U.S. Officials Prepare to Tally El Nino’s Toll on Forestry Land in County

As Ventura County begins to dry out from the latest lashing by El Nino, federal officials are starting to assess the damage to vast acres of forest land.

Nine inches of rain fell in the mountains above Ojai during last week’s storm--more than anywhere else in the county. And officials fear the heavy rains have eroded hillsides and washed out popular hiking trails.

“The high country was hit as hard, if not harder, than what we saw here,” said Kathy Good, a spokeswoman for Los Padres National Forest. “It may be quite some time until we know the extent of the damage.”

Indeed, forest rangers have been unable to closely survey storm damage in Los Padres because of road closures and swift-running streams that are too dangerous to cross.

After a few more days of dry weather, rangers hope to hike into the back country. And they have a good idea what they will discover.

“I’m expecting to find a big mess and few people to do the work,” said Ranger John Hyatt, who works out of the Ojai station. “We are going to need a lot of help.”

With little money allocated to maintain the 220 miles of trail that wind through Los Padres, Hyatt said the budget-squeezed National Forest Service will have to rely on volunteer efforts to repair whatever damage there is.

Those efforts got underway Saturday morning when a dozen volunteers turned out to shore up the Pratt Trail, a popular hiking spot just north of Ojai.

Wielding pick axes and shovels and sporting back packs and water bottles, the group is the first of many that Forest Service officials say they will need to keep Los Padres paths accessible to the public.

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About 10 million hikers, bikers, horseback riders, anglers and swimmers venture into the forest’s 2 million acres each year.

“The trails need to be maintained, and the funding and manpower doesn’t appear to be there,” said volunteer Judith Gustafson, who helped with repairs to the Pratt Trail with her husband, Andrew.

The Gustafsons, who live in Ojai, are involved in efforts to protect the environment. In part, they turned out Saturday to learn how to take care of the recreational trails that surround their community.

“All of these trails require maintenance almost annually because they get overgrown with brush,” Andrew Gustafson said. “Even without these heavy rains, the soil is very unstable.”

But this year’s devastating series of storms may have created additional problems.

Walking down the Pratt Trail, Ranger Sue Zahn pointed to a narrow spot where an adjacent creek changed course and washed out part of the path.

The damage is not severe, but it illustrates what rain-swollen streams can do to the environment. Destruction can happen overnight--repairs can take weeks, months or years.

Part of the problem is identifying the areas that have been hit hard, Zahn said. The Ojai district has only two full-time rangers to patrol a giant wilderness, so volunteers can play a key role.

“They are really our eyes and ears for this district,” Zahn said.

Most of the Los Padres back country has been cut off for weeks because of a massive landslide covering California 33. But several trails immediately north of the Ojai Valley remain open.

Zahn cautioned hikers to be wary of eroded hillsides, soft spots on trails and fast-moving creeks.

“I’d advise not going through any stream crossings,” she said.

Other parks and forest lands also were hit by the storms.

In Point Mugu State Park, the raging Big Sycamore Canyon Creek broke off a half-mile section of a water main, depriving the park’s campgrounds of fresh water.

Thornhill Broome Beach, La Jolla Canyon and Big Sycamore Canyon campgrounds are closed until further notice, and it is unclear when dirt roads and hiking trails in the park will reopen because rangers have been unable to assess the damage, said John Falk, supervising ranger.

Staircase Beach, El Pescador and La Piedra beaches are also closed because trails leading from bluff-top parking areas to the shore below are eroded and unsafe.

About half the trails in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area are closed.

In Los Padres, the Forest Service expects to get a crew of eight paid workers started on repairs later this month.

Federal money set aside two years ago is specifically intended for improvements to the Matilija and Sespe trails. Maintenance to other paths through Los Padres will rest with volunteers.

“It’s going to be critical to getting our trail system back in order,” said Charlie Robinson, Forest Service recreation officer.

Correspondent Cathy Murillo contributed to this report.