Governor wants no more roads in national forests

By: DAVE DOWNEY - Staff Writer

The Terminator wants to terminate road building in California's national forests.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger filed a petition this month with the U.S. Forest Service to bar such construction in 4.4 million acres of roadless areas covering one-fifth of the land in 18 national forests. The targeted areas are not currently protected under federal laws or regulations.

The governor's action sets up a battle over proposed new management plans for the four Southern California national forests, including the Cleveland forest of San Diego, Riverside and Orange counties, as well as the San Bernardino forest of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The plans, essentially zoning documents that provide general guidelines for what activities may take place, and where, were unveiled late last year.

Collectively, the four plans would open the door to road building in 90 percent of the region's 1 million acres of unprotected roadless areas, said Mary Wells, executive director for the California Wilderness Coalition. Schwarzenegger is proposing to slam that door shut. He is calling on the Forest Service to revise its management plans to reflect his goal of keeping roadless areas roadless.

"We are taking action to keep our pristine forests roadless and in their natural state," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "It is critical that we safeguard these areas. They are home to plants and animals at risk of extinction, provide incredible recreation and are the source of drinking water for millions of Californians."

The governor's action is being lauded by environmental groups that have been pushing for designation of more wilderness areas in the Southern California forests and greater protection for endangered species.

But it is being roundly criticized by offroading groups seeking to expand recreational opportunities for what they say is a growing number of people who prefer to explore the forest via four-wheel-drive truck, motorcycle or all-terrain vehicle.

Petition called 'bold move'

The action comes at a time when Schwarzenegger is trying to bounce back from a failed campaign a year ago to adopt a series of Sacramento government reforms in an unpopular special election. Measures to rein in state spending growth, curb union power and redraw political boundary lines all went down in flames.

With a new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California showing that candidates' stances on environmental issues will play a key role in how 85 percent of voters cast ballots in November, Schwarzenegger is trying to stake out a strong position on the environment, analysts say. Elected amid the turmoil of the historic recall of former Democratic Gov. Gray Davis in 2003, the bodybuilder and action-movie actor is up for re-election in November, when he squares off with Democratic nominee Phil Angelides.

The governor's petition asserts that the targeted areas should remain roadless to preserve the environment that dozens of rare and endangered species depend on, and to preserve recreational opportunities for hunters, fishermen and -women, cyclists, hikers and tourists.

The petition makes an exception for roads that are deemed necessary for the protection of public health, such as to provide better access for firefighters battling blazes in hard-to-reach places.

"The ability to recreate in and enjoy natural places has long been a central component to the high quality of life for the citizens of California and for those who travel long distances to witness the beauty of our great state's diverse forest landscapes," the petition states.

The petition was filed under a federal rule established in May 2005, when the Bush administration repealed a 2001 rule granting protection to roadless areas. The new rule allows governors to petition the federal government to protect some or all of such areas within their respective states.

Monica Bond, a biologist with the Center for Biological Diversity, an Arizona-based conservation group, said the environmental community is united in its support for Schwarzenegger's proposal. And she said it was a pleasant surprise to see the governor target 100 percent of the remaining unprotected roadless areas.

"That's a bold move," Bond said. "He could have done just some of them, but he didn't. He did them all."

Caught by surprise

Roadless areas that environmentalists contend need protecting include the rugged San Diego River Gorge and Eagle Peak area of North San Diego County and the Morrell Canyon area in western Riverside County that has been touted as a potential site for a hydroelectric reservoir. Environmentalists also are trying to prevent the proposed construction of a major multilane road through the Cleveland forest to connect Riverside County commuters with Orange County jobs.

The conservation-minded activists also are trying to contain the rapidly growing sport of offroading and prevent new roads and trails being opened to them.

John Stewart of San Diego, director of environmental affairs for the national group United Four Wheel Drive Associations and resource consultant for the California Association of Four Wheel Drive Clubs, said it would be a mistake to not accommodate the growing demand for more offroad recreational opportunities.

"Unless they start managing for that recreation activity, people are going to generate their own recreational opportunity, and maybe not in the most environmentally sensitive manner," Stewart said.

Not only might the governor's petition create unwanted side effects, it in essence was a move to set a sweeping policy that will affect many people without giving those people an opportunity to weigh in on the plan, he said.

"We were caught by surprise when all of the sudden the governor's petition was submitted, without the promised public review," Stewart said. "It subverts the planning process in its entirety."

Stewart was referring to the multiyear effort that led to last fall's unveiling of new management plans intended to guide activities for all types of forest uses ---- offroading, camping, hiking and commercial development ---- for the next 10 to 15 years.

He also suggested that the fear that roadless areas will somehow be crisscrossed by dozens of new roads under the new management plans is misplaced, particularly in the steep and rocky terrain of much of the Cleveland National Forest.

"When you really start looking at the topography out there, it is virtually impossible for any new roads to be created," he said. "You're going to have to take dynamite and heavy equipment out there to move boulders," something that he said is highly unlikely.

-- Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 740-5442 or ddowney@nctimes.com.