CLOSURES FOR TOAD IRK OFF-ROADERS.Byline: Phil Davis
Scott Moser would brake for endangered toads, but the off-road vehicle off-road vehicle off n → véhicule m tout-terrain enthusiast staged an angry protest Sunday because he says the federal government won't give him a break when it comes to enjoying his favorite four-wheel-drive trails. At issue: The U.S. Forest Service's week-old decision to close 3,000 acres of off-road trails, fishing streams and a campground to protect the endangered arroyo southwestern toad Noun 1. southwestern toad - a uniformly warty stocky toad of washes and streams of semiarid southwestern United States Bufo microscaphus true toad - tailless amphibian similar to a frog but more terrestrial and having drier warty skin . Wildlife officials say human encroachment An illegal intrusion in a highway or navigable river, with or without obstruction. An encroachment upon a street or highway is a fixture, such as a wall or fence, which illegally intrudes into or invades the highway or encloses a portion of it, diminishing its width or area, but on mountain streams threatens to push the 3-inch, greenish-gray toad into extinction. ``We understand about the toad, but they're taking all the recreation out of the area,'' said Moser, a Littlerock electronics technician The United States Navy occupational rating of Electronics Technician (abbreviated as ET) is a designation given by the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) to enlisted members who satisfactorily complete initial Electronics Technician "A" school training. who has driven the now-closed trails for two decades. ``They're making humans endangered on public land. They're locking us out.'' Moser and about 40 fellow off-road enthusiasts gathered outside the newly locked gate to the Littlerock Reservoir on Sunday for a pre-Super Bowl XXXIII protest of the Jan. 25 decision to close 17 miles of their favorite trails. The closure was particularly galling because it came only days after most of them had renewed their $30 forest recreation Adventure Passes. The government said, ``Hey, buy the annual pass,'' Moser said. ``They told us our money would be spent here to take care of it, but instead they're shutting us out. If we can't use the area, we don't want the pass.'' In a letter explaining the decision to close the area, Angeles National Forest The Angeles National Forest (ANF) was established by executive order on December 20, 1892 as the San Gabriel Timberland Reserve. It covers over 2,600 km² (650,000 acres) and is located in the San Gabriel Mountains of Los Angeles County, just north of the metropolitan area of Los Supervisor Michael J. Rogers said he could be held personally responsible if a single toad is killed. Officials say off-road drivers crush the small toads on trails and hikers may accidentally squash them in shallow streambeds. Noise from the Littlerock campground also drowns out the toad's mating calls, officials say. The new ban was drafted after less restrictive measures were ignored by people who use the recreation area, forestry officials said. The land is closed until 2003 so scientists can monitor the toad population's recovery. The off-roaders suspect the closure is more personal. ``This isn't about the toads, it's about us,'' said Jack Rosema, a Lancaster business owner. ``The Forest Service has been trying to get rid of off-roaders for the past five or six years. They blame us for the trash and all the damage here, but it's not us doing it. ``We follow trails that are already there,'' Rosema said. ``We don't leave our trash around and we respect the land and the other people that use it.'' Samuel Sweet, an expert on amphibians amphibians members of the animal class Amphibia. Includes frogs, toads, newts, salamanders and cecilians all capable of living on land or in water. at the University of California, Santa Barbara History The predecessor to UCSB, Santa Barbara State College, focused on teacher training, industrial arts, home economics, and foreign languages. Intense lobbying by an interest group in the City of Santa Barbara led by Thomas Storke and Pearl Chase persuaded the State , said the toads are threatened by more than just off-road drivers. It was Sweet who petitioned to have the toad put on the Endangered Species Act The federal Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) (16 U.S.C.A. §§ 1531 et seq.) was enacted to protect animal and plant species from extinction by preserving the ecosystems in which they survive and by providing programs for their conservation. in 1992. ``Arroyo toads are seriously in trouble as a species,'' Sweet said. ``It's not due to any one particular thing, other than the fact they need to live in stream beds. If Southern Californians have done one thing, they've messed up stream beds.'' Sweet said that while campers and off-road drivers may smash some toads, its the region's insatiable thirst for water that is the main threat. Most streams in the Southland south·land or South·land n. A region in the south of a country or an area. south  land·er n.Noun 1. have been dammed to provide water for Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. and other urban areas. He said managing dams so that water comes in a more natural trickle - instead of drought or whitewater - would help the toads tremendously. ``Something like that is going to do much more good than throwing people out of off-road vehicle parks,'' Sweet said. Still, he said, the Endangered Species Act is written so specifically that forest managers had no choice but to close the land to protect the toad. U.S. Forest Ranger forest ranger n. An officer in charge of protecting or managing a section of a public forest. Perry Bauman stopped by Sunday's protest to talk with the off-road drivers. He suggested the enthusiasts write their elected officials and work with wildlife officials to develop ways to steer clear of the toads. ``We'll leave the frog alone,'' Moser said. ``I understand the problem. We respect their reasons, but they need to respect ours. They can have 2,999 acres. Give us one little spot where we can play and we'll take care of it.'' Daily News Staff Writer Charles F. Bostwick contributed to this story. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, map, drawing PHOTO (1 -- color) About 40 off-road enthusiasts gathered Sunday near Littlerock Dam to protest trail closures to save an endangered toad. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News (2 -- color) Off-road vehicle fans are angry over a decision to close about 3,000 acres of Angeles National Forest until 2003. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Map: Forest closure Drawing: Arroyo southwestern toad |
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