sgusers7的部落格

Source: San Bernardino County Sun, Calif.self storageAug. 10--RANCHO CUCAMONGA -- The U.S. Forest Service is considering a plan to close the popular Cucamonga Canyon hiking area above Rancho Cucamonga because of low moisture levels in the area and the potential high-fire danger, officials said.The closure, if approved, would only impact federal public land, which includes a popular waterfall area north of the city that is frequented by scores of people during the summer months. Officials said there has never been a Cucamonga Canyon-specific forest closure in memory, save for a time prior to the late 1970s when national forest areas in the region were closed to the public during the dry summer months."We're in the second year of a severe drought so, we have looked at the fire danger levels and yes, we have had discussions with the city of Rancho Cucamonga and we are considering an area closure," said U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller.He added, "You do it because the fuel moisture in the area is low and we are receptive to fire. You do it because there's a lot of fire activity in Southern California, which strains the ability of resources. It's all about fire prevention."Rancho Cucamonga Fire District Deputy Chief Mike Costello provided a report on the potential closure at a recent council meeting and said the U.S. Forest Service is close to finishing the federal declaration required for the closure. Local fire and law enforcement officials will be meeting soon to discuss how to enforce such a plan, Costello said."That declaration will obviously enforce the fire severity and the live (fire) potential but it might give us some breathing room as we look at the remainder of this fire se迷你倉son, probably into December for the closure," Costello said.U.S. Forest Service spokesman John Miller said the agency doesn't take such closure decisions lightly because the land is owned by the public at large."It's just another tool we have to use as needed," Miller said. "It's not a decision we take lightly because of the fact that you are restricting public use of public lands."Miller said the only other U.S. Forest Service closures in the region are related to the Mountain and Silver fires in the San Jacinto ranger district in Riverside County."I think the most exciting thing would be if we can get cooperation with our federal forest service to close the canyon and I hope that would not just be for 2013 but going onward into future years when fuel moistures reach a certain level that they give the federal order to give a closure for fire danger," said Mayor Dennis Michael.The canyon, officials said, has become increasingly popular as larger numbers of people are entering the canyon to visit the so-called Sapphire Falls, which has become a popular attraction for area hikers and visitors because of recent social media coverage.Residents say the increased crowds have created issues such as crime, graffiti and vandalism, in the canyon and in neighborhoods in the northwest of town near the public access route into the wilderness area. The city has taken steps to restrict parking for visitors near the access point in an effort to control the numbers of people entering the canyon.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) Visit the San Bernardino County Sun (San Bernardino, Calif.) at .sbsun.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉