Politics & Government

Chu Questions Final Study For San Gabriel Valley Wilderness

The proposed plan will affect service to the San Gabriel Valley foothill wilderness, including areas above Glendora.

Rep. Judy Chu expressed dismay over the final study for a proposal to create a National Recreation Area out of the Angeles National Forest, the Puente Hills and the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo Rivers, according to a story in the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.

The Democratic lawmaker from EL Monte questioned the study, saying that it drastically reduced the scope of the project and demanded to know what happened to the original idea, which included what Chu and other lawmakers called the area’s most precious resources.

“The final recommendations of this Special Resource Study Area study have been nearly a decade in the making. And while I’m pleased to see that the study recognizes the need for stronger protections for the San Gabriel Mountains and Watershed, the proposal raises many questions,” Chu said in a statement.

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Chu, who represents Glendora in the 27th Congressional District, said that the original plan was to help an underfunded U.S. Forest Service better manage the Angeles National Forest, called the second-most visited national forest in the nation. The original idea was to create a strong National Park Service presence in the forest.

However, the final NPS report reduced the coverage area from 581,500 acres to 500,000 acres, focusing instead on the San Gabriel Mountain foothills, including areas directly above Glendora, and linking it to the Santa Monica mountain region located 40 miles away.

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 “Visitors need – and deserve – additional resources in the San Gabriel Mountains and Watershed, and I intend to do my part to ensure that happens,” Chu said.

Chu plans to host townhall meetings to allow the public to ask questions of the NPS and other stakeholder groups.

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