Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

September 2005 Land Management Plan Part 2
Los Padres National Forest Strategy
Pine Mountain, undisturbed
mixed conifer forests cover upper north slopes. In the eastern rain
shadow where the highway descends into the Cuyama Valley, the vegetation changes to desert
scrub and singleleaf pinyon forests and woodlands.
The Cuyama Valley (lying in the rain shadow of the Coast Range) has a climate which is much
drier, and woodlands and grasslands are the dominant vegetation. Large parcels of private land
are interspersed with the public land. Farming, grazing,
and oil exploration exists on both private
and public land.
The Sespe Creek Watershed is large and wild and supports
a high degree of biodiversity. The
arroyo toad, California condor, desert bighorn sheep, and
southern steelhead trout are some of
California's endangered wildlife which inhabit this remote
watershed. The Dry Lakes Ridge
Botanical Area preserves remnant stands of ponderosa pine
(Pinus ponderosa) and several relict
plant species. Invasive, noxious weeds, notably tamarisk,
Spanish broom (Spartium junceum),
and yellow star-thistle (Centaurea
solstiitalis) occupy the area with continuing emphasis on
control or limiting further spread.
The vegetation of the corridor and surrounding areas
periodically experience numerous large,
landscape-changing wildland fires that sometimes exceed
100,000 acres. Community protection
from wildland fire is important to the area around Ojai and
the many small blocks of private land
that make up approximately 10 percent of the land base within
the corridor. Community defense
zones are yet to be fully established. The scenic highway and national forest roads provide good
access to some areas. In contrast, access to other areas is restricted by private land, insufficient
easements, and long travel times on steep, winding roads; these factors contribute to poor
coverage for fire suppression and emergency medical services. Seasonal road closures and access
by permit reduce damage to national forest resources.
The growth of communities
in southern California emphasizes the need to provide access for a
variety of recreation and special-use activities. The Wheeler Gorge Visitor Center on Scenic
Highway 33 provides a regional base for providing visitor information and education on national
forest recreation and environmental
issues. Recreation opportunities
within the Highway 33
Corridor Place range from scenic
touring by automobile to hang-glider soaring. Photography,
snowplay, camping, hiking, swimming, bicycling, OHV us e, and recreational target shooting are
also some of the many common uses. Sixty-eight miles of maintained
OHV routes in the
Ballinger Canyon area in the Cuyama Valley provide high quality off-road opportunities.
Management challenges for this Place include increasing demand for sensitive resources, quality
of recreation experience, deferred maintenance of recreation
facilities, maintenance of water
quality and wildlife habitat, disposal of landslide and slough
material on California State
Highway 33 and law enforcement to deal with vandalism, graffiti,
and marijuana cultivation.
A variety of special-uses occur in the Highway 33 Corridor Place. Water
extractions, and grazing
are examples. A gas pipeline crosses the mountains from Maricopa
to Ventura. Portions of
grazing allotments cover the northern half of this Place. California
State Highway 33 is also a
heavily used thoroughfare for transport of commerce.
Designated Wild and Scenic Rivers:
• Sespe Creek 4.7 miles
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