CANYON, FOREST PLANS UP FOR DEBATE.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

SANTA CLARITA - As U.S. Forest Service officials approach the deadline to consider land-use plans for the Angeles National Forest, city officials hope residents will get the word out to help preserve the Whitney, Placerita and Elsmere canyons as designated riparian wetlands.

During a meeting Monday, forest officials said public comments will help assist the federal government in making a decision about which of the six draft plans will be used to rezone the forest.

``We need to hear why you think that area should be preserved,'' said Angeles National Forest supervisor Jody Noiron. ``How does it meet the criteria of the 1964 Wilderness Act?''

For the canyons to be considered a wilderness, there needs to be proof that they are natural habitats where no mechanized equipment, such as bicycles, can be used. City officials have said they want the U.S. Forest Service to continue to recognize the canyons as riparian wetland areas that university students can explore for scientific purposes. The area also is the corridor that wildlife traverse in the Santa Susana, San Gabriel and Santa Monica mountain ranges.

Forest Service officials have said the draft plan is more of a general zoning guide, not a site-specific plan.

The draft of the plan to update 20-year-old policies is being circulated so that residents can add comments until Aug. 11. A team from the Forest Service will then analyze the letters and make a recommendation.

The Santa Clarita City Council has allocated $10,000 to a consultant to draft the city's stance on the issue, to ask federal regulators that activities such as riding off-road vehicles are allowed, but in appropriate areas - away from wildlife corridors.

Though the plan will continue to recognize Angeles National Forest as a land of many uses - including mining, filming, hunting, fishing and off- highway riding with rights-of-way for utilities - forest officials have said they will strive to protect endangered birds, amphibians and plants found in the forest. In the new plan, forest officials also call for a policy of redefining official forest roads and possibly gating or obliterating those that have been blazed without permits.

The Angeles National Forest has official roads recognized by the Forest Service system, but also has roads formed by people who repeatedly drove through and created paths.

Comments can be faxed to [phone], or mailed to: Southern California Forest Plan Revisions (with the name of the national forest discussed, if applicable), USDA Forest Service Content Analysis Center, PO Box 22777, Salt Lake City, UT 84122.

For those wishing to review the proposed plan, comments also are being accepted online at www.fs.fed.us/r5.scfpr.

Susan Abram, [phone]

susan.abram(at)dailynews.com