San Gorgonio Events Honor Wilderness Act Anniversary

. . . Where the Earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain . . . which is protected and managed to preserve its natural condition. --Wilderness, as defined by the federal Wilderness Act of 1964.

Sunday is the 25th anniversary of the nation’s wilderness preservation system. It is cause for celebration, and two events are scheduled this weekend to honor the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

This wilderness includes 58,969 acres, 100 miles of hiking trails and Southern California’s highest peak: Mt. San Gorgonio. With the help of dedicated conservationists and the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act, the San Gorgonio Primitive Area, as it was known in the 1930s, was saved from becoming a giant ski resort.

Alice Krueper, founding member of the Defenders of the San Gorgonio Wilderness, will be the speaker at 8 tonight at the Grayback Amphitheater in the San Bernardino National Forest, just off California 38 about 10 miles east of Angeles Oaks. She will explain how conservationists succeeded in designating the area and getting it included in the national act 25 years ago.

On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Barton Flats Visitors Center, the Forest Service will host a variety of activities designed to celebrate our wilderness heritage.

Demonstrations of “primitive skills” such as horse-packing and woodsmanship are scheduled. The San Gorgonio Search and Rescue Team will explain its purpose, and REI, a commercial equipment chain, will present the latest in backpacking equipment. Nature photographer Roy Murphy will be on hand to sign his San Gorgonio Wilderness poster. Several speakers will discuss wilderness ethics and describe the intriguing history of the San Gorgonio Wilderness.

Barton Flats Visitors Center is about six miles east of Angeles Oaks on California 38. For further information, call (714) 794-1123 today from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. or Sunday and Monday from 8 a.m. to noon.