by Timothy Rutt
Rep. Judy Chu is sponsoring a forum in Claremont on Saturday, focused on the development of a San Gabriel Mountains Recreation Area.
The forum is presented by San Gabriel Mountains Forever (SGMF) a partnership of residents, cities, local businesses, health and environmental justice organizations, faith and community leaders, and recreation and conservation groups. SGMF will bring to the public forum dozens of community members who support a proposal to create a National Recreation Area that will include all of the San Gabriel Mountains (in the Angeles and San Bernardino National Forests), the foothills, western Puente Hills, and the San Gabriel and Rio Hondo rivers, including the urban corridors. SGMF also supports the protection of wilderness and wild and scenic rivers in the forest.
The forum wlll be Saturday, Sept. 7, starting at 10:30 AM at the Taylor Reception Hall, 1775 N. Indian Hill Blvd., Claremont.
According to a release from Chu's office, the San Gabriel mountians and rivers "provide beautiful scenery, healthy outdoor recreation for more than three million annual visitors and clean drinking water. A national recreation area can help improve and add more visitor services such as trail signs, rangers and safe river access to the most heavily-used forest destinations. A recreation area will also help address the lack of parks and child obesity rates above 30 to 40 percent in many LA County communities."
