President Barack Obama announces to the crowd at Bonelli Regional Park he is designating roughly half of the Angeles National Forest to create the 350,000-acre, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, Friday, October 10, 2014 in San Dimas, CA. USDA photo by Bob Riha Jr.
President Barack Obama announces to the crowd at Bonelli Regional Park he is designating roughly half of the Angeles National Forest to create the 350,000-acre, San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, Friday, October 10, 2014 in San Dimas, CA. USDA photo by Bob Riha Jr.
In an effort to protect the San Gabriel Mountains, President Barack Obama decreed 346,000 acres of forest land in the mountain range as a national monument. During Mr. Obama’s speech, over 150 community advocates and members gathered to express their opposition against the act. Obama signed the executive order Friday morning at Frank G. Bonelli Regional Park in San Dimas.
“We are blessed to have the most beautiful landscapes in the world,” said President Obama. “We have a responsibility to be good stewards of them for future generations.”
The order came after 11 years of advocating for monetary support for preservation of the area. The former congresswoman for California’s 27th District, Hilda Solis, introduced the bill that brought to the land a 10-year study by the National Park Service. Current Congresswoman Judy Chu spent a year and a half drafting the bill that earned support from the San Gabriel Council of Governments and the San Gabriel Valley Water Association.
“Just as this region teaches us about our past, it has always offered us a window into our future,” Obama said.
He hopes that this monument will provide a recreational environment for minority families in Los Angeles County and surrounding communities. In his speech, he addressed multicultural leaders in the audience, including the mayor.
“We will keep working with you to make sure everybody in this diverse community, no matter where they came from or what language they speak, can enjoy all that this monument has to offer,” Obama said.
During Friday’s speech, the president called the new act a “first step in bringing together the Forest Service and local communities in order to provide access to the mountains.”
The National Forest Foundation announced it will commit $3 million for the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument Fund to respond to community priorities and support restoration and stewardship of the new national monument.
Senior political science major Tyler Fishchella planned on attending a protest of about 150 people during the president’s speech. He strongly feels that Obama’s choice was the wrong move.
“I disagree with the federal government, with the executive branch using its power to make a mountain range a monument because with that comes a risk of it being randomly shut down,” Fischella said.
Fishchella is referring to the government shutdown in October 2013, when the federal government was put at a standstill for a little more than two weeks. During this time, parks and monuments across the nation run by the federal government were also closed.
“I also think that we don’t have the money to make it a monument. With that comes a bigger budget for the federal forest department,” said Fishcella. “We don’t have the funds to fund anything already.”
According to the Los Angeles Times, the designation marks the 13th time that Obama has used his executive powers to establish or expand a national monument without congressional approval.
Fischella, who sent out a mass email to try to put out awareness about the event, was also frustrated with the apathy of the student body, he said. Out of the 3,000 emails he sent, about 5 people replied.
According to a statement released by the White House, more than 15 million people live within 90 minutes of the San Gabriel Mountains, which provides 70 percent of the open space for Angeleños and 30 percent of their drinking water. Mayor of Azusa Joe Rocha hopes the new order would bring support and stability for his community.
“We want to make sure that our water rights are kept untouched and that we obtain help to maintain and sustain our road ways, especially highway 39 going up to the San Gabriel Mountains,” said Mayor Rocha. “We want to to keep our highways in the condition they are right now, pothole free and minimal traffic.”
The 346,177-acre site contains high-quality wilderness areas, habitat for rare and endangered animals like the California condor, and a rich array of cultural and historical features.
The White House press release states that the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument will be managed by the U.S. Forest Service, the eighth national monument under its care.