Protecting Deep Creek with skewed data?

"Off-road vehicle use in delicate areas, such as Deep Creek,
is also cited as a major reason for protecting the area."
WILD HERITAGE ACT By Joan Moseley


Typical Incident #1: Mike Castro rides his motorcycle down to his own private parking space just up stream from the hot springs. A hotspringer hiking out on USFS trail 3w02 looks down and sees Mike Castro on his motorcycle in a prohibited area; the hot springer makes a telephone report to the USFS. The hot springer gives USFS positive identification of the OHV scofflaw. Then USFS logs the report of illegal OHV use at Deep Creek Hot Springs; no action is taken.

Typical Incident #2: A hotspringer Mike Castro does not like drives around the Bowen Ranch to park on public lands. Mike Castro uses his cell phone to call in illegal parking report. The USFS logs the report of illegal parking at Deep Creek Hot Springs and sends a USFS ranger out to ticket the hotspringer's car.

Therefore: the USFS log could be half full of reports complaining about Mike Castro's illegal OHV use or reports made by Mike Castro himself complaining about "toll-dodgers" increasing the negative reports. The USFS provided this "skewed data" to California Senator Barbara Boxer and it is now being cited as a "major reason" for her environmental legislation that may close Deep Creek Hot Springs or severely restrict access to the Springs.

When I spoke to U. S. Fish and Wildlife about what could happen if Deep Creek was designated as "Wild and Scenic", I asked him, what if the human use of the area starts to impact the health of the creek or the endangered species, he said "they could close the area to human use". The USFW official said, "This could be caused by the affects of sunblock washing off into the hot pools and getting into the creek". What about human waste? Trash? Noise of reveling hotspringers interrupting the mating call of the Arroyo Toad, no kidding this happened during mating season in Orange County.

We really need to receive a thorough understanding of what this designation could possibly mean to the future human use of Deep Creek Hot Springs. Could this designation possibly result in our being denied access to Deep Creek Hot Springs in the future? Is the designation justified at Deep Creek? Is it really needed? I ask every person concerned about the future of Deep Creek to really look into these issues.

DCV would be wise to think about what this designation of "wild and scenic" means to Deep Creek and what is the Proposed Forest Service Management Plan for the area? These public meetings held by the Forest Service should be starting soon. As you experienced with the BLM, these planning periods with public comment are scheduled and if you don't participate, you may find out later that you are not happy with the results are too late to participate.

Be Careful What you Wish Hotspringers: you may get yourselves "protected" out of Deep Creek Hot Springs.