Ventana Wilderness Alliance
Policies
This page of VWA Policies is a work in progress, with more policies relevant to various subjects to be added over time. We post these here in order to let the interested public know where we stand on specific issues.
- Ventana Wilderness Alliance Grazing Policy
- Ventana Wilderness Alliance Backcountry Stock Use Policy
- Ventana Wilderness Alliance Hunting and Fishing Policy
VENTANA WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
BACKCOUNTRY STOCK USE POLICY
POLICY
It is the policy of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance that the mindful and sensitive use of horses, mules, burros, llamas, goats and any other types of pack or riding stock in conformance with Leave No Trace principles for backcountry stock use is an appropriate recreational use of the public lands of the northern Santa Lucia Range.
GUIDELINES
The Ventana Wilderness Alliance encourages stock users to:
- Familiarize themselves with the Leave No Trace Principles for backcountry stock use, and to adopt and exercise these principles during trips into the Ventana and Silver Peak Wilderness Areas. The LNT principles are available online at http://www.bchw.org/lnt/lntbk.htm.
- Consider planning their stock trips to specific areas of the district that have a geography suitable to stock support as well as stock-friendly trails accessing them, such as Pine Valley, Lost Valley, Strawberry, Dutra Flat and the San Carpoforo.
- Carry only certified weed-free supplemental feed into the backcountry to minimize the threat of spreading noxious and invasive exotic plant species. Feed only certified weed-free feed for 36 to 48 hours prior to embarking on a backcountry trip so that viable seeds from the stock's intestinal tract won't end up in the ecosystem.
- Be considerate of others that may be sharing your camp or camping in "overflow" areas nearby. Restrain your stock by hi-line if letting them graze would disturb the experience of the other campers. Do not tie stock to trees for extended periods of time.
- Be considerate of others who will use the camp area after your visit. Carry a shovel or manure fork and a gunny sack, and before leaving camp take a moment to gather up all manure within 50 yards of the camp. Either bury this manure or carry it well away from the camp and spread it in a sunny location.
- Carry the necessary tools to accomplish needed trail work along the way. Instead of riding up or down and around deadfalls that block the trail and thereby breaking down the tread, carry an axe, a large bow saw or even a small crosscut saw and take the time to cut the blockage out of the way. Not only will it make your return trip smoother, but others who come after you will benefit as well.
- Pack it in, pack it out (and then some). Given the ability of stock animals to carry large amounts of weight relative to foot travelers, take every opportunity to pack out more than you packed in, in the form of litter and other unsightly refuse left behind by less conscientious forest users.
BACKGROUND
The goal of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance Backcountry Stock Use Policy is to minimize harmful impacts to the lands of the Northern Santa Lucia that can occur from careless stock management and use. The VWA recognizes that stock use is a permitted form of recreation in Los Padres National Forest, and further recognizes the value of stock in wilderness management, stewardship and conservation efforts. This policy is intended to offer suggested guidelines for stock users that will help to minimize negative impacts and maximize positive impacts to the land during their backcountry visits.
ADOPTED: 27-May-2004
VENTANA WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
HUNTING AND FISHING POLICY
POLICY
It is the policy of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance that safe, ethical hunting and fishing activities, in full compliance with all federal laws and California Hunting and Fishing Regulations, are appropriate uses in authorized hunting areas in the northern Santa Lucia Range.
The VWA supports the restoration of native fisheries and wildlife populations, and encourages the aggressive hunting of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) in the northern Santa Lucia Range.
GUIDELINES
The VWA discourages the use of toxic (lead) bullets and shot by all hunters in the northern Santa Lucia Range, in recognition of the program goals for the California Condor Recovery Program.
Gut piles generated from field dressed game should be buried to prevent lead poisoning in California condors and other scavenging wildlife species. Non-lead bullets such as Barnes X-Bullets and Winchester Fail-Safe, and non-lead shot are strongly recommended.
BACKGROUND
The Ventana Wilderness Alliance (VWA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that works to promote the conservation and careful stewardship of wilderness resource values in the northern Santa Lucia Range. The northern Santa Lucia Range is a significant natural area largely set aside in the federally administered Los Padres National Forest, Monterey Ranger District
Natural ecosystem processes in the Los Padres National Forest and designated wilderness areas of the northern Santa Lucia Range generally proceed without major human manipulation. However, since European contact, the region has experienced periodic episodes of road building, water diversion, livestock grazing, mining, and other human activities. There have also been noteworthy alterations in natural fire regimes. Keystone species, like the native grizzly bear (Ursus arctos), have been extirpated, while non-native "exotic" plants and animals, like turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), wild pig (Sus scrofa) and pampas grass (Cortaderia jubata), have been introduced into the environment. Changing environmental conditions and predator-prey relationships have been accompanied by the proliferation of non-native pests in the northern Santa Lucia Range, which collectively reflect biologic landscape-scale alterations and trends manifest throughout the western states.
Of particular concern to the VWA is the presence of wild pig (Sus scrofa) in the northern Santa Lucia Range. European boar was introduced to the Carmel Valley area in 1927. In some cases, boar bred with escaped domestic pigs and produced a feral crossbreed. Wild pigs forage by tusking and rooting through surface soil layers and leaf litter, resulting in soil disturbance. When pig rooting has damaged large areas, the erosion potential increases and damaged areas become susceptible to colonization by weedy, non-native species of plants.
ADOPTED: 27-May-2004
VENTANA WILDERNESS ALLIANCE
PUBLIC LANDS LIVESTOCK GRAZING POLICY
POLICY
It is the policy of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance that private sector livestock grazing is an inappropriate use of public lands on the Monterey Ranger District of the Los Padres National Forest, except where used as an appropriate tool to preserve rare native plant populations. Appropriate use for the preservation of rare plant populations must be based on a management plan incorporating the best available science in an approved Environmental Analysis or Environmental Impact Statement and not include the use of imported feed or grazing in riparian areas. The solution to this problem is to establish a voluntary grazing permit buyout program consistent with the objectives of the National Public Lands Grazing Campaign.
The VWA does not oppose livestock grazing on private land, in compliance with appropriate land use practices and environmental safeguards, for the production and harvest of meat, hides and other animal products.
BACKGROUND
Public lands livestock grazing devalues the public’s recreational use of their local National Forest lands. Very few hikers enjoy hiking through Forest Service grazing allotments while cattle are congregated on or near trail corridors. The accumulations of cattle manure, and the swarms of manure flies it attracts, are offensive and the cattle themselves are intimidating to many recreational users of our public lands. These conditions significantly detract from the natural experience the public is seeking. On the MRD, a far greater portion of its budget and management emphasis is devoted to managing grazing allotments for the benefit of about a dozen private ranchers, than is devoted to benefit the tens of thousands of citizens who use and enjoy their local National Forest lands for hiking, nature study, wildlife photography, birding, riding horses, experiencing solitude, backpacking, or having a picnic with their children.
Common problems associated with Forest Service grazing management include:
- Severe impacts to oak tree regeneration due to trampling and grazing of oak seedlings
- Increased sediment loads in down-stream habitat of federally endangered steelhead trout resulting from overgrazing of uplands
- Degradation of riparian areas due to trampling of stream banks and the resulting loss of protective streamside vegetation
- Introduction of exotic invasive plant species
- Destruction of Native American shell middens and other sensitive archeological sites
Forest Service grazing fees are set by Congress based on political objectives that have no relationship to the actual cost to administer the program. An economic study conducted by the US Government Accountability Office in 2005 proved that the cost to manage federal public lands livestock grazing exceeds program revenue by over $100 million each year. As a direct result of this public subsidy to a favored group of ranchers, other public land programs are under funded. Maintenance of public trails and camps, eradication of exotic invasive species, and restoration of damaged habitats are just three of many programs that serve much larger segments of the public than the privileged group of ranchers who are allowed to graze our local public lands.
For more information see:National Public Lands Grazing Campaign at: http://www.publiclandsranching.org/
Sierra Club Federal Public Lands Grazing Policy at: http://www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/grazing.asp
Waste of the West: Public Lands Ranching at: http://www.wasteofthewest.com/
Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West at:
http://www.publiclandsranching.org/book.htm
Adopted: January 25, 2008
