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The U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
released a proposal for managing four
national forests in Southern California that would open up more
back-country trails to off-road vehicles. The four national forests are
Angeles, Cleveland, San Bernardino and Los Padres, which cover 3.7
million acres from the U.S.-Mexico border to Big Sur. In close
proximity to large urban centers, they draw nearly 8 million visitors
per year. The USFS is proposing to increase by about 2% the total
back-country acreage in the four forests zoned for motorized use, which
is nearly 1.6 million acres. This would include some new trails to
connect existing routes, including an informal network of roads in
other areas. The plan also would add another 100,000 acres to the
nearly 1.1 million acres already federally designated as wilderness.
Public comments on the plan are due by Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004 and can
be made online. For more information, visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/scfpr.
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