For the past seven years, the The U.S. Forest Service has been attempting to find a way to protect 37 roadless areas while keeping the public happy. More protection in the form of wilderness zoning would help the California condor, the California gnatcatcher, least bell’s vireo, the mountain yellow-legged frog and the Santa Ana sucker fish by limiting uses within these sensitive species’ habitat.

But in 2006, the state resources agency and environmental groups, including The Wilderness Society and the Sierra Club, sued saying the Forest Service was doing a poor job protecting these precious lands. Later, the two sides settled, agreeing to zone more roadless areas into “back county non-motorized” zones and as “recommended wilderness” areas.

This week, the public got its first glimpse into a compromise plan that amends the original, flawed plan and draft environmental impact statement. About 40 people came to the Angeles National Forest Headquarters Tuesday afternoon to view maps and ask questions of U.S. Forest Service managers.

The Forest Service prefers Alternative 2, which would reclassify about 40,000 acres within the 650,000-acre Angeles National Forest, including Fish Canyon and Salt Creek in the Castaic area and two areas of the West Fork of the San Gabriel River located directly north of the communities of the San Gabriel Valley. About 18,218 acres would be added to the Cucamonga Wilderness and Raywood Flats near the San Gorgonio Wilderness. A wilderness designation is the most protective zone possible for forest lands and requires an act of Congress to implement. Wilderness areas allow hiking, fishing, hunting and horseback riding but does not allow off-roading, any development such as solar panels, cell phone towers or buildings. It also prohibits mountain biking, which is where much of the controversy lies with the latest amendment.

The Forest Service wants to turn 40,000 acres of the Castaic area into recommended wilderness, but has drawn the lines around some rugged mountain biking trails, a process known as “cherry stemming.” However, Alternative 3 would reclassify 525,472 acres as wilderness areas in the following amounts per forest: Angeles (67,715 acres); Cleveland (71,991 acres); Los Padres (338,011 acres) and San Bernardino (47,755 acres). Alternative 3 would add five times the amount of land into the most restrictive zones.

“The biggest concern of the mountain biking community is keeping the back country non-motorized status (in these areas),” said Mitch Marich of Pasadena, a member of the Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association. “We believe that is sufficient protection. “

Justin Seastrand, environmental coordinator for the Forest Service, said about 19-20 miles of mountain biking trails would be lost under Alternative 3, but only in the Castaic area.

John Monsen, a volunteer with the Sierra Club and an environmental consultant, said the terrain in that area is so steep that mountain biking is not recommended. “It’s a bad idea there. It’s so steep and nearly impossible. Plus, this is in a riparian area,” he said, meaning such activity could damage the stream.

The Sierra Club and the group San Gabriel Mountains Forever support Alternative 3, which includes a wilderness designation for about 4,000 acres along the West Fork of the San Gabriel River, while the Forest Service’s “Alternative 2” does not. (Alternative 1 is a no-change option).

Seastrand said the West Fork doesn’t qualify for the wilderness designation because it is too small, and has a road and Edison power lines running along the northern boundary. He also said the handicapped fishing platforms make it a popular spot for veterans groups to fish for wild trout, the only place in the Angeles where wild trout run.

He called the environmentalists wanting wilderness restrictions “a minority population” and said more people prefer more development along the West Fork, not less.

Environmental groups called the Forest Service reasoning into question. They say any wilderness designation always allows for wheelchair access.

“When the Forest Service doesn’t recommend an area, they bring out the wilderness cliches,” Monsen said. “One of those is that an area doesn’t qualify because it is not large enough. That is not an actual standard in The Wilderness Act. Also, nothing in the act mentions power lines. “

Comments are being collected through May 16. They can be sent by mail to the Cleveland National Forest, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA, 92127-2107 or by email to: socal_nf_lmp_amendment@fs.fed.us. A final report and record of decision is expected in July, Seastrand said.