Reopen Snow Creek Canyon (Legally and Responsibly)

[mjordon]

This is in regard to the ongoing recreational access issues into Snow Creek Canyon located within the San Jacinto & Santa Rosa National Monuments.

The main problem has been the Desert Water Agency's strong opposition to creating reasonable legal means to pass though their 1 mile square parcel of land that effectively blocks hikers, mountaineers, artists, etc. from enjoying the entirety of Snow Creek Canyon. The DWA claim is that if they let people hike through the canyon - urine, feces, drug trash, and other contaminants will pollute their water supply to the valley rendering the water unusable. This claim is debatable.

THIS IS SNOW CREEK CANYON:


I suggest writing your concerns and thoughts for maintaining legal access to Snow Creek Canyon to the following agencies... A letter to one or more may do wonders in the long run - here are some options:

Bureau of Land Management
Stephen D. Harris, Outdoor Recreation Planner
Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
1201 Bird Center Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262-8001
stephen_harris@ca.blm.gov
Main: 760-833-7166
Fax: 760-833-7199


Pacific Crest Trail Association
Don: don@roel.com
Main: 619-520-9431
http://www.pcta.org


Desert Water Agency
1200 Gene Autry Trail, Palm Springs, California 92264
Attn: Steve Johnson: (760) 323-4971 sjohnson@dwa.org
OR Board of Directors
http://www.dwa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10&Itemid=24
Contact Page:
http://www.dwa.org/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=1&Itemid=108
Main: 760-323-4971


Access Fund
http://www.accessfund.org
Report an Access Issue:
http://www.accessfund.org/site/c.tmL5KhNWLrH/b.5063097/k.5F0F/Report_an_Access_Issue/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=tmL5KhNWLrH&b=5063097&en=ckLWI8OHIjLTI2MSLfKMJaP0InLRI2OIJdKUIfO2IyF


Friends of the Desert Mountains
http://www.friendsofthedesertmountains.org/


The Wildlands Concervancy
http://www.wildlandsconservancy.org/


The Sierra Club
http://www.sierraclub.org/


Snow Creek Homeowners Association
Les Stark, President of the Board
snowcreekpres@aol.com

Thank you to all who want to share access to Mount San Jacinto's North Face and surrounding canyons.

[Zé]

there's legal access around, you just gotta hike up a little hill to get there

[Hikin_Jim]

there's legal access around, you just gotta hike up a little hill to get there

Uh, yeah, emphasis on "little."

HJ

[bluerail]

what would you be doing by contacting all those people ? try and get permission to trespass ? not quite sure your point. one square mile is easy to walk around.

[Hikin_Jim]

If you have permission, it's not trespassing. I think that's his point.

HJ

[dhess]

Having hiked "around" the private property, it is anything but easy. It makes the climb considerably harder and requires exceptional route finding skills since we started the climb at 1AM.

[zippetydude]

Well, I think it's a good idea for another reason. From what I understand the waterfall back there is beautiful. I've seen it from a distance when it's flowing hard after a series of storms, and I would love to take my family to see the falls and the creek itself. The DWA says giving the public access to their own wilderness would make its job harder because they are afraid people will leave used diapers and such in the stream. No problem. Just have Warren watch the place. He's up 24/7 anyway policing the entire road that leads up to the PCT. Problem solved!

z