Natural Rivalry : Hunters, Environmentalists Clash Over Coal Canyon’s State Designation

Appearances can be deceiving. There are no hiking trails or designated camping areas in Coal Canyon. The main entrance right off the Riverside Freeway is gated and locked.

But if you’re quiet, the residents of this bastion of wildlife can be heard scuttling through the brush. Lizards, snakes and rabbits cross paths while a lone hawk circling the sky emits a cry. Occasionally, a mountain lion can be seen meandering through the canyon on its way to Chino Hills.

Then there’s the flora. Carpeting the hillsides are oaks, sycamores and chaparral. A pink-flowered herb that is a candidate for listing as an endangered species grows here, not to mention the northernmost range of rare Tecate cypress trees.

This tranquil setting is the turf over which environmentalists and hunters are tussling.

The state Fish and Game Commission is expected to decide today whether to declare the area an ecological reserve and list it as a hunting site. Nine other areas throughout the state are also up for ecological reserve status.

Named for a coal mine in the canyon that operated from 1876 to 1878, Coal Canyon is a 952-acre area off the Riverside Freeway. Local hunters, backed by Fish and Game staff, say that hunting would provide recreational opportunities without significantly reducing the wildlife population. Opponents of the proposal contend that continued and publicized hunting would deter hikers and nature study groups from coming into the area.

“Hunting serves a purpose of keeping wildlife in balance with the habitat, especially if you have herds over there that proliferate,” said Lanny Clavecilla, a Fish and Game spokesman. “Whether you like it or not, it does serve a purpose.”

But opponents say hunting cannot coexist with nature study and the preservation of rare plant species.

“If you’ve got hunters in the area, other individuals would probably be intimidated if they think there are hunters in the shrubs,” said Gordon Ruser, a spokesman for the Sierra Club. “At this point in time, we’re not even sure if other groups would be allowed in there during hunting season. That’s the unknown part. Would there be a safety factor considered?”

Hunting is not specifically prohibited in Coal Canyon now, but few hunters go there because it is relatively unknown and difficult to enter. Opponents argue that designating the area as an ecological reserve open for hunting would bring in a swarm of hunters attracted by its listing in Fish and Game publications.

If the Fish and Game Commission gives the go-ahead, hunters will be allowed to hunt game birds such as quail, pheasant and pigeons, as well as tree squirrels and cottontail rabbits. They will be restricted to using only shotguns and bows, said Ron Regehr, a 51-year-old Huntington Beach resident who has been hunting for 44 years. Regehr, a member of the California Sportsmen’s Task Force, spoke in favor of the plan at the Fish and Game Commission’s Oct. 6 and 7 meeting in Palm Springs.

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“I’d like to see this area kept open for hunting,” Regehr said. “I think hunters are probably the best ecologists, because it’s in our best interests to maintain a viable habitat. Habitat loss is the No. 1 cause of game deprivation.”

Part of the controversy stems from the property’s acquisition. The Fish and Game Commission purchased the area in March, 1991, from private corporations. About $4 million in parks and wildlife bond money from Proposition 70, the California Wildlife, Coastal and Park Land Conservation Act, paid for the land.

Hunting opponents say that since it was paid for by taxpayers, everyone should be allowed within Coal Canyon without the fear of hunters.

“We’re concerned we’ll be kept out during hunting season,” the Sierra Club’s Ruser said. “We want the Fish and Game Department to guarantee access so we can have tour groups go in there for bird watching or nature study. We want it safe for school kids to go in there.”

Fish and Game officials say they believe safety will not be an issue.

“As far as hunting safety, California has the (best) hunting safety record,” Clavecilla said. “We issue 350 licenses a year, and there have been no fatalities reported for the past two years.”

While hunters are interested primarily in the wildlife, others are also enthusiastic about the rare plants found in the canyon.

“We’ve got a number of plant species that are of special concern,” said Larry Sitton, a biologist with the Department of Fish and Game. “The Tecate cypress is a very special tree. This is the northernmost range. To find the next population, you have to go down to San Diego, and then as you go down into Mexico, you find it more and more.”

The Tecate cypress frequents ravines, gulches and ridges in dry mountain slopes of Southern California, Baja California and Guadalupe Island. The trees are usually steeple-shaped when young, with a few short, upright branches. When older, the branches spread. The trees can grow to be 33 feet tall and have loosely attached reddish-brown bark that when partially shed makes the trees look mottled.

The Tecate cypress is found in only four locations in the United States. The oldest and largest living Tecate cypress is growing in Coal Canyon. The granddaddy of Tecate cypresses, “Big Mo” is about 150 years old and 30 feet tall. It stands at the bottom of Coal Canyon.

“Nobody’s been able to tell me what ‘Big Mo’ stands for,” Sitton said. “I was thinking probably ‘Big Mother.’ ”

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There are also several plant species that could be harmed if Coal Canyon is promoted as a hunting area, Ruser said.

Growing in Coal Canyon is Braunton’s milk vetch, a rare pink-flowered herb named after Ernest Braunton, editor of California Floriculturist, who discovered the plant in 1902 in what is now West Hollywood. The pea family member, which grows only in limestone in mountainous areas lined with chaparral, is currently proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for the nation’s endangered species list.

The heart-leaved pitcher sage, a shrubby aromatic plant from the mint family, can also be found in Coal Canyon. It too is a candidate for federal listing.

“I doubt there’s going to be that many hunters, but these types of concerns are unquantifiable,” said Dave Bramlet of the California Plant Society in Orange County. “Hunters would be going off trails more (damaging plants), but you have the same type of concerns any time you let people onto the reserve.”

Inside Coal Canyon The state Department of Fish and Game wants to designate Coal Canyon as an ecological reserve and continue to allow hunting on the land. An overview of the canyon: Origin: The canyon’s name comes from two small outcroppings of coal discovered in the area in 1875. Acres: 952 Owners: State Department of Fish and Game. Purchased: 1991. Cost: About $4 million. Funding: Parks and wildlife bond money. Flora: Oaks, sycamors, chaparra, 150-year-old Tecate cypress. Fauna: Lizards, snakes, rabbits, eagles, coyotes, foxes, deer and mountain lions. Source: Times reports