Land Management Plan - Part 2 Los Padres National Forest Strategy

September 2005 Land Management Plan Part 2
Los Padres National Forest Strategy
Ventana
Theme: A spectacular wilderness that offers a wide range of habitats from cool, damp coast
redwood groves to hot, dry mountain peaks, and opportunities for solitude.
Setting: The majority of the Ventana Place is
designated wilderness. The Place consists of remote,
undeveloped wild land with deep canyons and mountain
peaks approaching 5,000 feet in elevation, all within a
few miles of the ocean. It has as its backbone the
geologically complex, structurally faulted and folded,
and locally unstable northern Santa Lucia Mountains. It
is bordered on the southwest by the Big Sur coast, on
the north by private land, on the east by the Arroyo
Seco drainage, and on the south by Fort Hunter Liggett
Military Reservation. It is well known for its remote
recreation and solitude.
The Big Sur and Carmel Rivers are the main
watercourses that drain to the Pacific Ocean. Waterfalls,
deep pools and hot springs are found along m ajor streams. Average annual rainfall ranges from
over 100 inches near the mountain crest to less than 30 inches a few miles inland. The
surprising
abundance of water emanating from the national forest serves many downstream domestic and
agricultural needs, especially in the Salinas Valley. Most areas east of the crest are hot and dry
during the summer. Very little development has occurred within this Place; less than 5 percent of
the area is private land. The mostly metamorphic, highly faulted terrain has thin outcrops of
marble, and traces of other valuable minerals that have not been developed.
Marked vegetation changes partition the Place into well-defined ecosystems. These changes are
attributed to dramatic climatic, topographic and geologic variations, coupled with an extensive
history of fires. Much of the Ventana Place is covered by chaparral. Grass meadows, oak
woodlands, open pine forest, deep canyons, coast redwood, and the Santa Lucia fir create a
mosaic of vegetation across the rugged landscape. Ecosystems have recently been impacted by
Sudden Oak Death, invasion of non-native species, and visitor use exceeding ecological capacity
in some sites along the Big Sur River.
Wildlife is abundant, including mountain lions, wild pigs and turkeys, trout, falcons and eagles.
Mountain streams support healthy fisheries, and steelhead trout inhabit some of the coastal
streams.
Ventana Place. Photo by Kari Brown
The Ventana Place has a history of very large fires that affect dams, roads and
human infrastructure outside the national forest and air quality. Fuel
treatments have been limited by restrictions and difficult access.
Management has focused on preserving wilderness character and resources
while providing opportunities for primitive recreation experiences. People are
drawn here because of the big trees, its proximity to Big Sur, opportunities to
hike into rugged, beautiful wild areas, and deer hunting. Scenic vistas and
Page 83