We Get Letters

Dear Supervisor Barger,

Apparently there is to be some kind of meeting where new rules, terms conditions and restrictions will be rolled out after some kind of an agreement of discussion between “Stakeholders” on the use of trails within the Angeles National Forest or adjacent to it, controlled by the County of Los Angeles.

Objections:

1. I have never seen the survey given to “Stakeholders” referenced in the meeting announcement. I along with hundreds of others, am a well known resident of Altadena and user of these trails as was my father my grandfather, my grandmother, my great grandparents and their parents. I object on the grounds of design for non participation.

2. This survey and the meeting to be conducted I assume via computer, was not noticed ot the foothill communities as a whole, the highest usersa dn also the people with most impact. Again design for non participation AND I suspect with lack of outreach design for the illusion of process with limited and pre selected participation inclined to agree with pre determined out come.

3. The trails above Altadena are a resource for ALL the Citizens and residents of Los Angeles County, California and the Nation. These trails in particular are a class free recreation zone, meaning the poor and rich have nearly equal access and enjoyment of this public resource. To the shame of the history and culture of my community, many new homeowners here who grew up in the despicable stratified climes of West Los Angeles, seem to vociferously object to trails use by persons whom they consider to be their “lessers”. Their speech and complaints drip like a tortch soaked in tar and gasoline of racism and its true master, Classism. The trails and camp areas in the National Forests exist as a major pressure valve release for the public. Radically restricting access to them is a sociological and political harm to the region. The Citizens pay for these areas to exist with the understanding that they provide the functional need of casual recreation, PARTICULARLY in times such as these.

4. The National Forests are still not seeing the number of daily or yearly users they saw 100 years ago in the 1920’s/ Los Angeles County has over TEN TIMES the population it had then. Rather than dreaming up ways to further reduce Citizen use of the Forest we should be expanding campgrounds, repairing trails, and building new facilities.

I hope you will include these comments in your thinking and decision making on the trails.

Sincerely.
Steven S. Lamb

Got something to say, email Managing Editor André Coleman, at andrec@pasadenanowmagazine.com