Funding

Funding

Provide new funds to oversee volunteers, people doing projects. There should be fewer officials and fewer regulations.
Hire local people to help rebuild the forest.
Difficulty saving watershed, finding willing sellers, etc. Concentration for Tujunga area and Mountains Forever.
Advantage of NRA is the bringing in of more resources, more rangers, educational programs, outreach to school, and improve quality in Nat'l Forest.
Concern if maximum geographic area is considered, can it be divided into two or more separate units to better distribute funds and resources.
I like a combination of Alt. C and A. The San Gabriel Mountains have a lack of resources, e.g. rangers, trail building, trash pick-up, more education.
Prefer Alternative C - more NPS, river rangers to do outreach on all parts of the river. More funding from the NPS is necessary for educational outreach. Also need more amenities such as bathrooms.
Should have a sliding scale for the adventure pass. If visitors pass a test [on stewardship] they get a discounted rate. Educate first, then reward with cost savings.
Improved access on the San Gabriel River. Improved amenities and bilingual signage.
Bilingual staff and signage.
We need community policing in the forest.
Local people should be hired in the rebuilding of the forest - labor, contracts, tools, supplies.
I fly-fish in the San Gabriel Mountains. We need more policing in the area for keeping it clean and to prevent car break-ins. Ranger presences would help - better enforcement.
Funding is focused too much on administration - not enough on maintenance.
Need for educational experiences. NPS will bring interpretive rangers, programs, and signage. Those things come with NPS/NRA.
Need more law enforcement, people picking up trash. Can't rely only on volunteers. There are problems with crime which is frustrating to volunteers - car break-ins, vandalism to FS facilities, can't keep up with cleaning up the vandalism.
Hire veterans to help manage the area, provide more job training.
Alternative C provides / should have more funding because of the focus on recreation, especially in San Gabriel Canyon. Provide/create open space through the watershed and linking. Focusing on the watershed is a good start.
Funding: Alternative C should be broader for entire forest - not just San Gabriel Canyon/Watershed.
I expressed that I liked that alternative A include the potential for the most direct federal dollars. After further clarification of the funding mechanism for alt C, I expressed that C should be expanded to include all of the ANF in order to use the federal dollars for the whole of the ANF rather than just the San Gabriel River watershed.
Maintenance: law enforcement is needed for trail network; need more volunteers and a professional crew to work with them. Funding should go towards these efforts - maintenance of trails. I want to see money pumped into the ANF for the maintenance of the existing infrastructure and move away from a nearly all volunteer maintenance program
Alternative C: would like NPS staff to be local, not travel from SAMO - otherwise, it's not worth it - not enough attention to the area. There could be issues with confusion with multiple jurisdictions. Need 1 lead.
One participant supported the alternative that includes Angeles National Forest and the river areas that extend south from the mountains (Alternatives A and C). Technical assistance and financial resources are needed. USFS needs more funding for recreation.
Compare existing situation to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, which has better interpretation and education programs and is generally cleaner. Similar programs and federal resources would extend benefits to a greater number of local residents, especially youth.
Combine all three - provide more services.
Need a public advertising campaign for the mountains

Alternative A seems to have the potential to provide more funding, while Alternative C would provide more volunteer opportunities and less funding.
Specific relationships should be more fully described between funding sources and the alternatives.
Consider lower watershed and its diverse partners to attract funding, resource conservation, water infiltration projects.
River Rangers are a great idea. They should be bilingual. River rangers should be placed along other public recreation areas (Rivers, trails, and public parks), to help with security and to prevent littering.
We need more facilities, including restroom facilities at existing forest recreational areas.
More open space is great but we need more facilities and more education so that people will take better care of the forest.
We need more Educational programs and law enforcement to prevent trash and littering - this should be included in all three alternative concepts.
Provide more services. There are currently not enough resources (e.g. restrooms). Visitors to the forest need adequate services.

We don't need more people working in the forest. We need a change in mentality. Forest rangers don't consider LOCAL needs. Hire forest rangers from the community.

Better/new facilities in the ANF.
Better management and operations - e.g. trash.
Support other comments - lack of bathrooms, trash cans, rangers, parking.
Increasing resources will help fund for improvements.
What is current funding? What happens to funding - increase or decrease? Include funding analysis. If you create an NRA, what funding is needed to implement this?
Funding is lacking in the Forest.

Proposed hybrid alternative:

Alternative C - level of NPS involvement; NPS brings notoriety, cohesiveness, and funding
Alternative B - inclusion of the Puente-Chino Hills, Rio Hondo and San Gabriel River all the way to Whittier Narrows; include historic sites (original site of San Gabriel Mission, Pio Pico, etc) and cultural values
Alternative A - include maximum area of the forest - biggest area of the San Gabriel forest and the North Slope; habitat linkages would be improved; why wasn't eastern area to Cajon Pass and Cucamonga Wilderness and San Bernardino Forest included? Similar geology.

Need an Option/Alternative D - combining the good parts of each alternative:

Management component (NPS) of Alternative C
Inclusion of the San Gabriel Mountain Range (Maximum area of Alternative A)
Include the two Rivers - San Gabriel River and the Rio Hondo Riverways
Include the Puente-Chino Hills
Have the most NPS involvement as possible
Need more funds: USFS doesn't have enough funds alone. Need NPS funds.

Limited facilities - need more and better facilities.
Would like camps to be better maintained.
Stabilize funding and security/protection.
Need more resources for education and law enforcement. Education needs to be integrated into law enforcement activities, especially in heavily-used areas of the forest (San Gabriel Canyon).
Would this designation create "green collar" jobs? Would law enforcement/ranger jobs contribute to this and have a positive economic impact?
Gateways to the NRA (Hwy 2 and 39) should have formal entries/kiosks so people know they are entering a special place.
Increasing entry fees or having use fees for popular sites would help fund amenities and rangers/law enforcement and discourage inappropriate uses.
Possibly use a voluntary donation system like what you see at some interpretative association sites in national parks instead of mandatory use fees. Concerned that fees would prevent many, especially low income people, from being able to use the NRA.
Fees would provide funding for land management.
Preferred Alternative C since it would likely provide more funding that the other alternatives.
Financial analysis needs to include private businesses and economic benefits.
More rangers.
Forest Pass benefits in the SBF - was for increased # of toilets. Where did they go? We need accountability of agencies.
Likes that Alternative C has most NPS involvement and source of funding.
Most of USFS budget goes towards fire protection. Not enough budget for ranger support and recreation opportunities.
There are beautiful natural resources. There is not enough interpretation and education of the resources. There is no central place that provides information about why the Angeles National Forest is important. Would like this type of facility.
Concerned that there are a lot of families visiting the San Gabriel River [Canyon?] area, but there are not enough bathrooms and picnic tables.
Security is needed to support uses.
Puente Hills Habitat authority has curriculum for schools and would like to expand into more communities. Need additional funding and staffing.

Likes the Map (area) in Alternative A because it includes west side of mountains; Alternative C doesn't include the North Slope, but likes the NPS management component in the alternative.

Have condors in the area; coordination with Ventana Wilderness; would like a condor viewing area
Would like improved access to the forest and picnic areas
Campgrounds have been closed; the forest needs funding for this.

Likes the management components of Alternative C

Need to bring federal agencies together
Provide trails and services
Need safe and sane management

Alternative A provides protection for a larger area

Would like a Research Learning Center
Likes the management structure in Alternative C - partnership
Would like increased federal funding

The Forest Service needs more money and staffing.
Forest Service facilities are in disrepair.
The Forest Service funding structure is limited; no money for interpretation.
The Forest Service is underfunded.
There is lack of access from the communities between Santa Clarita and Palmdale to the forest. Trails are mostly on fire roads and they are poorly maintained.
More rangers on trails - wilderness areas - FS areas.
NPS funding more beneficial to recreational uses - more so than the Forest Service.
Increase facilities (restrooms) and increase services (rangers and visitor support).
NPS will do a better job of reaching out and having funds to accomplish.
Need money to pay for more rangers, otherwise lean toward no change Alt.
Ranger interpretation/information/security should be increased - higher profile presence.
Wilderness grade land - some deteriorated/other not - one staff person.
San Gabriel River Canyon get's very intensive use. Need intensive effort for facilities/ranger service, better distribution of people within the San Gabriel Mountains.

NRA emphasizes funding sources and finding funding. Important NPS involvement and partnership building.
Include Bell in study area. More trails, campsites, water fountains, toilets.
Vigilancia, showers at campsites, trash cans, patrols.
Want more/better trails and signage.
Interested in opportunities to bring partnership for increased education; funds for millions of people.
Want Education Centers; combo of A and C to get federal dollars; interpretive signage; adequate facilities to mitigate use impacts where people are concentrated.
Wants range of activities:

Range of physical connections
Green job opportunities.

Concern about illegal activities and drugs, fires, tagging and dumping. If encourage more use; provide more law enforcement.
NPS/USFS/ Need NPS for additional funding. Government won't buy it all out.
Who will maintain law enforcement? Define. Search and rescue - need a plan for who does what. Need to cover 24 hours. No light on Glendora Mountain Road.
There is a need for law enforcement.
San Gabriel River and Forest, more amenities and education, restrooms.
NRA - Need additional $'s for restoration and removal of invasive species.

Need services - restrooms cleaned, trash bins emptied, etc. Also enforcement: dumping, illegal OHV use.
Funding is really important.
Combination of A and C:

Interagency cooperation w/ USFS and NPS for managing the river areas, wants restoration
River rangers
Trash clean up
Education/info where trails/recreational opportunities are
Little Rock creek - portion is accessible
Low impact, healthy recreation at Little Rock Creek. Education of this (NPS and USFS)

C= funding - a diversity of sources. What they serve = variety of recreational opportunities, willing to participate.
ANF/FS has limited funding.
Funding is the biggest thing needed.
Would like Big Rock Creek included

Interesting wildlife corridor
Not enough picnic/camping areas in this area

Would be great to have more rangers out there.
Need more funding.
Lots want to do trail volunteer work, but not enough staff to help - especially on this side of the mountain.
A = keep the land. Access. Lots of volunteers available but need opportunities, amenities: restrooms, hitching, water, etc.

There is a huge spirit of volunteerism in the area

Need opportunities, including trail maintenance
Large part of funding comes from volunteers and the time they put in
Need agency supervision and training is needed

Upgrade facilities, fix things, provide more trails, more interpretive signage and programming. Keep visitor centers open more days and hours - seems like facilities are never open.
Would these alternatives make this a fee area? Adventure pass is problematic - have to buy in advance, places to buy them are open so few hours and there are so few of them.
Improve campsites, fix up the abandoned campsites, perhaps have location organizations adopt an area (such as a campsite) and become stewards of the area. Develop connections and a sense of ownership, while providing volunteer services to take care of the area that the USFS can't.
There are no trails, facilities, restrooms or parking on the northern side of the study area - we need more.
Combine C with A to bring NPS interpretation into forest and additional funding for facilities
If the ANF was an NRA, it would raise the level of funding visibility.
Get better security/policing through NPS rangers.
Both interpretive/law enforcement rangers should be enhanced.

Is the Congress willing to appropriate the funds required for a first class program. Alas, the Congress seems to have consistently ignored our local national forest and the San Gabriel Mountains. Declaring an area as a National Recreational Area, a necessary and desirable first step, means nothing unless funds are provided for the implementation of the decision.
With additional funding, there is the potential for making a new NRA that can satisfy the needs and desires of many more residents.
I think that a combination would provide additional funding and opportunities to better manage the area. We need improved hiking trails, restroom and picnic facilities, more and better signage for historical areas such as the Mt Lowe railroad and Echo Mountain, better surveillance and security for vandals and litterers and more public education on endangered species that frequent the area such as the California Condor. These things can be better accomplished if NPS is a partner. The concept that is finally approved should include a large enough area and improve upon the current USFS management we have now, which is poor due to lack of resources and funding.

I support a combination of the proposals. I like the structure of Alternative C as far as funding and management but would like to see it covering a greater area such as that proposed in Alternative A. Alternative C includes a robust community recreation network, maximum support from the NPS, new resources to manage an NRA, and a collaborative partnership. Alternative A includes the maximum amount of the San Gabriel Mountain range.
There is currently only one staffer in the whole Angeles National Forest to manage wilderness lands. The proposal should include ways for the public to be better educated about these areas and should have more opportunities for hiking and watching wildlife.
Rangers are really important in the forest and I never see any when hiking. We need to get as many rangers as possible as the potential use of the forest is massive
The Reagan administration cut the budget for the NFS and as far as I know funds have never been returned to the forest service. I think an important issue is that forests all over the country need an infusion of cash and manpower.
I fish the West fork of the San Gabriel often and see that there isn't adequate trash collection, trash cans, and restrooms. I have volunteered to go out and pick up trash along the river, but there needs to be regular staff for year round maintenance.
It's important to recognize the importance of bringing the National Park Service into the region. The Park Service brings funding, management expertise, and most importantly, personal, to help improve recreational opportunities and protect significant resources within the region.

Spend the money to catch arsonists and provide firefighters with the funds they need so they do not have to worry about how much it costs to fight a fire.
I'd really love option "B" if you'd include making it a National Recreation Area (NRA). Extending the designation to NRA would really help with the protection of the area and increase the opportunities for funding future improvements. Congress will go for it.
As a tax paying citizen financing this project is a concern. Will funds likely be cut? Stopped? Sunsetted?
I like the idea of "river rangers". The San Gabriel River, with its easy access is heavily used and abused. This area desperately needs more agency "presence", be it in the form of law enforcement personnel (recommended) or interpretive staff. It is my hope that this would result in educating the public and correcting some of the abusive practices by visitors that currently exist within this watershed.
My vision is to have an experience similar to that found within the National Park system, where it seems like there are more agency staff (rangers, interpreters, campground staff, etc) available; the experience seems safer; and everything is much cleaner.
You want to create tax revenue from the forest, have guided hiking tours or overnight stays for groups. Cut out the $20 passes for everyone that is destroying the forest.
I urge you to recommend the creation of a San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation Area which would help to bring in new recreational resources for our mountains, including more rangers and law enforcement personnel. The Angeles National Forest is one of the top three most heavily used recreational forests in the United States and it is located next to the nation's second largest urban population, yet the Forest Service spends most of its annual budget on firefighting, not enhancing the visitor experience or protecting the resource. The Angeles Forest spends only about one dollar per visitor on law enforcement, educational materials, interpretive services, and visitor center management. According to a study conducted for the San Gabriel Mountains Forever Campaign, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area spends 15 times more per visitor supporting education and recreation than does the Angeles Nation Forest.

NRA designation for the San Gabriel Mountains and Puente-Chino Hills, including river rangers, would provide more resources for education and recreation. The Angeles National Forest is woefully underfunded with regards to recreation and education in this urban region; campgrounds are either not staffed or staffed by volunteers; trails are not well maintained; and interpretive materials are often lacking. Most of the maintenance and interpretation is provided by volunteers because the Angeles has little funding. Any final proposal should result in more funding and federal attention to this region. I do think this is a feasible concept and one which will bring federal resources to the region, which is very good.
As a tax-payer, I see Alternative C as the most expensive as it seems too far-reaching and difficult to manage.
I'm concerned about the financial viability for non-profits, local and state agencies, including their ability to be partners in the long run.
Since Angeles National Forest, which is at my back fence, uses most of its funding in fighting fires, there is little to no money left for trail construction and maintenance, interpretive services, protection and enhancement of natural springs and all the other services that would be available if this were a National Recreation Area. This is especially important because this is a wonderful natural area right next to the second largest city in the country. What a perfect place for our young people to learn to enjoy and appreciate the wild.

· The Angles National Forest spends most of its funding on fighting fires, and that leaves nothing left for trails, interpretive services, education, and more.

· I think if Alt. B could work it would have worked already. New federal funding and attention is necessary.

· We do not believe that Concept A or B, which include the Big Tujunga Canyon area is a suitable area for a National Recreational Area. The area is not large enough to justify the improvements necessary to be a viable NRA. Additionally, since the U S Forest Service has declared that the Big Tujunga area is too rugged and steep to provide fire protection, it would be a waste of, already very limited, taxpayer dollars to provide recreational opportunities to an area that would not be defended in another disaster.

· Money is always an issue. If the NPS has additional unused available funding, then these monies should be transferred to the USFS for their use.

· Considering the state of the US economy and lack of funding, it would appear that action on any findings, conclusions and/or recommendations of this study would be in the distant future, if at all.

· When fires or neglect destroy campgrounds and picnic areas in the Angeles Forest, I hope the NRA can help coordinate the resources to restore them.

· The Forest Service does not have the money or manpower to protect this area as it is needed. The areas have started to deteriorate due to the loss of funding and manpower (and overuse) and the new designation for the area will help bring in needed funds and what I hope will be a new era of local involvement. My concerns are FUNDING, FUNDING, FUNDING. One concern is will the government entities, the NPS and the USFS be able to work together as a team due to the financial constraints of the government as it is now? With all government agencies fighting for a piece of the pie, can it work? Also will the lower government bodies and the private sector be able to afford to work with the NPS to accomplish these tasks?

· Securing funding for implementation. Implement something, enough studying.

· During that 30 year process I personally, along with many others, witnesses first hand the black and Hispanic gangs taking over all of the parks in the Los Angeles areas, until finally there were no parks remaining which were either in adequate condition for reasonable use (all due to neglect? Because park employees refused to enter for fear of their own safety) or they were not safe enough for anyone to use. There are many beautiful parks and related facilities in and around the Los Angeles areas, therefore I strongly suggest that you take the same monies and go clean up what we already own and make all such facilities once again useful to all. Take care of what you have before taking on more.

· Wildfires over the last several years, especially the recent Station Fire, have created a culture of fear towards native wildlands. Increasing fire frequency has resulted in the conversion of chaparral-covered hillsides to highly flammable non-native grasslands. And important opportunities to help the community discover and better appreciate the wonders of the mountains are being lost due to budget constraints.

· The NPS would bring the resources and protection that would assure that the watershed would be maintained in perpetuity. The NPS has the resources and expertise to coordinate educational and interpretive activities for the park poor, densely populated, multicultural communities of the lower watershed.

· To people of faith, the San Gabriel Mountains are not only important because of their spiritual value. The San Gabriel Mountains are important because they represent a social injustice in Los Angeles, with an increase in underserved communities visiting the rivers and mountains, and a decrease in resources provided. We would like to see a SGM NRA with the management structure in Alternative C. The NPS would take the lead role in the formal partnership that would manage the SGM NRA. The National Park Service is historically known for its success in managing recreation and recreational needs in nationally significant places like the San Gabriel Mountains. The management partnership vision in Alternative C is the only vision we think will bring in significant new recreational resources and staff to supplement the stagnant Angeles National Forest recreational budget. The Draft Report should detail how a SGM NRA could improve recreational conditions along the San Gabriel River, a gateway for thousands of working-class Latino families who visit the river's East and West Forks each year. Basic facilities such as restrooms, access trails to the river, picnic sites, interpretative signs and rangers who speak Spanish would improve the quality and safety of the visitor.

· The San Gabriel plan should incorporate New Deal goals and programs to create local green jobs through Civilian Conservation Corps-type programs, including jobs for youth of color and low income youth, while improving parks and recreation and promoting the diverse values at stake. The San Gabriel plan should implement a Transit to Trails program to take inner city children on fun, educational and healthy trips to mountains, beaches, rivers and other natural green space throughout the nation, for no or low cost. Transit to Trails should enrich their education about land, water, wildlife, and cultural history, and the importance of physical activity and healthy eating for life-long health.

· The U.S. Forest Service's chronic budget restrictions and heavy firefighting expenses have meant inadequate resources for enhancing recreation opportunities on the forest. The need for improvement is most apparent in such places as the San Gabriel River, where more trash cans and trash bags are needed, as well as rangers, interpretive signs, toilets, graffiti removal, resource education programs, and safe access trails. But other parts of the forest will certainly need recreational areas restored after the Station Fire of Aug. 26-Oct. 16, 2009. With all of the other demands on the USFS budget, NPS resources could make a big difference over the next several years. The U.S. Forest Service has only a small staff to administer the 132,000 acres in the five wilderness areas on Angeles National Forest. There is a need and opportunity for trained wilderness volunteers to help enforce Forest Service regulations and protect the resources in wilderness areas.

· The Angeles National Forest is one of the top three most heavily visited recreational forests in the United States and it is located next to the nation's second largest urban population. Despite growing recreational needs, the ability of the Forest Service to support forest visitors is actually declining. The Angeles Forest spends only about one dollar per visitor on law enforcement, educational materials, interpretive services, and visitor center management. The Station Fire, the largest in the history of the Angeles National Forest, has exacerbated this shortage of recreational opportunities and funds for public services. Outside of the forest our region's youth obesity and diabetes crisis is growing, bringing new urgency to connecting our people and communities back to our mountains and rivers. The San Gabriel Watershed and Mountains Special Resource Study could be a game changer, offering new solutions to meet these challenges. The San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation area proposal should detail how the National Park Service and the Forest Service will partner together to improve recreational conditions along the San Gabriel River. The San Gabriel River is a gateway for thousands of mainly working-class Latino families who visit the river's east and west forks each year. Improved basic facilities and staffing -including more restrooms, access trails, picnic sites, interpretative signs and rangers who speak Spanish would improve public safety and quality of the visitor experience. It would also improve water quality and fishing by reducing the amounts of trash, sewage, graffiti and user-created dams in and along the San Gabriel River. An NRA proposal should address the public's desire for more law enforcement personnel in the San Gabriels. There are sections of the forest with major resource damage from illegal off-road vehicle use. An NRA should address providing adequate resources for policing off-road vehicles. An NRA should address Station fire recovery. It would be helpful to have a public education component associated with the NRA to track recovery and educate the public about wildfire. The Station Fire burned 160,577 acres including parts of 3 major watersheds. It was the largest wildfire in the history of the Angeles National Forest. A National Recreation Area should incorporate additional resources to help with recovery efforts. It should detail how partnerships for volunteer work could be created between volunteer groups, the Forest Service and the National Park Service. Recovery should focus on the rebuilding of trails, camp sites, picnic sites, wildlife corridors and habitat and watershed restoration. Information and resources for recovery efforts should be made easily accessible to volunteers who want to help out. The Draft Report should address the current financial constraints on providing safe and healthy recreational opportunities in our two local national forests. The report should detail the limited budget and staff that the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests have to devote to rangers, law enforcement, visitor education, concentrated public use areas, campgrounds, and healthy recreational opportunities. It should acknowledge that Forest Service's budget is also further constrained in times of fire when recreational budgets are often used to cover fire fighting expenses. Over the past few years the Angeles National Forest has been planning to reduce hours for campgrounds and close facilities. This funding crisis needs to be further documented. The draft report should analyze the prospective economic value of an NRA to communities adjacent to the San Gabriel Mountains. It should include figures on job creation and identify opportunities for green jobs, especially serving for historically under represented populations. The indirect benefits should illustrate the increase in tourism spending, improved property values for adjacent communities and forecast job creation by attracting new business. Much research has been done on the positive economic impacts of protecting open space.

· The development of the three alternative concepts was likely limited by a concern that sufficient financial resources would not be available for a more ambitious program of protection. This is understandable given the experiences in recent years of fewer federal dollars for programs like the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and the difficulties faced by the state and local governments as their budgets have shrunk during the recession. In planning for the future, however, there are other trends that should be considered. There is a renewed commitment to LWCF, which in FY 2010 will reach its highest level of appropriations since FY 2005 and is expected to grow further. Congress is actively considering proposals for full and permanent funding of LWCF. Climate change legislation includes substantial funding for wildlife adaptation, some of which would go to programs that could be used within the San Gabriel watershed and mountains. It is time to think more broadly about how to protect important resources, particularly those in an extremely threatened area like the study area. It is our hope that the creation of a National Recreation Area will raise the profile of this area nationally and result in more funding resources being applied to land protection.

· Projects within our service area that would result in land acquisition or ownership by the NPS would impede our ability to protect public health. A permanent long-term funding mechanism for site/vegetation maintenance in aquatic sources as well as mosquito surveillance and control would be required. To not do so will place visitors and residents in surrounding neighborhoods at substantial risk. It is imperative that a perpetual funding structure for all maintenance be required of property owners if a NPS designation is implemented along the San Gabriel River.

· The Task Force believes that the development of a National Recreational Area (NRA) would provide a much needed recreational/educational resource for the large urbanized population of the Los Angeles region. The mountains and rivers currently experience very heavy use, but lack the overall management and funding needed to provide a quality recreational experience or provide protection for nationally significant areas with their biological resources. The following elements should also be included in the stated purposes of the NRA: Improving recreational quality in concentrated use areas as along the San Gabriel River (more trash cans and trash bags), with rangers (ideally bilingual), interpretive signs, toilets, safe access trails through a cooperative effort between the National Park Service and the Forest Service and rehabilitating areas damaged by overuse.

· The management structure envisioned in Alternative C is superior to the other alternatives. This approach would implement a comprehensive management program for the NRA that would best allow the NPS to carry out its vision of expanding recreational and educational opportunities to all of the nearby residents. The NPS has a long history of emphasis in providing quality visitor services that embody educational programs and facilities required when large numbers of people utilize an area. The larger area with the more robust management structure would allow for more flexibility in funding and operations for the NRA.

· Due to the state of our economy, there is a concern that long term funding and plan sustainability could be at risk. A number of agencies would need to work together in order to achieve the alternative plans, and therefore, all of those agencies would need to be fiscally sound. The concern would remain with regards to long term funding and financial stability for all agencies involved.

· While alternative A brings additional attention and perhaps additional funding for the Angeles Forest it does not address the issues of connecting the Angeles Forest to the ocean via the San Gabriel and Lower Los Angeles rivers. This alternative does not bring attention or funding to access, interpretation and education or additional open space in the region. This alternative does not go beyond current federal boundaries and does not affect funding or planning outside this boundary nor does it bring in the National Park Service with its deep resources that are focused on recreation and habitat restoration and protection projects. Alternative B is the creation of a park and open space network whose focus is to connect urban neighborhoods, mountains and rivers within a broader watershed (see newsletter Exhibit A for map on page 6). It is a loose collaboration of local, state and federal entities that are focused on land management, recreation and conservation. It calls for the National Park Service to be active in the partnership for a five year period. This alternative would enable the current park, open space and recreation efforts a platform and a period time to work together with a larger purpose; it would not provide structure or funding to continue the partnership into the future. An information sharing network led by NPS would be established to organize, consolidate, and distribute scientific information related to the region. An urban satellite office connected to the California Mediterranean Research Learning Center at Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area would provide research and educational opportunities to communities, universities, colleges and schools. Serving as a research facility as well as information dissemination point, this partnership would serve as a model for future efforts in other areas such as the north slope of the San Gabriel Mountains, the Santa Clara River and Antelope Valley.

· I see no need for any part of the Angeles National Forest to become a National Recreation Area. The US Forest Service managed the Forest appropriately under the multiple use standards. If they do have any problems managing certain aspects, (which, I believe was the concern that led to this study being authorized in the first place), it is due to years of appropriations cut-backs. Bringing another bureaucracy in, to "help" manage the Forest is not the answer.

· An NRA would allow for the use of federal funds to acquire additional land for wildlife corridors and to purchase private inholdings. Please recommend to Congress to create a San Gabriel Watershed National Recreation Area and include: the use of river rangers to keep the public safe and interpret resources. Please recommend to Congress to create a San Gabriel Watershed National Recreation Area and include: the use of federal funds to acquire lands for wildlife corridors.

· Sadly, our state is in such a financial mess that I fear unique places like these will be destroyed or worse yet, sold off to developers to raise money for the state.

With your help and some funding the San Gabriel Mountains can become a National Recreation Area, supporting wildlife, habitat, and creating a great outdoor experience for visitors. Please help this great natural area survive and thrive for now and the future.
Over the years we have watched how Forest Service cut-backs have compromised the effectiveness of the National Forest. Drugs, wild life poachers, criminals and vagrants are part of the job, as well as managing multi-use recreation - mountain biking, hiking, camping, hunting, fishing, etc. With more funding, these mountains could be safer for the public - and have less trash.
Charge a modest fee for those who come. People pay for movies and lattes, our wild, natural spaces are irreplaceable and deserve public support. Spare us the interpretive centers. These are expensive to maintain and a luxury we cannot afford at the moment. Pamphlets can do the trick as well as signs in the parking lots.
Setup always takes time, thought and some money; but it is vital to maintain and reclaim these areas, and once established, the system would be cheaper and much easier to maintain.
It should address opportunities to expand the resources and support their recreational use with additional rangers.
The proximity of this wilderness to such a large urban area also creates challenges. Some areas are heavily overused, and many visitors have little understanding of the value of this natural area due the limited number amount interpretation and educational opportunities for visitors. It also strains the resources of the Forest Service to manage such a large area.
As recreational needs grow, services to forest visitors are declining. I urge you to recommend the creation of a San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation Area which would help to bring in new recreational resources for our mountains, including more rangers and law enforcement personnel. The San Gabriel NRA proposal should address how it could bring additional resources to help with Station Fire recovery. It would be helpful to have a public education component associated with the NRA to track recovery and educate the public about wildfire.
One important point to consider in making your recommendation is the small fees for use are acceptable if they are necessary for proper management; fees should be kept for use in the parks where they are collected.

I am intimately aware of the significant and growing levels of interest among Los Angelenos in making use of their access to these remarkably still-wild mountains and canyons. I also see the impact of the lack of care and services which are needed to cope with this increasing use, and would strongly recommend that any management plan specifically conserve the mountains in their most natural state, while at the same time making provisions for their safe access and use.
The Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains represent about 70% of the open space in Los Angeles County. These mountains and its watersheds provide more than 30% of the local drinking water for downstream communities. Thousands of people visit these public lands for recreation every year, and yet the Forest Service's recreation budget has been cut. Campgrounds and picnic areas have closed, trails are unmaintained, and there are few rangers to protect natural and cultural resources and assist visitors. Designation of the NRA would attract more federal resources and encourage cooperative multi-agency management of this vital region.
The US Forest Service has been destroyed by congressional politics over the last 20 years. It has been de-funded (except for fire) and no longer has the ability to do its job. Congress ideally would adequately fund the US Forest Service and the National Forests, however since it has recently been unable to do this, creating a San Gabriel Mountains NRA sounds like the next best idea. The Adventure Pass is wrong and a disaster and I will never pay to travel these public lands that belong to us all, regardless of the visitor's economic situation. It makes a criminal out of anyone parking in a turnout and going for a walk. These public lands must be free to all.

I feel that the best of these plans, Alternative C, would address the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Recreation Area. Furthermore, NRA will bring forth more government assistance and resources that will manage the scenery effectively. As a concerned citizen, I feel this is a step towards making our valleys in the Southern (and Northern) California area more awesome, and managed more properly. Alternative C has my support since it would create a partnership between the National Park Service, the Forest Service along with local agencies.
As the population and recreational needs in this area have grown, so have the demands on the U.S. Forest Service. The recent Station Fire has placed additional demands on the Angeles National Forest, adding to the challenge of supporting recreational opportunities and visitor needs there.
The California Wildlife Action Plan identified as a stressor of wildlife and habitats growth and development. Staffing and funding limitations require enhanced cooperative efforts to ensure public fiscal resources and expert staffing are efficiently used.
More people in the forests would require more control and more search and rescue teams. NPS must be prepared to provide the resources required.

San Gabriel Mountains and Watershed Special Resource Study			National Park Service
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