Los Padres National Forest - Zaca Fire Area Still Closed to Public Entry;

Date: September 21, 2007 Los Padres National Forest

6755 Hollister Ave. #150

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Goleta, CA 93117

CONTACT: Joe Pasinato (805) 961-5745 www.fs.fed.us/r5/lospadres

Kathy Good (805) 961-5759

Zaca Fire Area Still Closed to Public Entry;

Trails in Other Burned Areas Also Remain Closed

GOLETA, CA…The Forest Service issued a reminder today that some areas in Los Padres National Forest remain closed to all public entry because of safety hazards associated with recent wildfires. These closures encompass all lands burned in the Zaca Fire as well as some adjacent lands, and a few trails and off-highway vehicles routes in areas burned by the Scott and Day fires of 2006.

According to Forest Supervisor Ken Heffner, there are still pockets of fire and many other less obvious threats in the Zaca Fire area. “It is a very unstable environment right now with active landslides, rockslides; rolling boulders and debris; burned trees; and deep stump holes among the hazards,” said Heffner. During rainstorms there is high likelihood of dangerous slides and flash floods.”

Heffner knows the public is eager to get back into their national forest and says his staff is working hard to reopen the unburned areas. He said one of the problems forest managers face after a large wildfire is people attempting to gain entry into closed areas by driving their off-highway vehicles onto constructed firelines.

“This causes additional damage and delays the reopening of the forest for everyone,” explained Heffner. “We are installing gates or other vehicle barriers at key locations. We hope to have that work completed within the next two weeks so we can reopen some of the unburned areas.”

As for the lands actually burned by the Zaca Fire, Heffner says the Forest Service will continue to assess conditions but that the public should expect the area to remain closed to all public entry through the spring 2008 rainy season.

Heffner said the temporary closure, in addition to protecting the public, also helps prevent further damage to soils and plants allowing the watersheds to begin their recovery from the fire.

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Fire Closures 2-2-2
Current fire closures in Los Padres National Forest include the following:

Zaca Fire - All national forest lands roughly between Highway 166 and Highway 33 remain closed. On the east side of Highway 33, the Pine Mountain Road (aka Reyes Peak Road and Forest Road 6N06), and all recreation facilities along that road are closed. The Boulder Canyon Trail (Forest Trail 23W03) between Pine Mountain Road and the Forest Service Station at Ozena is closed. Figueroa Mountain Road and Happy Canyon Road are closed within the national forest. Santa Ynez River Road is closed beyond the First Crossing.

Scott Fire – The West Tecuya Off-Highway Vehicle Trail is closed between Scott Russell and Cherry Creek Canyon on the Mt. Pinos Ranger District.

Day Fire – The Snowy Motorcycle Trail (Forest Trail 19W04) is closed between Alamo Mountain and Kings Campground on the Mt. Pinos Ranger District. Sections of the Red Reef Trail (Forest Trail 21W08) and the Sespe River Trail (Forest Trail 20W13) in the Sespe Wilderness are closed.

For more information regarding the closures, contact the following Forest Services offices:

• areas east and south of Highway 166 (San Rafael Wilderness / Figueroa Mountain)---Santa Lucia Ranger District at 805-925-9538.
• areas north of East Camino Cielo (Paradise Road)---Santa Barbara Ranger District at 805-967-3481.
• Pine Mountain Road---Ojai Ranger District at 805-646-4348.
• Boulder Canyon Trail, West Tecuya OHV Trail and the Snowy Motorcycle Trail----Mt. Pinos Ranger District at 661-245-3731.