San Bernardino Mountains

Members of the San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club have long appreciated the very special qualities of our local mountains. An unusual transverse mountain range of steep slopes running East/West, it boasts a wide variety of ecological habitats and climes varying from low, hot desert valleys to beautiful high-elevation conifer forests. "Our" mountains support an abundance of species, and boast one of the more biologically diverse National Forests in the nation.

They also support an ever-increasing amount of humans; but not so easily and certainly not as gracefully. The San Bernardino National Forest is the most intensely urbanized Forest in the nation. And its vitality is threatened.

Growing pressures from drought, poorly funded fire/fuel management practices, burgeoning recreational uses, and (especially) escalating building and development projects have together raised our Chapter’s concerns about the health, infrastructure, and general well-being of the Forest and the people and communities within it.

New and better policies are needed to manage these increasing threats to our mountains. Quite coincidentally, (and serendipitously) both the County of San Bernardino and the Forest Service recently committed to major updates to their planning and management guidelines. Our

Chapter members participated in the development of both new sets of plans, but we have yet to see how they will be ultimately implemented.

Some of the issues we are watching:

Our forest and communities are facing unprecedented threats to public safety and quality of life. Before and since the disastrous 2003 Old Fire, the threat of fire danger and evacuation concerns were, and continue to be, paramount.
A troubling trend of increasing water demand in our mountains, at a time when shortages exist and water conservation should be instituted
Environmental policies and development approvals by San Bernardino County that demonstrate a troubling insensitivity to mountain and forest and community needs.

The Chapter (with the help of the Mountains and Big Bear Groups) continues to focus on issues of public safety, public trust, and public responsibility.

The Chapter always participates in public processes and encourages county and local communities to take appropriate and responsible actions on behalf of the public’s national heritage, the San Bernardino National Forest.

For more information about the San Bernardino Mountains, visit the following:

San Bernardino Mountains Group
For an overview of issues and to find out what’s happening on the west end of the mountains, from Running Springs to Lake Arrowhead to Crestline,

Big Bear Group
For an overview of issues and to find out what’s happening on the East end of the mountains: from Big Bear to Snow Valley,

Southern California Forests Campaign
For an overview of all four Southern California National Forests, not just the San Bernardino, but the Angeles, Los Padres, and the Cleveland as well.