Unless people attend some of these meetings and express an interest in the future of Deep Creek, you will be left out of the decision making processes. Deep Creek is managed by the U. S. Forest Service and these public meetings shape their management decisions. I hope that some of you will become more active by attending these meetings.

Summit focus on future of forest

CONFERENCE: The idea is to look beyond immediate threats and plan for
coming decades.

06/24/2003

By ROBERTO HERNANDEZ
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REDLANDS - Those who have a stake in the fate of Inland mountains and forests and the threats that they face have a chance to help plan for the future.

Starting Friday, government agencies and community groups will gather for a three-day Mountain Summit to discuss the problems facing the San Bernardino National Forest, which spans both counties, and ways to deal with them for the next 50 years.

"We just feel we're a vital part of both the forest and the mountain communities, said Kris Assel, executive director of the San Bernardino Forest Association, in a phone interview. "We just want to have a voice and we think we have an important voice to consider."

The nonprofit association manages visitor centers, volunteers and environmental education programs for the San Bernardino National Forest.

The summit, intended as a long-term planning tool, is taking place at a time when local forests are plagued by overgrowth, beetle infestation and the threat of catastrophic wildfire. Forest and fire officials continue to seek county, state and federal help to combat the threats.

But the summit is not geared to handle those issues, said summit organizer and U.S. Forest Service employee Karen Finlayson in a phone interview.

"The concern of this group, once we get past the immediate problem, is how do we deal with it in the long term so we don't have this situation again and have a forest 50 years from now," she said.

Summit participants include the Mountain Communities Fire Safe Council, the
Sierra Club, San Bernardino and Riverside counties and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Participants said the goal is hear comments from a variety of people and groups that may have their own special interest.

Goals of the summit include developing principles to guide current and future decisions and identifying specific actions to take.

Reach Roberto Hernandez at (909) 806-3060 or rhernandez@pe.com

FOREST FUTURE

Various groups and agencies will gather for a Mountain Summit to discuss long-term plans for Inland forests, plagued by drought, pests and the threat of wildfire.

When: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m.
Sunday

Where: University of Redlands, Orton Center, 1200 E. Colton Ave., Redlands

Information: (530) 647-5393 or info@mountainsummitvision.org