Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

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Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy September 2005 Mt. Pinos Theme: A big tree (old growth), high country environment offering opportunities for year-round recreation. The Mt. Pinos Place is the center of the Chumash Indian Universe. Setting: The Mt. Pinos Place serves as the primary outdoor recreation gateway on the eastern side of the Los Padres National Forest where the Tehachapi Mountains, Transverse Ranges and the San Joaquin Valley converge. Elevations range from 4,000 feet to 8,831 feet at the peak of Mount Pinos (the national forest's highest point and center of the Chumash Indian Universe). The San Andreas Fault bisects the area in an east-west direction. Mt. Pinos Place is readily accessible from Interstate 5 and is within an hour's drive of downtown Los Angeles to the south or of Bakersfield to the north. Singleleaf pinyon-California juniper (Juniperus californica) woodlands and forests dominate low elevation landscapes. Montane conifer forests (composed almost entirely of Jeffrey pine) cover the higher elevations. Small patches of limber pine (Pinus flexilis) and subalpine vegetation occupy the mountain summits. The area has the largest stand of unmanaged Jeffrey pine stands in southern California. Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica - an invasive plant) has taken hold in the Place north of Frazier Park. Also, there are infestations of spotted knapweed (Centaurea biebersteinii) and Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) on private land near national forest lands. The Place is a frequently occupied area within the California condor's distributional range. Mt. Pinos provides a critical wildlife linkage between the national forest and the adjacent Wind Wolves Preserve, the Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge and Carrizo Plains Monument. Together these four areas comprise a large, interconnected block of wildland habitat for many species. The Place provides habitat for the California spotted owl and northern goshawk (Accipter gentilis). Page 64 Mt. Pinos. Photo by Mike Foster
September 2005 Land Management Plan Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy The area also provides habitat for the Fort Tejon woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum hallii), one of only three known locations in the world. There is one established research natural area (RNA), the San Emigdio Mesa RNA that supports pinyon-juniper woodland, and one candidate RNA, Sawmill Mountain. Two special interest areas are also found in the Place. Mt. Pinos Summit SIA exhibits exemplary botanical values, including limber pine stands that are the national forest's sole example of southern California subalpine forest. The Quatal Canyon SIA boasts unique, eroded badland topography with Miocene vertebrate fossils. The Place serves as a scenic backdrop to a number of rural mountain communities like Frazier Park and Pine Mountain Club. Views from the area's highest points include expansive vistas of adjacent mountains and valleys. Cerro Noroeste Road offers vistas of the Badlands and San Emigdio Mesa, two prominent geological features of the area. Mt. Pinos is a popular dark-sky star gazing location for amateur astronomers. There are significant paleontological resources in Quatal and the Dry Canyons. The Place provides year-round motorized and non-motorized recreation. It is a regional destination for winter snowplay activities and cross-country skiing, but facilities and snowplay services are inadequate to accommodate the large volume of winter sports enthusiasts. This results in conflicts between local landowners and businesses resulting in an inferior experience for many recreationists. Challenges within the Place include landownership patterns, which preclude providing loop opportunities for pleasure driving and trails within the Place. Unmanaged recreational target shooting behind the County Fire Station has resulted in a problem area in terms of inappropriate target litter, as well as illegal dumping. User-constructed trails are increasing adjacent to local communities. Mt. Pinos Place accommodates special-uses including communication sites. There are also several organization camps that offer facilities for a number of groups. The area contains seven occupied grazing allotments. The area's natural setting and its close proximity to Los Angeles make it a very popular 'site' location for the film industry. Existing Wilderness: • Chumash Wilderness 37,248 acres Recommended Wilderness: • Chumash - Toad Springs (Chumash Wilderness) 560 acres Special Interest Areas: • Chumash Toad Springs 453 acres • Quatal Canyon 469 acres Existing Research Natural Areas: • San Emigdio Mesa 1,239 acres Recommended Research Natural Areas: • Sawmill Mountain 3,451 acres Total national forest acres--Mt. Pinos Place: 153,454 Page 65
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