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The morning of Saturday, September 26, I had a unique opportunity. The day before I had decided to help out with a new trail dedication near San Marcos Pass. A few local hiking and conservation organization representatives joined with the Forest Service at the junction of Camino Cielo and Painted cave Roads to officially open the new short trail that starts at that junction and traverses along the ridgetop for about a half mile to the west. We were also there to acknowledge and thank the 2 juvenile boys' camp groups that did most of the trail construction work. I intended to head over to the Eliminator after the ceremony to fly with Mark Wenigar and Jim Maddox.
As it turned out, the mountains were socked in, even drizzling, so launching wasn't an option. So, since the Los Padres Forest Supervisor, Jeanine Derby, and her husband, Paul, had also attended the trail dedication but had no plans afterwards, I invited them to tour some of our launch sites and meet some of the HG/PG pilots who I hoped would be at the Eliminator. From previous conversations, I had sensed that Ms. Derby was potentially open to our sport, but didn't know much about it. I saw it as an opportunity to increase her support, especially if the clouds would clear and she could observe some launches and talk with some pilots. The Forest Supervisor was very interested in visiting the sites, so we headed east, stopping at the Alternator, West La Cumbre, and the Skyport. Unfortunately, it was too foggy to even see most of the sites from the road, but we spent a while at the Skyport even though no one else was there and visibility was about 50 feet. Ms. Derby seemed quite open to working with the HG/PG community and was impressed that we are developing bylaws and flying guidelines for our own self-regulation. She acknowledged that HG/PG is a valid recreational activity that the Forest Service can support for the public in most areas, though not all areas. She said she was interested in better understanding our needs and our goals, especially for areas like the Skyport where we might want to work together on site developments. Negotiations with the city are complete, and the transfer of deed to the Forest Service is in its final stages of review. Fixing the potholes in the road is something the Forest Service may be able to help with, even though it is a County Road. She said we will need to work with Santa Barbara Ranger District, specifically with John Bridgewater and the Ranger, Gloria Silva, to figure out how to proceed. She's looking forward to a partnership between the FS and our HG/PG community, but wants us to figure out how formal or informal it needs to be. We could play a role in conservation education at launches and LZ's, even if nothing more that promoting clean sites. She's very aware of the issues at Big Sur, and would like to see them resolved. My sense is that she appreciated learning more about our sport, and is interested in open dialogue with us about how we can work together to safely develop our HG/PG on Forest lands. She even asked to be invited back up to watch some launches and meet and talk with some pilots. I've also talked with John Bridgewater at Santa Barbara Ranger District who seems very supportive of helping us develop sites and possibly using some of the Adventure Pass funds if money is needed for site improvements. I think that if we offer to work with the FS and are up front about the vegetation and rocks we want to remove, the facilities we'd like to install, and the labor we can provide, we can develop a very good working relationship. The more we try to do behind the backs of the Forest Service, the less they'll trust us. I've also talked with each of the Rangers of the 5 Ranger Districts on the Los Padres about HG/PG, and I think that if we show them we're willing to cooperate with them, we'll have a lot of support. They will be able to relate how "environmentally friendly" our sport is, especially compared to some others. With their help, I believe we can also make it safer, through improvements to launches and LZ's. And if the FS supports us, city and county governments might also be more inclined to work with us. I'd like to hear some discussion about these thoughts at our next club meeting, and about what we'd like to do on Forest lands. I propose that a few club representatives create a list or plan of things we'd like to do to improve various sites and create new sites, and then meet with Forest Service Representatives to discuss what we'd like to accomplish and how we can work together. |