a crosscut saw to create a “tree cookie” that is then branded with U.S. Forest Service and Smokey Bear logos; try their hand at nature crafts; learn what it takes to serve on a search-and-rescue team; meet horses used to pack in tools and supplies for wilderness trail maintenance crews; and visit with SGWA members. Information also will be presented about long-term impacts of the recent Lake Fire that devastated the San Gorgonio Wilderness, and what to expect as the forest recovers.
Wilderness Link San Gorgonio Wilderness Association
Calendar of Events These are the major events of the year. For more information about these and other activities, or to sign up for events go to www.sangorgoniowilderness.org. August 8 Mill Creek Restoration Day 15 Forest Festival 25 Board Meeting September 5 Mill Creek Restoration Day 26 National Public Lands Day 29 Board Meeting October 4 Close Barton Flats 6 Radical Reels 10 Awards Lunch 11 Close Tulakes 27 Board Meeting November TBA USFS Volunteer Appreciation December 12 Christmas Party
SGWA Launches Gear Exchange for Members, Volunteers
By Vic Rousso SGWA is pleased to introduce free to all of our members and volunteers the Gear Exchange. On the Internet at padlet.com/sgwa/gearx, it is a place where we can buy, sell, trade or donate our unused-/unwanted/unneeded outdoor gear/clothing/books. Got a pair of vintage SMC crampons? Sell ‘em! Not using that old Thermarest? Trade it! Those Lowa Alpsitz’s don’t fit anymore? Donate ‘em! The format of the exchange is much like an old bulletin board where you tack up an index card of what you have available. In this case the postings have a header, a text body, and space for a photo. Complete instructions can be found on the site, and
there is a “help” feature provided by padlet. You may create, edit, and delete any of your posts/ads. There is no limit to how many you can post, but we ask that you limit your ads to outdoor gear, clothing, and books. No old washing machines or vacuum cleaners, please. There is no cost for users but you may donate, if you wish, any of your proceeds to SGWA. All posts require approval and moderation, with a turnaround time of 24 hours or less. For questions, concerns, and feedback contact site moderator Vic Rousso at [email protected]. To obtain the password, contact Rousso or Val Silva at [email protected].
Gifts to the San Gorgonio Wilderness Association help support our efforts to preserve the wilderness and the forest surrounding it. We are thankful for these supporters whose generosity makes it possible for us to further our mission to serve, protect and educate. If you would like to make a gift in memory of a loved one or to honor someone special please contact our office at (909) 382-2906, or visit our website at sgwa.org. Gifts may be mailed to: San Gorgonio Wilderness Association, 34701 Mill Creek Rd., Mentone, CA 92359 Individual membership/family President’s Summit Team In memory of Louis Hammel Kirt Babuder Viviane Helmig Eliza Lee Scott Allen Dr. & Mrs. Marvin Band Gary Berry Bo King Joyce McIntire Janie & George Bingham Doris Borrsatino Jeffrey Boehler Lee Crandall Susan Rice Diana Gossard J. Lane & Cynthia Harris Steve Cologne R. Murray Nanette Peykani Jim Hill Marie Jelonek Lee Crandall Anitra Kass Darcy Shepard Terry & Laurence Grill John & Barbara McCarty Kathy Davis Frank Sprinkle Jamie Smith Jaimie LaPointe Lisa and Kevin McClelland Carol Graves Chris Waldheim Val Silva Ted Sledzinski & B.J. Whithall Robert & Carole Ottosen Sharon Greer Jim Weyant Frank Sprinkle Robin Thuemler Zachary Taylor Bob Oppermann & Reiko Snow Morgan Sprinkle Charles Marrs Margaret Winningham John Farley Alexander Smirnoff Fred Hanson Audrey Scranton Kevin Burg Martin Gutierrez Albert Lee Bettye Miller Family of Robert D. Thomas Alexander Kaklamanos Liz Levis Linda Jones Leslie Groenwold Jim Matiko Patrick Shih Saturnino Garcia James Barbour Santa Ana River Cabin Owners Assn. Kelsie Anderson Cyndi Johnson Sung Yoo Dave Knapp Wendy Sanyk Tim Elder Kevin Burg Val Silva The Anza-Borrego Foundation Shannon Stratton Gregory Misbach Patricia Shearer Walt & Susie Kirkwood in honor of Bob Hazelton William Fisher Linica Suceava Vivian Helmig Malcolm Swift Victor Rousso Janelle Zarate Wilderness 50th Anniversary Trailblazer Jan Gudgell Pat Peters Ana Soltero Mason Consulting Lifetime Member Bob Hazelton Ann Robinson Lisa Aniello Scott Modic Gitty Denver Michael Gordon Charlene Schramm Jennifer Callaway Russell Rudeseal Bob Hazelton Dennis Stine John Eisel Matthew Bell Dan Scott John Farley Judi Hazelton In memory of Harry Krueper Ted Schofield Matthew Schreiner In memory of Don Davis All the members of Girardi Keese Mike Hahn Scott Stark Lyn Sandeford & Judy Stump Goldberg & Osborne Janelle Zarate Ryan Muldoon Irene V. Wakimura Gale Kim Itakura Sheila McMahon In Memory of Roger Gossett Cory & Audrey Scranton Rigg & Dean Donna Erlewine John Flippin In memory of Howard Simpkinson Alissa Rose & John Ing Copple & Copple Daniel McClory/Brookridge Special Place Val Silva Jeffrey S. Pop & Associates The Brandi Law Firm
Lake Fire
Continued from page 1
trails at risk of disappearing under mud or debris flows mean that the northern part of the wilderness will remain closed for some time to come. The fire removed the ground cover and burned fiercely in drainage areas where the terrain forms natural chimneys.
As a result, even the lightest rain will cause debris flows which will be dangerous and unstoppable. If you are traveling Highway 38 and it starts to rain, be especially cautious. Your car could easily be washed away by the water or debris flows. Have a plan when you are in the wilderness or participating in activities at places like Tulake, Barton Flats and the campground areas; all will have emergency evacuation plans or plans to shelter in place. If the forecast includes rain, be prepared to spend the night. The Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) team has developed a detailed map that anticipates areas inside and around the burn area that are likely to be hardest-hit. Mud flows have already buried the South Fork campground on Highway 38. BAER teams are composed of hydrologists, soil scientists, engineers, biologists, vegetation specialists, archaeologists, and others who evaluate the burned area and prescribe emergency stabilization treatments, often
beginning their assessments before the fire has been fully contained. The Lake Fire BAER team assessed soil burn severity and determined that 4,327 acres within the fire perimeter did not burn, 17,100 had low burn severity, 8,420 were moderate, and 640 were high. Soil burn severity includes surface and below-ground factors that relate to soil hydrologic function, runoff and erosion potential, and vegetation recovery. Areas with high soil burn severity are at risk of flooding. More than 11 miles of trail in the wilderness – about 10 percent of the total – are in moderate or high burn severity areas. These trails are threatened by excessive erosion of trail tread from severe runoff off of steep, burned slopes. Among the trails at increased risk are South Fork, Dollar Lake, Aspen Grove, Fish Creek, and sections of the Pacific Crest Trail and Santa Ana River Trail. Forest Service officials have made it clear that SGWA will be included in restoration and stabilization efforts because of our knowledge and commitment to the wilderness.
A trail crew repairs part of the popular trail to Big Falls near Forest Falls. Photo by Diana Gossard
Horse Meadow was spared, as seen from Poopout Hill Road.
There will be plenty for all of us to do. Trail patrols have resumed on the south side of the wilderness. Trail maintenance crews have been busy, tackling a number of ambitious projects, including rebuilding a deteriorated part of the trail to Big Falls in the Falls Recreation Area. The Barton Flats Visitor Center is open, ranger talks at the Greyback Amphitheater are back, and the Saturday children’s nature programs have relocated from the Heart Bar Campground to the visitor center. SGWA earned its reputation as the best wilderness stewardship group in the nation by being dedicated, professional and hard-working. The next two or three years could be our finest hour.
Information about the Lake Fire is available at
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4302/.
Information about the Lake Fire Burned Area
Emergency Response report is available at
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4346/.
Barton Flats Visitor Center: Information Outpost
By Jean Rogers, Resident Host It’s more than a wide place halfway up Route 38 to speed by on the way to Big Bear. It’s more than a pit stop on the way to Big Bear, or down the mountain after a great vacation. The Barton Flats Visitor Center, located halfway between Big Falls and Big Bear, is a welcome center for relaxing families and serious hikers to stop and get their second wind while on their way to San Bernardino National Forest adventures. Starting Memorial Day weekend, the visitor center is open Thursdays through Sundays, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., until mid- October. SGWA volunteers who staff the center sell Adventure Passes, and provide information about local trails and Saturday evening Ranger Talks, craft activities for all ages, maps of the wilderness and the surrounding area, directions to places on the south side of the San Gorgonio range and beyond, directions to area campgrounds (public and private), weather and water conditions, and occasionally emergency services. Other services that volunteers provide is upkeep of the ranger station and extra eyes for law enforcement, if requested. The volunteers at the visitor center, as well as on the trails, are many times the first ones to find an
emergency situation and report it to the proper authorities. The visitor center also is a meeting place for groups of off-road vehicle clubs, film crews, birding clubs, vintage car clubs, bicycle riders, mountain bikers, and family reunions. When the Lake Fire ignited June 17, the center briefly served as the Incident Command Post for the unified firefighting effort. SGWA volunteers currently have up-to-date information on which wilderness trails have reopened and which ones remain closed. The Barton Flats Visitor Center is a great spot to stop for a picnic, stretch your legs, walk your dog, air out the kids, and get your first glimpse of the wonderful opportunity waiting for you in the San Bernardino National Forest. Visit us soon!
Leave No Trace
By Bob Hazelton After the Lake Fire burned more than 31,000 acres the question of campfire vs. stove is one to help us explore Principle #5 – Minimize Campfire Impact. Some areas, like the San Gorgonio Wilderness, have fire restrictions that require the use of stoves for safety’s sake. A stove with a valve for extinguishing the flame is the safest, lowest-impact method for cooking. In areas where you can have a campfire there are some options for keeping the impact as small as possible.
Use an existing ring – Use small wood, keep the fire small and let the wood burn to ash.
Make a mound fire – When there is no existing fire ring, gather some mineral soil, sand, or gravel from an already-disturbed source. The root hole of a toppled tree is a good place.
Lay a ground cloth and pile up the soil on it about 6 to 8 inches high. The soil insulates the ground below from the heat of the fire and the ground cloth makes clean-up easy.
Remember the 4 Ds of gathering wood:
Dead – Never take wood from live trees.
Down – The wood should be only ground by itself.
Dinky – The wood should be small enough that you can break it with your hands. This also helps to keep the fire small
Distant – Walk away from your campsite to collect wood so that the immediate area is not stripped clean by repeated stays.
Clean-up is just as important for safety and minimizing the impact. Learn more at http://lnt.org/learn/principle-5. C'ya on the mountain!
By Bettye Miller Life is never dull at the Barton Flats Visitor Center, as volunteers who staff the outpost of information on Highway 38 can tell you. One day might bring a host of families looking for child-friendly hikes and backpackers needing wilderness permits, and another could see fishermen on the hunt for prime fishing spots and a visit from Big Foot on location for a Toyota Tacoma infomercial. For Jean Rogers, Jan Gudgell and Pat Peters – SGWA volunteers who are key to keeping the visitor center open – every day is all about sharing a love of the forest and wilderness, and helping others learn to do the same.
Rogers, an English teacher at Fontana Summit High School, is in her third season as the Barton Flats Visitor Center resident host and her fourth year as an SGWA volunteer. During her first year as a volunteer she did trail patrols, helped as a fishing buddy during the
Jean Rogers Fish Festival, and counted people attending the Forest Festival. “The best part of volunteering at the Barton Flats Visitor Center is sharing my love of the wilderness and the forest in general with the visitors, especially the children,” she said. “My favorite part of volunteering at BFVC is talking to the kids about the animals and plants in the forest. Probably my most favorite part of that is when the woolly bear caterpillars are active in the manzanita bush next to the visitor center. The kids are amazed by the caterpillars. I also love the fresh air, and the solitude of Barton Flats. It's just a beautiful place. I also like swearing in the Junior Rangers, and being Smokey's helper.” Rogers has welcomed a number of interesting visitors in the last three years as well. Big Foot dropped by while shooting a Toyota Tacoma infomercial, the Over the Hill Gang Car Club from San Bernardino made a pit stop, and two women drove in with a fawn they had "rescued" along the side of
the road. There were told to put it back where they found it. Sisters Jan Gudgell and Pat Peters volunteer at the visitor center Thursdays and Fridays when Rogers is back in school, and fill in other days as well. The two are 26-year veterans of SGWA and its predecessor, the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association, spending many years doing trail patrols on horseback, staffing the horse camp at Heart Bar campground before a concessionaire was in place, and serving on the SGWA Board of Directors. Both are retired college teachers and varsity tennis coaches whose teams competed against each other for years. Gudgell coached women’s and coed tennis at Mt. San Antonio College, and taught physical education classes. Peters coached women’s and coed, and occasionally men’s, tennis Jan Gudgell teams, at Riverside City College, where she also served as assistant director of athletics. “We have participated in everything SGWA has to offer. We were there at the beginning,” Peters said, recalling their participation in establishing Tulake as the organization’s base camp, helping to develop the equestrian program, and volunteering at interpretive sites. “We rode the South Fork drainage for years. Val (Silva, SGWA executive director) said they needed someone at Heart Bar. We hosted the camp and kept the water tank running. It was a fun time.” “They can’t get rid of us,” added Gudgell, who also wrote the SGWA newsletter for several years. The sisters said when they started volunteering at the Barton Flats Visitor Center when it reopened in the mid 1980s they were told they had to know the answer to the three most commonly asked questions: How far is it to Big Bear? (26 miles) Where is the bathroom? Where is the Barton Flats Campground? (.8 of a mile up the road). Visitors have many more questions, of course, especially if they are visiting the forest for the first time. “I am enchanted with the number of people who Pat Peters See Volunteer Profile on Page 6
Volunteer Profile
Jean Rogers, Jan Gudgell, Pat Peters
Amazingly it’s only been a few weeks since our world has changed. Seems like a lifetime. I have received calls, emails and texts from many of you about the status of the fire, and what it means for SGWA. Tulakes camp did not have any damage but our water system is toast. PVC doesn’t hold up well when burned, and the fire went right over our spring box and waterline. We don’t plan to replace it until spring. With the debris flows expected with winter rains, it makes sense to wait. But we are exploring the possibility of buying a water tank and hauling in water. Stay tuned. We are naturally wondering what will happen. Some things are becoming clearer, but many questions remain. I want to assure you all that SGWA will be part of rebuilding the wilderness. What part we play will be up to the federal guidelines for safety after the fire and protocol about restoration. No specifics yet because no one knows. One thing I do know is that we are part of a historic event. There has not been a fire in the wilderness for over 100 years. In the future we will be an integral part in the restoration and well-being of the San Gorgonio Wilderness. You can tell your grandchildren that when you were younger you saw the wilderness burn for the first time in 100 years, and you helped with the regrowth and change that they will enjoy. So let’s make history!
Volunteer Profile
Continued from page 5 come to the forest and know nothing about it,” Gudgell said. “It pleases me to tell them something they didn’t know. I like to see the gleam in their eye when they see where they are and it becomes something important in their life. I especially love to share this with children.” “Nowadays we see people who want a 2-mile hike with the family, or ask where they can go fishing or
why they are required to have a permit to hike in the wilderness,” Peters added. “You have to have a good background on the trails,” she said. “We hiked and helped clean up the trails for years. We fell in love with the forest and like to tell people what we enjoy about it. We like to educate them about what’s theirs and how to take care of it. Let a little of our love rub off on them.” All three volunteers said SGWA makes a difference to forest visitors by showing people ways to enjoy the forest. “Most of the visitors know only organized camping at the campgrounds,” Rogers said, “but when we get them out on a trail with their families, like the Jenks Lake Trail, they really open up to what the forest is all about.”
√ Check this out
Teddi Boston, SGWA lead volunteer coordinator and board treasurer, was interviewed by KPCC (Southern California Public Radio) in Los Angeles about her epic solo hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1976. KPPC quotes Jack Haskel of the Pacific Crest Trail Association, who says Boston has a lasting legacy in the hiking community. “People recognize her as one of the early solo female hikers, and today there’s a lot of solo women out on the PCT, and Teddi is one of them that pioneered that.” Listen to the story at http://www.scpr.org/programs/take-two/2015/08/03/43936/teddi-boston-recalls-historic-solo-walk-on-the-pac/.
SGWA volunteers removed several large, illegal dams from Mill Creek during Mill Creek Restoration Days in July and August. Some of the dams were 5 feet tall, with more than 4 feet of water – and a few fish – behind them. Volunteers spent several hours removing large rocks, tarps and sheets of plastic from the illegal swimming holes to restore the flow of water in the creek. Members of the public also helped with brushing and weeding at the Thurman Flats Picnic Area, and picked up trash along Highway 38, in the picnic area and along the creek. The final Mill Creek Restoration Day is scheduled Saturday, Sept. 5, at 9 a.m. This dam was about 5 feet tall. SGWA volunteers dismantled the rock wall, emptying the swimming hole and restoring the natural flow of the creek.
Fire is a natural part of the forest's cycle of life. Prior to the Lake Fire, the San Gorgonio Wilderness had not burned for over 100 years. As a result, there was a tremendous amount of fuel on the forest floor. Large areas had unhealthy tree densities. Add to that the many standing dead trees from the bark beetle infestation and a yearslong drought, and the fire seems inevitable. Many of us feel that we have lost our "home away from home," but the truth is the forest is still there; it has just entered a new phase of life. SGWA's mission to serve, protect and educate remains, but there will be changes. Like many of the volunteers I feel a sense of loss and I wonder what am I going to do with my weekends. The SGWA board of directors is meeting on a regular basis to develop a plan of action for the organization and our volunteers. They are working
hand in glove with the Forest Service to determine how SGWA can help with the recovery and continue to serve and protect both the wilderness and the visitors. The fire is still burning within the containment lines and may continue to burn until there is a substantial rain or snow event. It is too dangerous for those without fire training to enter the area. But there are many activities that continue: Mill Creek, Big Falls, trail work, Barton Flats Visitor Center, our interpretive programs and, recently, patrols and trail work on the southside trails. These include Forsee Creek to John's Meadow, San Bernardino Peak, Momyer and Vivian. I have talked to several Forest Service members who have been in the burn area. Yes, there are areas of total devastation, but the vast majority of the burn area received much less damage. Also, within a week of the start of the fire some of the burn areas already had new growth pushing through the ash. Next spring should have the best wildflowers in memory. This is not the end of the forest and SGWA. It is the transition to the next phase of the forest's life cycle. SGWA volunteers will be there to help with the recovery.
SGWA
San Gorgonio Wilderness Association 34701 Mill Creek Road Mentone, CA 92359 P: (909) 382-2906 F: (909) 794-1125 E: [email protected] www.sgwa.org
