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Feedback from Santa Clarita Valley residents on the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Management Plan, is welcomed by the officials of the Angeles National Forest, officials said Wednesday.

Obama Declares Portion Of San Gabriel Mountains As National Monument

Half of the San Gabriel Mountains, east of Santa Clarita, were recently declared a National Monument by President Barack Obama.

The president is scheduled to sign the executive order Friday at 1 p.m. at Frank G. Bonelli Park in San Dimas. The park, like much of the affected mountain area, is in the congressional district of Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, whose legislation to heighten protections for the region stalled out in Congress.

Bypassing Congress, Obama will use the Antiquities Act of 1906 to declare the mountains a national monument. The Antiquities Act was adopted by Congress during the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt to allow the president to protect federally owned lands that have a particular historic or scientific interest. One of the earliest uses of the act was by Roosevelt to preserve a major portion of the Grand Canyon.

It will be the 13th time Obama has used the Antiquities Act, most recently to designate the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument.

The following news release was issued by Rep. Judy Chu:

The White House today announced that President Obama plans to declare 346,000 acres of national forest land in the San Gabriel Mountains the nation’s newest national monument. Rep. Judy Chu (CA-27), whose district includes much of the future monument and who has led the Congressional effort for more protections, released the following statement:

“I am overjoyed and thrilled. This is an historic moment for the Los Angeles area, and it has been a long time coming. The San Gabriel Mountains are a treasure, providing 70 percent of the open space for Angelenos and attracting more than 3 million visitors a year. But without adequate funding, the gorgeous woods and waters are marred by trash and graffiti while many trails have become dangerous and lack appropriate signage. For eleven and a half years, countless stakeholders have worked on getting the resources needed to improve this area. Now, with the President’s announcement, there is finally hope. This marks the biggest change for the mountains since 1908 and is an important and immediate step towards fixing these problems. With this designation, the San Gabriels will become a priority, opening up new streams of funding that can be used to ensure that the mountains achieve their full potential for all the people who have gone there to hike, fish, or just enjoy fresh air,” said Rep. Chu.

The effort to protect the San Gabriel Mountains started eleven and a half years ago with the introduction of a bill by then-Representative Hilda Solis.  The result was a 10-year study by the National Park Service, which included 66 stakeholder meetings, and 16,800 public comments, most overwhelmingly in support of more resources for the San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers.  After the release of the study, Representative Judy Chu spent one and a half years drafting a bill on the San Gabriel Mountains and Rivers, conducting over 40 stakeholder meetings, earning the support of the San Gabriel Council of Governments and the San Gabriel Valley Water Association.

The following news release was issued by the Sierra Club in San Francisco:

The Sierra Club praised the news today that President Obama will designate the San Gabriel Mountains as our country’s next national monument. Located just outside Los Angeles, the area provides much-needed natural open space for surrounding residents and an abundance of recreation opportunities. The San Gabriels also provide one-third of Los Angeles County’s drinking water.

“For decades our community has been working to see this area protected,” said Susana Reyes, Sierra Club board member and long-time Glendale resident. “It’s a wild oasis right in L.A.’s backyard. It’s just great to see it protected as a national monument. Not only will that improve the visitor experience now and help improve public access for everyone, it will also ensure the things we love about the San Gabriels remain to be enjoyed by others.”

Stretching from Santa Clarita to San Bernardino County, the San Gabriel Mountains provide outdoor recreation opportunities for more than 17 million Southern Californians. They include the Angeles National Forest, one of the busiest forests in the country with more than 3.5 million visitors every year. However, inadequate funding and services, such as the lack of trail signs, restrooms and trash cans, have marred the visitor experience. Permanent protection as a national monument aims to solve many of those problems and bring additional benefits to the community.

“We applaud President Obama for using his authority under the Antiquities Act to protect this beautiful place, and ensure responsible public access to the San Gabriels for all. This designation is more positive progress in the effort to make America’s public lands better serve the diversity and interests of the American people,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune.

The designation follows efforts by community, business and local political leaders, utilities, homeowners, Congresswoman Judy Chu, and countless local residents to see the natural area protected. A public meeting held recently by the Obama Administration on the future of the San Gabriels drew an overflow crowd of hundreds of national monument supporters. Polling of Los Angeles County voters by Public Opinion Strategies found four-in-five voters supported permanently protecting the San Gabriel Mountains and a majority agreed that President Obama should act.

White House News Release

Today, President Obama will use his authority under the Antiquities Act to establish 346,177 acres of national forest land in the San Gabriel Mountains in southern California as a national monument, permanently protecting the popular outdoor recreation destination to increase access and outdoor opportunities for the area’s residents. This monument designation builds on more than a decade of public support from business, tourism, environmental justice, conservation, academic and cultural preservation communities and on the leadership from members of Congress. For many residents of Los Angeles County — one of the most disadvantaged counties in the country when it comes to access to parks and open space for minorities and children–the San Gabriel Mountains provide the only available large-scale open space. In addition to permanently protecting this land, the monument designation will create new opportunities for the Forest Service and local communities to work together to increase access and enhance outdoor opportunities.

Building on the monument designation, leading philanthropies are also announcing commitments to help jump-start public involvement and restoration of high-priority projects in Los Angeles County and the new San Gabriel National Monument. The National Forest Foundation announced that they will commit $3 million for the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Fund to respond to community priorities and support restoration and stewardship of the new national monument. In addition, the Hewlett, Wyss, Packard, and California Community foundations, the California Endowment, and the Resources Legacy Fund are working to establish a $500,000 San Gabriel Partnership Fund to support recreation and habitat improvement projects in the monument and surrounding communities. Secretary Vilsack and the Forest Service are also stepping up by investing more than a million dollars in additional education staff and maintenance work on the monument’s trails and picnic areas.

More than 15 million people live within 90 minutes of the San Gabriel Mountains, which provides 70 percent of the open space for Angeleños and 30 percent of their drinking water.  The 346,177 acre site contains high-quality wilderness areas, habitat for rare and endangered animals like the California condor, and a rich array of cultural and historical features.

Today’s action builds on steps the Administration has taken over the past five and a half years to expand access to millions of acres for recreation, make historic investments in restoring critical landscapes through the President’s America’s Great Outdoors initiative, and permanently protect areas significant to our Nation’s rich history and natural heritage.  All of these efforts support an annual outdoor economy that includes approximately 9 million jobs and $1 trillion in economic activity, according to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The new monument area overlays about half of the Angeles National Forest, which hosts more than 4 million visits each year. Based on 2012 data, the U.S. Forest Service estimates that the Angeles National Forest alone contributes more than $39 million to the local economy each year.

Since President Theodore Roosevelt designated Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming in 1906, the Antiquities Act has been used by 16 presidents to protect unique natural and historic features in America, including the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Alaska’s Admiralty Island National Monument. President Obama has previously used his authority under the Antiquities Act to create or expand 12 other National Monuments across the country, including the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument in the south-central Pacific Ocean last month  – the largest marine reserve in the world that is completely off limits to commercial resource extraction. With this designation, President Obama has now protected more than 260 million acres of land and water, nearly three times more than any other President since the Antiquities Act became law in 1906.

About the San Gabriel Monument & Southern California Community:  

The peaks of the San Gabriel Mountains frame the Los Angeles skyline and offer hundreds of miles of hiking, mountain biking, motorized, and equestrian trails as well as campgrounds to the area’s diverse residents. In addition to providing drinking water, the San Gabriels’ rivers support rare populations of native fish, while the vegetation found in the monument supports native wildlife and insect species, including pollinators important to farmers. The area is also rich in cultural and scientific history. More than 600 archeologically and culturally significant sites are found within the new monument, such as the Aliso-Arrastre Special Interest Area, which features rock art and cupules that exemplify more than 8,000 years of Native American history. The new monument is also home to the Mt. Wilson Observatory, where Edwin Hubble discovered galaxies beyond the Milky Way and Albert Michelson provided the first modern measurement of the speed of light.

Improving public access and recreational opportunities within the monument will help address the region’s public health challenges.  Studies have shown that increasing recreational access to public lands translates to higher levels of youth activity and lower youth obesity rates. National monuments also play an important role in supporting local economies.  A recent study by the independent and nonpartisan research group, Headwaters Economics analyzing the impacts of over a dozen monuments found that, without exception, local economies grew following the monument’s designation.

The San Gabriel Mountains National Monument will be managed by the U.S. Forest Service and will be the eighth national monument under Forest Service management. There are more than 100 national monuments across the country managed by the Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

 

 

 

San Gabriel Mountains National Monument

Two hikers overlooking a rocky cliff area at Williamson Rock at San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.Mountain climbers enjoy the scenic beauty of the Williamson Rock area of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. President Barack Obama designated 346,177 of federal land as the monument area. (U.S. Forest Service)On Oct. 10, 2014, President Barack Obama will designate 346,177 acres of existing federal lands as the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, the eighth national monument under Forest Service management.

The nation’s newest monument covers 342,177 acres of the Angeles National Forestand 4,002 acres of neighboring San Bernardino National Forest. The area is within 90 minutes of 15 million people in the Los Angeles Basin.

The designation will help ensure these lands remain a benefit for all Americans through rock art that provides a glimpse into ancient civilizations, an observatory that brought the world the cosmos, and thousands of miles of streams, hiking trails and other outdoor recreation opportunities.

Soaring high above the Los Angeles Basin, the San Gabriel Mountains also are working lands that provide Angeleños 70 percent of their available open space and 30 percent of their drinking water. The monument serves as the backyard to the nation’s second-largest urban center.

Monument highlights include:

Biodiversity

The San Gabriel Mountains contains some of the greatest biodiversity in the country, including four wilderness areas – Magic Mountain, Pleasant View Ridge, San Gabriel, andSheep Mountain – and unique geological features such as the San Andreas Fault. Other highlights are:

  • The rivers of the San Gabriel Mountains not only provide drinking water but are vital in the support of native fish, animals and plants and provide critical habitat for threatened or endangered species such as the California condor, mountain yellow-legged frog, arroyo chub fish and Nelson’s bighorn sheep.
  • The chaparral and oak woodland are just some of the vegetation that represent a portion of the rare Mediterranean ecosystem found in only 3 percent of the. The area also provides suitable habitat for 53 Forest Service Sensitive Plants and as many as 300 California-endemic species that only grow in the San Gabriel Range.

Scientific Discovery

A picture of the Mt. Wilson Observatory surrounded by a thick fog in the air.The historic Mount Wilson Observatory juts above the trees on the newly named San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. In 1889, the first telescope made its arduous journey up to the summit of Mt. Wilson. The observatory would later dominate astronomy worldwide with the works of George Ellery Hale and Edwin Hubble, among others. (Thinkstock)Science and research have been and continue to be an integral part of the monument area, most notably the Mount Wilson Observatory and the San Dimas Experimental Forest.

  • Edwin Powell Hubble, working from the Mount Wilson Observatory, is credited with making some of the most striking discoveries in modern astronomy, such as concluding that distant stars were really galaxies. That finding forever changed the way astronomers looked at the skies.
  • The San Dimas Experimental Forest, established in 1933, contains some of the earliest and longest records from continuously monitored, experimental watersheds in the U.S. It is the only research forest in Southern California, and many of the facilities were constructed by the depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and Work Projects Administration labor programs. In 1976, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s Man and the Biosphere Program recognized the San Dimas Experimental Forest as a “Biosphere Reserve.”

Human dimension

Two hikers walking up a rocky, steep trail among several very large pine trees in Ice House Canyon on the Angeles National Forest.Hikers head north on the 4.4-mile Icehouse Canyon Trail past ruins of a stone cabin from the early days of the Angeles National Forest. The area is now part of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. (U.S. Forest Service)The monument holds evidence of more than 8,000 years of human history, including more than 600 archeological sites, three of which are on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as ruins of old cabins and the Mount Lowe Railway. Other highlights are:

  • The area, which boasts more than 4 million visits, is host to a variety of year-round recreational activities, including hiking, cross-country skiing, hunting, nature viewing, picnicking, water activities and horseback riding and camping.
  • Mount Baldy Center adjacent to the monument helps to educate 8,000 students and teachers each year in environmental education and includes a 1920s schoolhouse, reproductions of a gold-mining camp and a Native-American (Tongva-Gabrielino) village.

Information about becoming a San Gabriel Mountains National Monument volunteeror partner is available from the Angeles National Forest.

Other Forest Service-managed national monuments:

Sources: U.S. Forest Service; U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Carnegie Institution for Science

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Obama Declares Portion Of San Gabriel Mountains As National Monument

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