[pct-l] PCT Agua Dulce Reroute

[Kevin Corcoran <kevin@hughes.net>]

This is from our local paper, a recent article on the PCT Agua Dulce
segment.....
Kevin
                  
                    Hiking trail to go off beaten path

                    This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press
December 2, 1999

                    By THOMAS FRANCIS
                    Valley Press Staff writer

                    AGUA DULCE - Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail have
found a path
                    away from the noise and the danger of speeding cars.

                    Currently, a 3-mile portion of the trail just north of
Vasquez Rocks
                    County Park runs along the shoulder of the two-lane,
55-mph Agua
                    Dulce Canyon Road.

                    Thanks to a $1.5 million appropriation secured by Rep.
Howard P.
                    "Buck" McKeon, that 3-mile stretch of the trail will be
realigned away
                    from the road.

                    The Santa Clarita Republican held a press conference
Tuesday at
                    Vasquez Rocks County Park to announce the funding, which
comes as
                    part of the federal Omnibus Appropriations Act.

                    That funding had been pursued vigorously by members of
the Pacific
                    Crest Trail Association - particularly its executive
director, Bob Ballou,
                    and Vice President Bob Nida - and by Angeles National Forest
                    authorities who wanted to enhance the trail experience
for hikers coming
                    through Agua Dulce.

                    "When Bob Ballou, Bob Nida and members of the Forest
Service met
                    with me and talked about the danger and the need for
improvements on
                    the trail, I knew it was a very good project to be
involved in," said
                    McKeon, who identified improvements to the trail as one
of his top
                    environmental priorities before the congressional
session began.

                    Ballou, who spoke after McKeon, said that the $1.5
million is just the
                    beginning. That money will help move the trail off the
road, but Ballou
                    said his association already is looking toward the next
challenge: moving
                    the trail off the privately owned land, where property
owners may
                    exercise their rights to build over the trail.

                    "It's been my duty to try to focus our growing
organization's attention on
                    the 300 miles of Pacific Crest Trail that aren't already
on public land,"
                    Ballou said.

                    Referring to a map displayed next to the podium, Ballou
pointed to
                    portions of the trail that crossed white areas.

                    "This is private land and we're concerned it might end up in
                    development," he said.

                    It will cost more money to rescue the trail from private
land, of course,
                    and Ballou added that with the continued efforts of
McKeon, more
                    federal funds will open up.

                    Mike Wickman, the district ranger who will oversee the
implementation
                    of the $1.5 million, will prepare a report for Congress,
outlining more
                    precisely how the money will be used to enhance the trail.

                    He confirmed that while these most recent funds will
likely move the trail
                    off the roadside, future funds will take the trail off
private properties.

                    "By March 1, we'll have some idea for this whole area of
the trail, and I
                    anticipate that as we go ahead we'll go after the
highest risk areas first,
                    those most prone to development," Wickman said.

                    Fortunately, the Pacific Crest Trail is only threatened
by private
                    landowners in places where people are hostile to
recreation trails, and
                    by all accounts, the Agua Dulce area does not have such
a reputation.

                    "Agua Dulce is a special trail experience," Bob Nida
said. "I don't think
                    our hikers ever feel more welcome than they do here, and
that's because
                    of the people that live here."

                    For that reason, Nida said that though the trail will be
rerouted, it won't
                    stray too far away from the town.

                    "Our expectation is that the trail will be in this
area," Nida said. "It will be
                    relocated off the road to a safer place, but not a
remote place, because
                    there aren't many towns as welcome as this one."

                    Others speaking at the Tuesday press conference were
Darrel Redman
                    and Diane Terito, both of the Agua Dulce Town Council,
and Mike
                    Rogers, Angeles National Forest supervisor.

                    The Pacific Crest Trail spans 2,650 miles, from Canada,
through
                    Washington, Oregon and California, all the way to the
Mexican border.

                    Information regarding the Pacific Crest Trail can be
found at
                    www.pcta.org.

                    Thursday news page
                    News page
                    Valley Press home page

                    Uploaded December 2, 1999



              © 1999 Antelope Valley Press, Palmdale, California, USA (661)
273-2700



* From the Pacific Crest Trail Email List |  http://www.backcountry.net   *

==============================================================================