Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

Land Management Plan Part 2
Los Padres National Forest Strategy
September 2005
Watersheds in the Place are important components of the functioning of ecosystems. They
support the Morro Bay National Estuary, Lopez Lake (a domestic water supply), and provide
habitat for south central steelhead.
Dense riparian vegetation in this Place supports abundant wildlife. The Cuesta Ridge Botanical
Area offers an opportunity for viewing and interpreting serpentine plant communities such as
Sargent cypress forests. Numerous rare plant species are associated with this unusual parent
material.
The presence of nearby communities increases concern for wildland fire, including management
of the Place as a Wildland/Urban Interface. The area has experienced several large fires in the
past that have threatened nearby communities and resulted in losses of homes. The landscape
consists of steep mountains and low hills with rounded ridges that have narrow, deep canyons.
The ridge tops and steep slopes are dominated by mixed chaparral and are surrounded by private
open grasslands.
Wildlife is diverse in this Place and includes condors, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus),
steelhead trout in some streams, and a dense spotted owl population in Lopez Canyon. Huffs
Hole is both a condor and peregrine falcon breeding area. California State Highway 101 creates a
major barrier to wildlife and plant dispersal between East and West Cuesta Ridges.
The proximity of the mountains to urban areas makes this area particularly attractive for day-use
activities like mountain biking, pleasure driving and hiking. Recreation use is consistently high.
Cerro Alto is a popular Developed Recreation Site and is operated by a concessionaire.
Dispersed Recreation opportunities are numerous. Another popular attraction is the High
Mountain Lookout, which is also a peregrine falcon recovery and California condor interpretive
site.
There are a number of locations within this Place where access problems exist, or where roads
are in poor shape and create a safety hazard. Private land blocks access to the Garcia Wilderness
and Trout Creek. Numerous old mining roads and trails on West Cuesta Ridge form an extensive
undesignated trail system. Unauthorized OHV use occurs on West Cuesta. Also, because there
are numerous private in-holdings within the national forest boundary, especially between Bald
Mountain and the Santa Lucia Wilderness, there are conflicts between private landowners and
mountain bikers and hikers.
The mountains and the California State Highway 101 corridor make this Place a vital location for
a variety of special-uses including communication sites, power lines, a railroad line, a water
tunnel, high pressure oil and gas lines, and a fiber-optic line. There are also nine livestock
grazing allotments in this Place. In addition, there are numerous old abandoned mines.
Existing Wilderness:
• Santa Lucia Wilderness 18,403 acres
Existing Special Interest Areas:
• Cuesta Ridge 1,304 acre
Existing Research Natural Area:
• Black Butte 940 acres
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