The wild trout stream of Deep Creek is nearly 30 miles long from its headwaters at the Snow Valley Ski Resort to where it flows northwest past Lake Arrowhead through desert foothills into the Mojave River near Hesperia. Most of the rugged scenic stream is within the public lands of the San Bernardino National Forest, all except a two mile stretch near Arrowbear, where the Land Trust is continuing efforts to protect this valuable resource.

Back in 1996, 300 acres of private land and 1.5 miles of Deep Creek were protected by the Deep Creek Open Space Coalition in a successful LWCF campaign, which inspired the formation of the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust. Subsequent Land Trust and Deep Creek Coalition efforts resulted in 400 additional acres of the Deep Creek Watershed gaining public land protection.

While the Land Trust continues to work on large acreage acquisitions, it is also concentrating on a small 15 acre stretch, where the stream has been partitioned into multiple individual lots, the product of a long-ago paper subdivision. Many of the lots have reverted to County ownership for defaulting on their property taxes. Three of the larger lots in this area were donated to the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust in 1999 for conservation purposes. We are now in the process of seeking additional land donations and at the same time negotiating with the county for title to the defaulted lots.

In order to consolidate the whole 15 acres, many more of these lots will need to be purchased in the near future (probably for a combined total cost of approximately $25,000). The Land Trust has established a special Deep Creek Acquisition Fund for this purpose. If you have a particular appreciation for the magic of the Deep Creek wild trout stream, please consider sending a special donation to help protect this part of the all important headwaters.

Conservation efforts in the Deep Creek area are among the highest priorities for the Land Trust, as it is a rare wild trout stream, a scenic treasure, and one of the main arteries supplying the life blood of the mountains

Although the Land Trust is primarily dedicated to consolidating National Forest public lands by helping the Forest Service to acquire private inholdings (the missing pieces of the forest), the Land Trust also has a program of caring for lands within its own ownership as well as cooperating with public agencies in the stewardship of conservation easements.

The largest of three properties owned by the Land Trust is a 23-acre parcel below Running Springs on Highway 330. It is called Valley Vista, because it overlooks the steep front country of the San Bernardino Mountains, where the landscape cascades southward all the way to the distant valley floor.

At the Valley Vista site, on-going stewardship projects consist of brush clearance, trail construction and maintenance, and the planting of native trees. Thus far, preliminary brush clearance and trail work has established access to a level shelf area, which serves as the staging point for additional projects. Tree plantings will resume in the fall, and trail work will continue on the new trail descending to the lower shelf. Watch the Land Trust Calendar for postings of volunteer work days.

The Land Trust is also cooperating with the Mountain Rim Fire Safe council in offering our 23 acres site for a sample program for fuel load reduction. Fuel load reduction refers to the practice of thinning the thick chaparral-type brush (fuel) that accumulates excessively over many years when natural fires have been kept out. By thinning the unnatural overload of brush, the increased threat of wildland fire can be greatly reduced.

A sample area, serving as a model for other front country property owners to emulate, will greatly help to reduce the extreme fire danger in the high hazard area below Running Springs.

The Land Trust is in the process of considering holding conservation easements in the Big Bear Lake area as a way to help protect the unique plant and animal species, which inhabit that part of the mountains. Discussions with various public agencies are underway to discover how the Land Trust may best help out. When the easements are established, a systematic process of stewardship will be necessary in order to monitor, restore, and maintain the special habitats.

Presently the San Bernardino National Forest is in process of revising its overall Land & Management Plan, as required by law every ten years. The Land Trust is working within this process, along with other conservation organizations, to persuade the Forest Service to withdraw the Strawberry Peak Parcel from the exchange list. We are also working to revise land exchange policy to preclude loss of public lands to development, a major problem and flaw in previous practice. Currently there is a threat by the U.S. Forest Services to exchange this 243 acre parcel to developers.

As in the case of the Strawberry Peak Parcel, the Land Trust is working to assure that this land remains in open space protection, preferably National Forest ownership. We hope to persuade the Forest Service to remove the parcel from their exchange list. We are also working to modify USFS exchange policy to prevent trading vital forest lands for development.

Assemblyman Leonard's $2 Million Finds a Home

The 120-acre parcel in Twin Peaks, known as the Gregory Property received final acquisition approval at the May 18 Meeting of the State Wildlife Conservation Board. Director Peter Jorris attended the meeting on behalf of the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust.

The pending acquisition (scheduled to close escrow early in August) marks a prominent milestone in local forest protection, because the highly valued site has long been identified as a favorite hiking place as well as wildlife corridor and unique habitat. The San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust helped to persuade Assemblyman Bill Leonard to obtain the $2 million purchase funds back in 1999.

It's important to recognize that the excellent public benefits from acquiring this land would not be possible, if it were not for the stalwart efforts of Assemblyman Leonard. The scenic, wildlife, and recreational value of this idyllic forest parcel represent a tremendous benefit to the public and an enduring asset for the future.

The Gregory property is a key link in maintaining a large corridor of forest open space and wildlife habitat between the two communities of Twin Peaks and Crestline. Mr. Bill Gregory, the seller, has a long history of caring for the forest and allowing his neighbors in Twin Peaks to use the land for hiking. His willingness to sell the property for open space protection and the public benefit is widely appreciated within the local community and by all supporters of forest conservation.

The procurement of the $2 million was a team effort by the Land Trust, the local trail association, Lake Arrowhead area citizens, and Assemblyman Leonard. Everyone can be proud of the valuable land protection that has been achieved as a result.