Ideas on Managing Rose Valley Sought

The 5,000-acre Rose Valley Recreation Area north of Ojai receives more than 50,000 visitors annually attracted by its waterfalls, streams and natural beauty.

But the isolated region in the Los Padres National Forest also sees rowdy vandals and gang members who burn campsite tables and contribute to what Ojai Ranger District officials describe as a “lawless atmosphere.”

So faced with a cut of almost $900,000 in the massive forest’s recreation budget in the last five years, officials are appealing to the public for ideas on how to manage the area and avoid closing it completely.

Two attempts in the last two years to find a private concessionaire to manage the area 15 miles from Ojai has failed to generate viable proposals, said recreation officer Charlie Robinson.

“It’s budget driven, and we’re trying to decide what to do,” he said. “Our staff is so thin that we can’t keep after collections or enforce compliance or maintain the collection system due to vandalism. . . . We’ve sort of given up trying to collect the fee.”

Possible alternatives include implementing an annual fee for visitors to use the area, instituting an operating partnership with a nonprofit group, or permanent or seasonal closure of some or all of the area’s five campgrounds.

A short paper describing the issues and alternatives is available from Robinson. Call 646-4348, Ext. 319, for more information. Comments are requested by Jan. 31.

In a related issue, the Forest Service is also trying to decide what to do with a vacant 6-acre compound within the area consisting of an office building, kitchen, dining area, sleeping quarters, warehouse and bathroom facilities. Formerly used by firefighting crews, a minimum-security prison and other organizations, no money is now available to maintain the compound.

Two separate proposals to turn the compound into a water-bottling facility or recreational vehicle park were turned down as unacceptable earlier this month. The compound has been vacant since a nonprofit conservation group pulled out in May.