It’s been almost one year since President Obama signed a document, with the San Gabriel Mountains as a dramatic backdrop, declaring much of the range the new San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. At that time there was much excitement, enthusiasm, and anticipation of the benefits this new status would bring to our magnificent local mountain range. I wrote this post about the newly formed San Gabriel Mountains National Monument at that time.
Unfortunately, as described in detail in this LA Times story about the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, not much has changed. Virtually no new resources have been made available, and according to the story the National Forest Service apparently has no goal to create any new plans for the area. “It seems the Forest Service wants to treat the monument no differently than any other part of the national forest,” said Steve Evans, a legislative consultant for the nonprofit California Wilderness Coalition.
The San Gabriel Mountains are my favorite mountain range, and the beauty and majesty of this local treasure are often overlooked even by lifelong area residents. Because of its large size and tall summits – over 10,000′ – the range offers tremendous diversity, encompassing granite peaks with stunning views, lush alpine forests of pine and cedar, lovely stream fed canyons lined with old growth oaks, and spectacular gorges where pure mountain streams cascade over magnificent waterfalls. Check out these San Gabriel Mountains Hikes for many examples of the phenomenal beauty that we can easily experience so very close to home.
If you really want to help, or are interested in getting involved in projects related to the health of the San Gabriel Mountains, you can try contacting the San Gabriel Mountains Forever or the California Wilderness Coalition. Let’s hope that the National Forest Service moves forward soon with some type of planning to utilize this important San Gabriel Mountains National Monument designation to facilitate positive change in this glorious local treasure.