Federal Court Decision May Spell End of Some Forest Service Fees including the Adventure Pass
February 25, 2012
Filed under Breaking News, News and More News About the Mountain, Uncategorized
The fate of the controversial Forest Service “Adventure Pass” fee program is unknown at this time. However, that may change as a result of a recent decision by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals which basically determined that charging people to “recreate” in the uninhabited forests was illegal.
Actually, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals made a recent ruling that the U.S. Forest Service cannot charge for hiking, walking, picnicking or visiting undeveloped areas of the country’s national forests. When the Adventure Pass program was first initiated in 1996 the fee angered many mountain residents and visitors who were forced to purchase an Adventure Pass. Although it has brought in a lot of money to help the Forest Service maintain amenities at many of its recreation sites people are still unhappy that they have to pay a fee to enjoy many locations throughout the mountains. If people who want to visit the mountains but don’t purchase a $5 Adventure Pass to “recreate” at certain areas they stood (and/or stand) the chance of being ticketed and will be responsible for certain fines.
In announcing the court’s decision, 9th Circuit Court Judge Robert Gettleman wrote that “everyone is entitled to enter national forests without paying a cent.” The court’s decision was made following the conclusion of a case where four people were very unhappy about paying the fees in a forest in Arizona and who filed suit.
While the Forest Service is expected to appeal the decision,many mountain residents and visitors are happy to hear that there is a real possibility the program will end. When the program began many people were upset and continue to be upset, because they felt the national forests belong to all Americans and to charge them to visit certain sites and/or amenities amounts to double taxation. The complaints have not calmed down which resulted in the recent lawsuit where the forest service came out on the losing end, so to speak.
Longtime San Bernardino National Forest Service Public Affairs spokesman John Miller told me that the Forest Service is currently reviewing the decision by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals concerning some of the recreation fees that are authorized under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act of 2004. Some of the projects that Adventure Pass funds help pay for included restroom maintenance and upkeep, refurbishing campsites,trash and litter removal, removing abandoned cars, graffiti removal as well as funding visitor’s centers and other buildings.
Once the Forest Service appeals the court’s decision it will be interesting to see what the outcome will be.
Members Needed for “Measure W” Citizen’s Oversight Committee
The Rim of the World Unified School District is seeking new members to serve on the “Measure W ” Oversight Committee. During a meeting on Feb. 23 the district’s board of trustees approved a call to fill vacancies for the committee panel. The panel must meet quarterly as required by their bylaws.
The application for the committee will be available in the front lobby of the District Office, located 27315 N. Bay Road in Blue Jay. Applications must be submitted to the district Office by 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 30, 2012.
Qualifications
As mandated under Proposition 39, the selected members of the Citizen’s Oversight Committee will consist of a minimum of seven members, representing the following areas:
one parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district;
one parent or guardian of a child enrolled in the district and active in a parent-teacher organization, such as the PTA or School Site Council;
One active member in a business organization representing the business community located in the district;
One member active in a senior citizen’s organization;
one member active in a bona-fide taxpayers association;
and two members of the community-at large.
In addition to the qualifying standards listed above the candidates must be at least 18 years of age and must not be an employee, official of the District or any vendor, contractor or consultant of the District.
Responsibilities
Pursuant to Education Code section 15278(b), the committee members’ responsibilities will include informing the public of the district’s expenditure of the bond proceeds; reviewing expenditure reports produced by the District to ensure that proceeds are expended in accordance outlined in Measure W; presenting an annual written report outlining their activities and conclusions regarding the expenditures of Measure w bond proceeds to the Board of Trustees in open session.
Accident on Hwy. 330 Clearing
A woman driver, who has been arrested for DUI, was involved in an accident on Hwy. 330 below the bottom passing lane on Friday, February 25. Fortunately there were no injuries involved although the accident involved a beer truck and the driver of a green Honda Civic. Due to the accident the backup of southbound vehicles may have reached as many as 100 but traffic backup conditions are improving.
The incident was reported at 1:42 p.m.
Bear Killed Under Weekend Home in Crest Estates
February 24, 2012
Filed under Breaking News, News and More News About the Mountain, Uncategorized
Blood is seen on the snow after a black bear was killed in Crest Estates last week.
Mountain residents are alarmed again about the recent killing of a full-grown adult black bear in the Crest Estates area of Lake Arrowhead area with the approval the State Department of Fish and Game. The property owner did have a depredation permit received from the state so the bear could be killed. The owner cited “substantial damage” to his home as the reason for applying for and receiving the permit.
However, 25-year mountain resident and certified wildlife rehabilitator, Nancy Anderson, who has been a bear handler for many years, stated that she didn’t think the damage was severe enough that the animal should have been killed. In fact, she said, in her opinion it was completely unnecessary even though the semi-hibernating bear had taken up residency in what appeared to be some sort of a dirt build-up under the weekend cabin. “It’s heartbreaking and was so unnecessary for it to be killed,” she said. “In another 30-60 days he or she would have left on their own.” She added that the bear had pulled off a few boards and displaced a water heater in the buildup but, in her opinion, that did not justify the state issuing the property owner a permit to have the animal killed. Anderson was not sure the date the bear was killed by Fish and Game or a trapper but she suspects it was around Feb. 14 or 15.
Anderson said the cabin with the buildup where the bear was hibernating was not being used because it was a weekend home. She feels that if the family was concerned about the hibernating bear that they could have taken steps such as sounding a loud air horn or hot wiring the area to discourage the animal from making him or herself at home.
Anderson had been observing the bear since January 26 and she said the bear showed absolutely no aggression and made no “posturing movements or threats” because it was in a semi-hibernating stage. A letter was sent to the homeowner from veterinarian Dr. Arbe Kraft asking the people at the site to talk with the property owner to let the bear remain on the property until it left his hibernating state naturally. Anderson told me that the bear should not have been killed when it was within the property owner’s ability to take any number of corrective steps such as hot-wiring the area to keep the bear from the build-up. “The best thing would have been to leave the bear alone,” she said.
“Wildlife has to adapt to human encroachment in what is historically their habitat but humans have not adapted to bear wildlife needs,” said Anderson. She added that the last bear killed with permission of Fish and Game was a bear that was attracted to a home in the same general area because the property owners had a koi pond.
In the wild bears eat fish.
It’s a Leap Year Year!
Every four years it’s Leap Year and this is one of those years. Who do we have for the extra day in February? Many people throughout the century have had something to do with establishing a common “calendar” and one of those was Julius Caesar.
Every four years an extra day is added to February to make the year 366 days instead of the normal 365 days. This keeps the calendar in alignment with the earth’s rotation around the sun. If the extr
a day was not added to the calendar eventually the calendar would be off by about 24 days, which would make a huge, huge difference. Every Leap Year February has 29 days instead of 28.
Although there are many ideas on how Leap Year actually started it’s all part of y in what many historians believe was about 45 BCE (before the Common era). During the ancient days of Rome, Emperor Julius Caesar made the decision (as dictator’s often do) to change the (then) accepted calendar. Naturally, this “revise” was called the Julian calendar (for Julius) and it was later refined by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 and it was called the Gregorian Calendar.
For many, many years “Leap Day” is known as the day that prospective brides can turn the tables on their “intended” and ask them to marry them. OK, ladies, here’s your chance!!!!!
February Birthday Greetings To….
Happy February birthday greetings to Mary-Justine Lanyon, Pat Davis, Michael Stevens, Barry Smart, my sister Gail, Deanette Warren, Cindy Gardner and Vickey England. I hope each of you has (or had) a wonderful day. Birthdays are the celebration of your life so enjoy!
Mtn. Rotary Sets March 1 for Annual Music Competition
Hopefully it won’t snow on March 1 like it did about 10 days ago when Mountain Rotary planned to host their annual Music Competition at Rim High because that’s the new date for this exciting musical event.
Starting at 6 p.m. in the Rim High Performing Arts Center the competition will feature local high school age students who will show their skills in piano, vocal and instrumental music and it promises to be quite a competition. Twenty-four students will participate.
Rotary will award the first place winner with $100 and the second place winner will receive $75. The student who captures third place will receive $50.
For information call (909) 338-5840.
The Rim School District is known for its excellent music programs so this competition should prove to be an outstanding FREE event you won’t want to miss. I’m not going to!
Recreation District Offers Heartsaver Classes
* Need to learn basic first aid skills for shock, bleeding, broken bones, sprains, stroke, bites, seizures, choking, burns, bites, stings and more emergency situations? If so, the Rim of the World Recreation and Park District has a program that will help you have the confidence to handle medical emergencies.
On Saturday, March 10, April 21, May 5, June 9 and July 14 former firefighter, 10-year Basic Life Support Instructor and 10 year EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) Tony Wetmore will offer Heartsaver First Aid classes from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Rim of the World Recreation and Park District in Rimforest. The programs are open to children 10-years-old to adults.Wetmore is an authorized class provider acknowledged by the American Heart Association.
The class charge is $33 per person plus $17 for supplies.
* Heartsaver CPR/AED will also be offered on the same days as the Heartsaver First Aid classes and will be taught by Tony Wetmore. This class deals with CPR basics for adults, children and infants as well as foreign body airway obstruction and rescue breathing. This class also certifies all students on the A.E.D. (Automated External Defibrillator). Students who successfully complete the course will receive a Heartsaver First Aid card from the American Heart Association.
The charge is $28 per person plus $17 for supplies. Classes will be held from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m
John Denver, part 2-”The Dancer”
I wrote this story many years ago after my (now late) husband and I attended what was to be, our final John Denver concert. It was probably 1997 or thereabouts. The Dancer
By Joan Moseley
When I was a little girl I took years and years of ballet and my love for the beautiful dance form continues to this day. My mother made me to go to Rudack’s dancing school on Los Feliz Boulevard, where like it or not, I learned ballroom dancing. I liked the dancing, just not the 12-year-old boys!
When I was in high school, I took modern dance and was one of several people who danced on the west-coast version of American Bandstand. I don’t remember what the name of the television show was but it was hosted by Wink Martindale. My friends and I had a wonderful, fun time dancing to the latest tunes and meeting some of the guests while we would (on command, no doubt!) squeal our little hearts out! I was even selected as one of two dancers from my high school to participate in a summer fine arts program at Hollywood High where we put on entire musical productions. I loved it!
When I married Peter for the first time in 1968 I missed dancing because he couldn’t. The logical step was taken. We started taking ballroom dancing at Arthur Murray studios. I loved it. Peter hated it! He as so terrified that he danced like he had a wooden stick riding up his back. Because he was scared, naturally he didn’t enjoy it at all. We finally gave up and just didn’t dance………well, hardly ever and when we did it wasn’t fun because it was so strained!
We eventually divorced but I married again. In 1994 Peter and I were reunited in a moving and marvelous ceremony on the beach at sunset. Since he and I had always been friends even after we divorced, when he was hit by a woman going 60 mph while he was bike riding on Memorial Day weekend in 1993, it never, ever occurred to me not to immediately be there for him and our children. I was by him, and I stayed by him, not out of pity but out of a deep bond he and I have always shared.
As he began to heal our relationship began to heal and it changed back into a deep, enduring love. As the realization of the depth of his quadriplegia began to become a reality, he changed, not just physically but emotionally. He was, and is, glad to be alive and it was that new outlook, that new depth, that brought me to him once again.
This past Friday night Peter and I and our daughter Amanda went to see John Denver at the beautiful Cerritos Performing Arts Center. This particular entertainer has always had a very special place in both our hearts and Peter and I saw him when we were first married, the first time around. We saw him at the Forum in about 1973 and loved him, his stand on ecology and his inspiring music. I distinctly remember clapping my hands and stomping my feet, ad nauseam, at that concert. Peter, much more conservative and restrained that I said, “I’ve never seen you like this!” I think he was quite horrified! I was having a ball and wasn’t afraid to show it but on the other hand, Peter was having a ball but was, in fact, afraid to show it.
During last Friday’s performance I sat two or three seats down from my husband and one row back. Since he was in his wheelchair he had the outside “seat.” During most of the first half of the performance I watched him with Amanda. I couldn’t help but think that when he and I first was Denver at the Forum, Amanda wasn’t even a twinkle in our eyes. She has become a beautiful 18-year-old, both inside and out, and I basked in watching her stroke her father’s cheek and hold his left hand where he has a little bit of feeling. During particularly moving songs I would get up from my aisle seat and go wrap my arms around him. This concert, the shoe was on the other foot. My husband was the one who was so active, with the little part of his body he could move. He even yelled out a few John Denver-isms, “Faaarrrr Out!”
After watching Peter keep time with his arms, since he can’t use his hands to clap or his feet to stomp, at some point during the evening I realized that………..I had, in fact, married a dancer. I now have what I sought all those years. He can’t dance with his feet, but he dances with his arms, his eyes, his upper body and he sings the words. Even more importantly, Peter now dances with a free heart and soul. This is one of the gifts he has been given; the freedom to be himself and not care what he may look like to others. The shy boy has become, out of the tragedy of this accident, a more self-assured man.
Arthur Murray would be so proud!
