Category Archives: National Forests

United States Forest Service clears the air about “satanic cult” signs popping up in the San Bernardino Mountains

I got an email asking about a sign that someone had seen up at Jenks Lake in the San Bernardino mountains. I hadn’t heard of any new signs, but checked it out. It appears that there’s a sign posted stating that there’s “increased satanic cult activity” in the area. The “sign” is an 8.5”x11” sheet of white paper printed with a inkjet printer and affixed with masking tape.

Continue reading

Room with a View … And Not Much Else – Booking a Fire Lookout Rental in California

Next Level Camping is what I was looking for when I discovered you could rent fire lookouts. I’d been a member of the Forest Fire Lookout Association for years because I lived close to the Butler Peak Fire Lookout while up in Big Bear, and thought that I’d eventually be able to volunteer at the lookout. Solitude is always a draw for me, and the forest is my church. So going up to the steeple seemed like a pretty cool idea.

Continue reading

Land and Water Conservation Fund Permanent Funding Act passes Senate!

The Land and Water Conservation Fund is a federal program was established by Congress in 1964 through a bipartisan commitment to safeguard our public lands – the natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage for all Americans – and provide funds and matching grants to federal, state, and local governments to acquire land, water, and easements. Through funding provided from offshore oil and gas leasing, the LWCF has protected and expanded habitat and preserved access to outdoor recreation in all fifty states, which makes it our nation’s most successful conservation program.

Continue reading

U.S. Forest Service Launches Online Map for Designated Recreation Sites in California

The U.S. Forest Service Pacific has launched what they’re calling a “GIS map” (for those of us – like me – who are acronymically deficient, you can just call it the “geographic information system map) that provides information on the current status of campgrounds, day-use, picnic, and other designated recreation sites on national forest ground throughout California.

Continue reading

The U.S. Forest Service Start Opening Access to California National Forests

The Forest Service has announced that they’re starting to open up access to developed recreational opportunities.

In California we’re part of Region 5 – the Pacific Southwest Region, which manages 18 national Forests from Klamath and Modoc in the northern part of the state all the way through the Angeles, San Bernardino, and Cleveland National Forests in the southern part of the state. These national forests cover more than 20 million acres of our lands and supply 50% of the water in the state.

Continue reading