Private Cabins in Public Forests

* In response to “Making Themselves at Home,” Feb. 18:

Your article generalizes an unfortunate incident of leaseholder arrogance to suggest that those of us who own cabins on U.S. Forest Service land are ripping off the public and hogging the very best forest locations with barbed-wire fences and attack dogs.

While I would agree that there are lessees who are violating the terms of their leases with the Forest Service, there are far more of us who adhere to the restrictions and covenants which are decreed by Congress --and which we can agree with and follow or disapprove and give up our leases. Many of the violations described are not new and cannot be blamed by Forest Service representatives on budgetary limitations. Some of the full-time residence violations cited in the article have actually been knowingly tolerated by the Forest Service for over 45 years.

The Forest Service is certainly facing limited funding and staff and must decide where to focus its time and energies. Clearly, past decisions have been to not enforce all aspects of the cabin lease program. In this time of short budgets, leaseholders such as ourselves in the San Bernardino National Forest have donated many hours of our weekends to cleanup and repair jobs of public property, which the Forest Service does not have time to do.

This article identifies a very real problem which should be addressed and corrected--that problem being widespread violation of residence restrictions. To suggest that the entire recreation residence program is mismanaged and bad policy is not correct.

ROY E. GLAUTHIER

Costa Mesa

* It is an outrage to hear of such abuse of public land. What is more outrageous is the fact that little is being done to prevent it. Residents who are overstaying their temporary welcome are spoiling a program that was designed to enhance the use of our public lands; now others are inhibited from enjoying it.

It disgusts me to know that what little recreational land we have set aside in Southern California is threatened in a twisted game of “King of the Mountain”!

PETRA LIGMOND

South Gate