Wilderness4All...
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Eagle Peak Proposed Wilderness. Photo: Geoffrey Smith |
www.Wilderness4All.org
established 2003
"Dedicated to education, exploration and advocacy for
wild rivers and wild lands in the San Diego region"
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Wild contents...
Wilderness Encampment (May 22-23) and 'Broad Walk' (May 20-24)
Wild photos from past outings
Hikes and camping trips
‘Wilderness Encampment’ and 'Broad Walk' to Bring Wilderness Advocates Together on May 20-24 in the Cleveland National Forest
Join dozens of enthusiastic wilderness and wild river advocates at this Wilderness Encampment (Sat - Sun, May 22-23) and 'Broad Walk' (Thurs - Monday, May 20 - 24), at Oak Grove Forest Service Campground and Community Hall, located midway between the communities of Aguanga and Sunshine Summit on SR79 in the Cleveland National Forest. Participants will enjoy rousing presentations, stimulating discussions, hikes, great food, and fellowship at this coming together of organizations and individuals who are working to establish federal wilderness and wild & scenic river protections for federal land in San Diego County.
From the vantage point of our car-camp location at Oak Grove, we will enjoy splendid views of the Palomar range including Agua Tibia Proposed Wilderness to the south, and Beauty Mountain Proposed Wilderness to the north. These pristine areas in San Diego County comprise Congressperson Darrell Issa’s “Beauty Mountain and Agua Tibia Wilderness Act of 2009” (H. R. 4304), which would add 13,635 acres to the Beauty Mountain Wilderness, and 7,796 acres to the Agua Tibia Wilderness – which were established in Riverside County in 2009 by Congressperson Mary Bono Mack.
Sierra Club CA/NV RCC Wilderness (www.sierraclub.org/ca/wilderness) and Forest Committees are joining with the venerable Durango, Colorado-based group Great Old Broads for Wilderness (www.greatoldbroads.org), and Wilderness4All (www.wilderness4all.org) in San Diego County to stage this momentous event.
Here are some wild details…
Wilderness Encampment, Sat/Sun, May 22/23
Audience: Sierra Club members and guests who care about preserving wild places -- from various places in California and Nevada, especially southern California
Guest speakers: Rick Halsey of The Chaparral Institute, Land management agency officials, and other guests
Format: Optional campout Friday night followed by sit-down wilderness meeting Saturday 10 am to 5 pm, lunch ($3 donation), group dinner ($10 cost) in the meeting hall, with evening program. Group breakfast Sunday ($3 donation), followed by a moderate hike into the Beauty Mountain Proposed Wilderness
Hike: Sunday morning hike in the Beauty Mountain Proposed Wilderness Addition led by Geoffrey Smith, finished by 3:00 pm
Meeting agenda topics include: Current Wilderness legislation, wilderness management issues, agency reports, forest updates, off-road vehicle concerns, public lands fees concerns, outing reports and listings, and more.
Meals: Lunch provided during Saturday meeting. Saturday camp night dinner and Sunday breakfast provided; donations will be requested to cover meal costs. Bring own utensils, cups, bowls, etc.
Costs: $10 person camping fee; $3 each donation for lunch and breakfast.
Optional Saturday Night Dinner and Program: A $10 reservation by May 12 will get you a delicious catered dinner with the Great Old Broads for Wilderness, followed by a program
Musical Entertainment: Kathleen Beck and Jim Lydick's 4-piece band, 'Highwire', will perform Saturday evening
Great Old Broads for Wilderness 'Broad Walk', Thurs/Fri/Sat/Sun/Mon, May 20/21/22/23/24
Got 5 days to spare? Why not join the Great Old Broads for Wilderness' 'Broad Walk'! For the modest fee of only $150 (non-member price), you will be treated to five days (Thursday - Monday) of hiking, restoration events, good food, campfires, and fellowship with one of the finest wilderness activist groups in the West. We'll all come together with the Wilderness Encampment folks Saturday night for a scrumptious catered dinner in the Meeting Hall.
Learn more about and register for Broadwalk
Guest Speakers on Saturday:
Rick Halsey, The California Chaparral Institute
Congressman Darrell Issa's office (invited)
Joan Friedlander, Palomar District Ranger, Cleveland National Forest
Jennifer Taylor, Wilderness Specialist, Bureau of Land Management (invited)
San Diego State University Field Stations (invited)
Geoffrey Smith, Wilderness4All on the North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign
Cindy Buxton, San Diego Chapter, Sierra Club on San Diego River Headwaters
Sound fun? It will be! For more details and to register, write to yourpartners@partners4nature.com (preferred), or call 858.442.1425. Hope to see you there!
Wild Event Organizing Team
Geoffrey Smith, Wilderness4All, 858.442.1425, geoffrey@partners4nature.com
Vicky Hoover, Sierra Club CA/NV Wilderness Committee, 415.977.5527, vicky.hoover@sierraclub.org
Rose Chilcoat, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, 970-385-9577,
rose@greatoldbroads.org
Pam Nelson, Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group, San Gorgonio Chapter, 951.767.2324, pamela05n@peoplepc.com
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Wild photos from past outings
Can you see yourself in these places?
2010
San Mateo Creek Potential Wild & Scenic River day hike, March 13
Caliente Potential Wilderness Area day hike, March 20
Agua Tibia Proposed Wilderness Area day hike, April 3
Caliente Potential Wilderness Area backpack, April 23
2009
San Diego River Gorge Proposed Wilderness and Wild & Scenic River, May 10
Santa Margarita River Proposed Wild & Scenic River, May 25
Agua Tibia Proposed Wilderness Area day hike, July 25
Beauty Mountain Proposed Wilderness Area dayhike, August 8
San Felipe Hills Potential Wilderness Area dayhike, December 13
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North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign Educational Outings to Proposed Wilderness and Wild & Scenic River Areas
San Diego, CA – The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign will conduct a series of outings to proposed wilderness and wild & scenic river areas in north San Diego County and south Riverside County . The purpose of these guided outings is to inform the public about natural places that are being proposed for protection through federal wilderness and wild & scenic river designation in the 49th Congressional District, represented by Congressman Darrell Issa. All of the outings are free.
Note: Group size is limited on all of these outings for resource protection and safety reasons. Reservations are required. Participants who arrive at the trailhead without reservation may be turned away.
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BIRD WALK AND PICNIC ON THE SAN LUIS REY RIVER NEAR PALOMAR MOUNTAIN
Sunday, May 2, 2010
9:00 am
1 mile, easy
Recommended for kids
RSVP (required) to Leader: Geoffrey Smith, yourpartners@partners4nature.com
Meeting location: Meet at San Luis Rey Picnic Area, Cleveland National Forest, on SR76 between the La Jolla Indian Reservation and Lake Henshaw
This beautiful, riparian wooded section of the San Luis Rey River affords splendid opportunity for bird watching and just relaxing. Families with children will enjoy spending time along the stream. We will be joined by noted naturalist, Walter Konopka, who will be on hand to identify birds, plants and animals that we see. Walter has been a popular natural history guide and educator in San Diego for well over 30 years, and is a popular instructor at the Sierra Club's annual Nature Knowledge Workshop. Maybe we’ll see an endangered southwestern willow flycatcher or least Bell’s vireo (song birds) – bring your binoculars! We’ll all sit down to a potluck picnic at noon in the shady picnic area with bathrooms and water. This outing to a potential wild & scenic river is sponsored by Friends of the River, Wilderness4All and The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign.
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DAY HIKE TO SAN DIEGO RIVER GORGE PROPOSED WILDERNESS AND WILD & SCENIC RIVER
Saturday, May 8, 2010
9:00 am
6 miles, Moderate difficulty, 1,000' gain/loss
RSVP (Required) to Leader: Geoffrey Smith, yourpartners@partners4nature.com
Meeting location: From SR78/79 near Julian, turn south on Pine Hills Road; bear right on Eagle Peak Road at several forks in the road, then proceed to the end of Eagle Peak Road. This is a distance of 11 miles over narrow, windy and sometimes unpaved roads. Allow at least 1/2 hour from SR78/79 intersection. ‘Saddleback’ is located just south of the San Diego River Park Foundation’s ‘Eagle Peak Preserve’.
The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign invites you to explore the rugged upper reaches of the proposed San Diego River Gorge Wilderness and Wild & Scenic River near Julian. Dropping 1,000' from our trailhead at ‘Saddleback’ at the south end of Eagle Peak Road, we'll intersect the San Diego River, and travel upstream through beautiful riparian oak woodland, deep into the scenic gorge.
Encompassing approximately 2,400 acres of proposed wilderness, and nearly 8 miles of proposed wild & scenic river, the canyon's distinctive scenery is enhanced by steep slopes and spectacular waterfalls. Hikers and local residents frequent the canyon rim to take in the wild vista, but visitors who wish to explore this wild area up close will be challenged by the rocky and trail-less gorge. Identified by the Forest Service as an area of high ecological significance, the river's diverse riparian and coastal sage habitat is home to the endangered arroyo toad, endangered California gnatcatcher, sensitive southwestern pond turtle, Coast Range newt, two-striped garter snake, yellow warbler, rosy boa, coast horned lizards, and orange-throated whiptails. This outing to a potential wilderness and wild & scenic river is sponsored by Friends of the River, Wilderness4All and The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign.
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DAY HIKE TO BEAUTY MOUNTAIN
Sunday, May 23, 2010
8:00 am
5 miles, moderate difficulty
RSVP (required) to Leader: Geoffrey Smith, yourpartners@partners4nature.com
Meeting location: Contact leader for details. This outing is part of a 4-day wilderness encampment at Oak Grove Forest Service Campground on SR-79, details for which are yet to be determined.
At 14,249 acres, the Beauty Mountain Proposed Wilderness Addition is a scenic jewel draped in chaparral, fascinating rock formations and oak woodlands. The area is a transition zone between Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to the east and the endangered coastal sage scrub of the Coast Range to the west. The California Riding and Hiking Trail crosses the area. On warm spring days, visitors are greeted with the heady scents of sage, manzanita, and California lilac while hill after misty hill rises in the distance, presenting an unbroken view of wild country. Our hike will explore this pristine area, in the shadow of Palomar Mountain. This outing to a potential wilderness and wild & scenic river is sponsored by Friends of the River, Wilderness4All and The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign.
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Upcoming Spring/Summer Outings...
DAY HIKE TO SAN YSIDRO MOUNTAINS
TBD
8:00 am
6 miles, moderate difficulty
RSVP (required) to Leader: Geoffrey Smith, yourpartners@partners4nature.com
Meeting location: The Ranchita Store on S22, Montezuma Highway
Explore the rocky, chaparral-covered southern flank of this 6,020-foot peak, home to the sensitive loggerhead shrike and rare wildflowers. Remnants of old gold mines abound, making this an historic adventure as well as a wild one. This outing to a potential wilderness area is sponsored by Friends of the River, Wilderness4All and The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign.
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DAY HIKE ON PACIFIC CREST TRAIL IN SAN FELIPE HILLS
TBD
8:00 am
12 miles, moderate difficulty
RSVP (required) to Leader: Geoffrey Smith, yourpartners@partners4nature.com
Meeting location: Parking lot 0.2 miles north of SR78 on S-2 (just north of Scissors Crossing)
Hike a 12-mile stretch of the Pacific Crest Trail as it winds along the spine ridge of the San Felipe Hills Wilderness Study Area. Spectacular views of high-desert back country abound, with the ridgelines uniquely linear due to their proximity to the Elsinore and Earthquake Valley faults. Views of Volcan Mtn to the west, Pinyon Mtn to the east, with Palomar and even San Jacinto clearly visible, make this hike truly special. We will be hiking point-to-point, south to north, with a car shuttle. Contact leader for optional car-camp location on Saturday night. This outing to a potential wilderness area is sponsored by Friends of the River, Wilderness4All and The North San Diego Wild Heritage Campaign.
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No email? Call Geoffrey at 858.442.1425 c
CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND
These outings are part of a comprehensive grassroots volunteer-based campaign to establish federal wilderness and wild & scenic river protection for sensitive lands in San Diego and southern Riverside Counties. Each of these outings is lead by Geoffrey Smith, a long-time outing leader in San Diego County with over 25 years of experience conducting group outings into backcountry areas. For more information visit www.FriendsoftheRiver.org | www.Wilderness4All.org | www.CaliforniaWild.org | www.SierraClub.org
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It was a wonderful conference! See photos
"A wilderness, in contrast with those areas where man and his own works dominate the landscape,
is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life
are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain ..."
- The Wilderness Act, September 3, 1964
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