Chronology of US Forest Service Management
December 17th, 2008
Williamson Rock, Angeles National Forest
Chronology of US Forest Service Management
1980s – Recreational rock climbing begins at Williamson Rock on the Angeles Crest in the Angeles National Forest.
Mid 1990s – Access Fund organizes trail projects and proposes funding for a composting toilet at Williamson Rock.
2002 – U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) list the Mountain Yellow-legged Frog (MYLF) as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.
2003 – USGS biologists prepare research papers studying the MYLF at Williamson Rock and recommend as adequate mitigation closing or rerouting trails to the rock and addressing potential human waste issues.
Spring 2004 – FWS communicate with the Angeles National Forest (ANF) about closing Williamson Rock to protect the MYLF population breeding upstream.
2004 – Friends of Williamson Rock (FoWR) formed. http://williamsonrock.org/index.php.
December 2005 – Access Fund contractor prepares a report analyzing alternate trail approaches to Williamson Rock and identifying potential mitigation measures.
December 2005 – ANF issues closure order “to protect critical habitat of the mountain yellow-legged frog, and temporarily limit access to approximately 1,000 acres in the area north of the Angeles Crest Highway” including Williamson Rock, “an area frequented by rock climbers.” ANF states its commitment to meet with members of the rock climbing community to work on a proposal that may eventually allow continued climbing at Williamson Rock.
February 2006 – FoWR submits to the ANF an access and mitigation plan that would allow for recreational access to Williamson Rock while also conserving the MYLF population.
September 2006 – FWS designates Little Rock Creek adjacent to Williamson Rock as “Critical Habitat” under the Endangered Species Act.
January 2007 – FoWR provides the ANF with a draft “Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Analysis” with the purpose to protect the MYLF population while regulating use of Williamson Rock in a manner consistent with mandates and restrictions of law.
February 2007 – ANF organizes an Inter-Disciplinary Team to analyze the Williamson Rock “temporary” closure. ANF sets a timeline for the required NEPA process to conclude by the end of 2007.
June 2007 – The Access Fund and FoWR provide scoping comments to ANF proposal to develop a management plan that will protect the MYLF and its critical habitat, while also providing access to the Williamson Rock climbing area.
October 2007 – The Santa Clara Mojave Rivers Ranger District Office is destroyed by the Buckweed Fire. All buildings and office equipment are destroyed along with records, project files, special use permit files, and contract and business files. The destruction included most of the documentation files regarding the Williamson Rock issue.
December 2007 – ANF issues decision memo authorizing the continued “temporary” closure of the Williamson Rock area from January 1, 2008 through December 31, 2008 to address “concerns related to the protection of the Mountain Yellow-legged Frog and its Critical Habitat in the area.” This decision was categorically excluded from documentation and is not subject to review or appeal.
May 2008 – ANF sends FoWR a letter explaining that until the USFS completes the environmental analysis their only option is to keep Williamson Rock closed to the public. ANF also states that it will not have the appropriated funds to undertake this process in its 2008 fiscal year and gives no timeline when funds may become available or plans for pursuing such funds.
July 2008 – ANF begins the process of re-activating its Williamson Rock Inter- Disciplinary Team. FoWR communicates with the ANF’s lead biologist who indicates that the ANF has not received the required biological opinion from the FWS because the ANF has not provided the FWS with a proposed action for managing Williamson Rock (similar to the draft FoWR provided to the ANF in January of 2007) beyond annual “temporary” closure orders. The ANF biologist indicated that the MYLF population was increasing and that a potential solution to the Williamson closure is increase the tadpole population by translocation to nearby areas.
August 2008 – FoWR calls and sends letter to the ANF urging the allocation of necessary funds to begin the environmental analysis process, either through current budget resources or via future congressional appropriations.
October 2008 – FoWR and Access Fund issue action alert urging membership to write the USFS and Congress demanding action on the Williamson Rock environmental analysis.
