March 2001 Newsletter

SCHEDULED EVENTS

3/24 Rattlesnake Canyon
4/21 Truckhaven
5/19 Cleghorn
6/23 Miller Jeep Trail
7/21 Big Bear Moderately
8/18 Big Bear Without Moderation

For more trip information, see TRIPS.

CONTENTS

Trip Report
Rattlesnake Canyon
For Sale
T-Shirts
Public Acceptance Slim
for Adventure Pass
Adventure Pass Violator
Goes to Court
Run Safety Requirements

Oh well, the best laid plans of mice and men. As you know we elected to cancel the Acton run scheduled for February 17. Too much snow on Mt. Gleason, and too much clay type mud at the lower elevations.

Speaking of clay. During our pre-runs to find open trails, we encountered the trucks coming out of the Acton Clay Quarries. 4N32 is posted with signs indicating the trucks/dispatcher would be on CB Ch. 1.

Signs advised you to not only monitor the channel, but tell the dispatcher of your presence on the trail. The organized plan and very courteous drivers impressed us. We stopped and asked if a tour of the Quarry would be possible for the FITS run. John Klinge, Mine Safety Director for Acton Quarries, was very accommodating. He offered to come in on his day off and give the club a brief presentation/tour. We called to thank John and tell him of the decision to cancel the run and that he could sleep in. He informed us that the trucks couldn't get in because of the snow and so the quarry was closed. Perhaps another time.

If the run that wasn't, was, we would have had 13 vehicles. 9 club members and 4 guests. It's always nice to have new participants. 13 vehicles, canceled on the 13th. You think that means something?

We would like to thank Jerry MacDonald for the offer to come out early and do the final pre-run with us. Again, we are sorry for the first cancellation of a run in many years. Thanks to everyone for their support and understanding.

Rick Schaffer will be leading our March Run to Rattlesnake Canyon on the 24th. We'll meet at the Waffle Iron Cafe on the corner of Bear Valley Road and Central in Apple Valley at 9 a.m. Give yourself about 2 hours driving time from the Orange County area.

Take I-15 North to Victorville, and exit on Bear Valley. This is the best place to top off with gas and grab some grub. Continue heading east on Bear Valley for 10 miles to Central (the only STOP sign). The Waffle Iron Cafe is on the left. Some of us will be getting there earlier for breakfast.

From there we'll be heading further east to the trail head (about another 1/2 hour). We should hit the trail no later than 10 a.m. Anyone camping in the Joshua Tree area should meet us at the trail head. It's before the Old Woman Springs ranch. The trail heads south, up toward Pioneer Town. We'll take the road toward Big Bear for a short while to run a more difficult trail, then loop back to Pioneer Town for ice cream. Some of us are staying overnight in Twenty Nine Palms and exploring the eastern end of Joshua Tree on Sunday. Those who aren't staying over will head home through Morongo Valley to the 10 Freeway near Palm Springs. Some may want to head up to Big Bear instead of Pioneer Town when we make the loop (weather permitting).

Please call Rick Schaffer at (562)427-6093 if you plan on going or have any questions. This should be a moderate trip, great for beginners. Be advised, there may be snow on parts of the trail, but we should be able to make it to Pioneer Town with relative ease. Most of the campers will be camping at the Black Rock Campground in Joshua Tree, and the motelers will be staying at the Motel 6 in Twenty Nine Palms (760)367-2833 for $42 a night. Tell them you are with FITS.

Sail boat trailer. Excellent shape except for needing a little work on the lights. Twenty years old, in the water 6 times.
Call David Felando at work (714)962-0025 or home (714)894-8062.

The T-shirts are in, and they look great. If you missed out on the initial order, there are still some available to a good home. Call Carol Kelly to see what is available for adoption.

The third annual survey of visitors to Southern California's four national forests shows no improvement in public acceptance of the Adventure Pass fee program, according to a press release from Keep the Sespe Wild.

Prepared by Dr. Jerrel Ross Richer and associates from the Department Of Economics at Cal State San Bernardino, the study demonstrates almost no change in public support for paying a fee to visit their national forests. Four basic questions show that the responses of those surveyed are identical, or nearly so, to the responses in a 1999 survey by Dr. Richer.

46% of those surveyed in year 3 claimed to have NOT purchased an Adventure Pass (47% in year 2, 59% in year 1).
73% knew about the program before being surveyed (69% in year 2 and 53% in year 1). Only 24% in year 3 noticed any improvements in this area since the Adventure pass program began (24% in year 2, 17% in year 1).

Only 13% reported that the program greatly improves their recreation experiences in the national forest. (13% in year 2, 16% in year 1). 75% of those surveyed felt their recreational experiences were diminished by the Adventure Pass, were the same as before or they weren't sure.

The results of this survey makes it hard for the Forest Service to claim widespread acceptance of Adventure Pass fees.

In a year when the Forest Service is keen for Congress to make forest fees permanent, these findings serve as a wake-up call that the Adventure Pass is not popular with a broad cross section of forest visitors.

Santa Barbara resident Terry Dahl was found guilty of a class B misdemeanor by federal Judge Christina Snyder, for being present in Los Padres National Forest last October without a Forest Service Adventure Pass in his vehicle. Dahl plans to appeal, he maintains that he does not visit Los Padres for recreation, but uses his mountain bike to hand out literature protesting the Adventure Pass to those that he encounters while in the forest, in keeping with his First Amendment rights.

Although the prosecution threatened Dahl with a $5,000 fine and/or 6 months in jail, no penalty was exacted on Dahl. Having been ticketed, I know that what is required if you are ticketed is either pay the $5.00, or send in the portion of the Adventure Pass that shows you bought it.

Archived Newsletter

RUN SAFETY REQUIREMENTS