Imagine the impact of a commercial gold mining operation in a pristine wilderness area. Now, imagine if that wilderness area was just 13 miles from Los Angeles.That was the situation facing the Big Horn Mine area .... a 277 acre inholding in the 41,000 acre Sheep Mountain Wilderness that commands spectacular views of the rugged San Gabriel Mountains, and is called home by Nelson's bighorn sheep, the California spotted owl, the mountain yellow-legged frog, and Arroyo Chub.
Future generations have a hard enough time getting outdoors these days, and if one of the cornerstones of the LA hiking scene was not only jerked out from under them, but also became the site of a large scale mineral extraction operation .... well .... fortunately, we don't have to find out.
In 2005, the Big Horn Mine was ranked as the highest priority for acquisition by the Prioritization and Inventory of California’s National Forest Wilderness. But this fall, thanks to the efforts of the Wilderness Land Trust, the Big Horn Mine area has been taken off the table and will be provided protected "wilderness" status. That's what the WLT does: they find "inholdings" in wilderness areas and they do what it takes to return them to wilderness protection. Currently, they're working on 17 other major projects in California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah and Washington.
To celebrate and promote the successful preservation of the Big Horn Mine area, the Wilderness Land Trust is seeking personal stories and anecdotes from active outdoor recreation businesses and individuals. Things like hiking and camping stories that can bring to life what a remarkable resource the Big Horn Mine area is ... and what a great service the WLT is providing.
LINK: WLT seeks outdoor stories to celebrate Big Horn Mine preservation
