[pct-l] Yellow-legged Frog Closure

[Sean Nordeen]

The Angeles National Forest has recently announced that it will continue the endagered yellow-legged frog PCT (Williamson Rock)closure for all of 2008 (it's been closed since 2005).  This is still called a "temporary" closure, but the length of it suggest otherwise.  In fact, the current status quo seems to favor indefinetly extending the temporary closure every year since it requires no money/effort other then stamping the approval each year and because anything else would require both money and effort; either opposing the groups that originally called for the closure or building a new PCT segment.

The Angeles Forest has proven quick to cave in to questionable enviornmental groups in the past.  A couple years ago, they gave into a environmental group's pressure to close the Burro Canyon shooting range due to the suspected environmental impact it was causig; only this theoretical impact overlocked the fact that the shooting range was built on top of a former landfill where tiny bits of garbage still sticks up out of the ground after it rains.  It took lawyers and a local congressman's action to reverse that decision.  I don't know if this closure was caused by a similar group complaining, but I do know that other areas in California that also have this endangered frog have not seemed to be worried by the presence of hiking trails (ie. Hoover Wilderness which also has the PCT).

If a frog was been driven the edge of extinction due to the presence of 4 mile segment of a hiking trail and protecting that frog is important, then ever reopening that trail would seem to be foolish.  Why don't they just fess up and call this a pernament closure?  Or is the very act of making the closure pernament going to force the Angeles National Forest to spend money they may not have on doing new PCT trail construction?  It would be nice to have some honesty on this issue because it really seems that the PCT is no longer an officially complete trail as a road walk on higway 2 doesn't really qualify as a trail.  Isn't it about time to start lobbying the PCTA, the NFS, and Congress to come up with a plan/money to redo this segment if protecting this darwin challenged frog is so important?  Because it seems that if no one does anything, then this situation will indefinitely continue.

As you can tell, this closure has been annoying me for the past few years.  Well that rant should hold me for a few months until the next time I drive up highway 2.

-Sean