Home on the Range

The sound of gunfire splits the air but no one is afraid--even the children keep playing among the colorful spent shells. It’s OK to shoot in Lytle Creek Canyon. There, some 15 miles north of Fontana in San Bernardino County, a mile stretch has been set aside for shooters by the Forest Service to better control damage in the woodlands.

But the year-round assault has left its ravages. Bullet-ridden random targets and the totems of family gatherings--from space heaters to beverage coolers--are often discarded on-site.

So the Forest Service has begun cleaning up Lytle Creek and will soon open a controlled shooting range with an entrance fee. Until then the shooting area remains open, a place where no one is gun-shy.