LPNF meeting on Pine Mountain Ridge logging

  • [LPNF meeting video image]

    [LPNF meeting video image]

Second of three public meetings was billed as ‘collaborative,’ but left some feeling unheard

By Marcy Axness, TME

The Pine Mountain Ridge thinning project by Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) is being labelled for the public as the “Reyes Peak Healthy Forest and Fuels Reduction Project.” That plan has raised more than 11,500 public comments since being introduced on May 8, 2020. Vigorous concerns are being expressed by environmental advocacy groups and members of the public.

On July 13 the LPNF held the second of three “virtual” public meetings about the project. The final such meeting is tentatively set …(please see below to view full stories and photographs)

Photo captions:

LPNF officials on the July 13 meeting were, (top row, l-r) Greg Thompson (Forest Project Lead), Katherine Worn, (Interdisciplinary Team Leader), Katherine Malengo (Wildlife Biologist); (middle row, l-r) Caleb Henneky (Archeologist), Tom Lowell (Silviculturist), Nicole Hill (Landscape Architect); and (bottom row) Karina Gutierrez (Mt. Pinos District Ranger).

Bryant Baker, Los Padres Forest Watch, said this Powerpoint slide is designed to appeal to a ‘deeply ingrained cultural bias for manicured order and neatness.’ It is misleading, he claims, adding that many areas in the diverse project area already look like the ‘Desired’ image, and not all are like ‘Current.’

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This is part of the July 24, 2020 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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