Riding roughshod over Mother Nature

By Jim Holt

The SCV Independent

Fred doesn't care much for Joe. Fred tells Joe: "I'm going to bulldoze your house." Joe tells him: "Like hell, it's against the law."

Fred just laughs. "So what? No one's going to charge me with anything."

The next thing you know, Fred's behind the wheel of a bulldozer plowing down your house.
Sound crazy?

Not if you're an endangered species living in Santa Clarita Valley.

We found plenty of tire tracks left by characters like Fred - two wheels, four wheels, all sizes of footprints - in areas deemed protected by federal statute. What we didn't find was a single charge, fine or citation ever issued in connection with off-roaders trampling on the habitats of local protected species.

"Stop driving your big-ass four-wheel all-terrain vehicle on my strip of federally-protected terrain" - that would be the tiny voice of the endangered minnow-sized unarmored three-spine stickleback, indigenous to Santa Clarita and nowhere else in the world.

"So what? No one's going to charge me with anything," - that would be the opinion of some local off-roaders.

The Fish & Game Commission then has the authority to regulate "certain activities" such as setting down legal language to protect species like the Steelhead trout, he said.

"If a guy was to kill steelhead, that's a violation of federal law. So, if I caught you, I would cite you for fishing illegally and refer the matter to the feds." Takayama said.

Fish & Game enforcers have cited people, he said, for riding behind closed areas of the Los Padres National Forest - but not in Santa Clarita Valley.

The "feds" to which he referred, are the United States Fish & Wildlife Service and, specifically, that agency's law enforcement branch.

The closest regional office for U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services is in Oregon, not California. It operates a sub-station in California but that's in Torrance, on the other side of Los Angeles County.

"We do work closely with biologists," said Hildegard Graeber of the Torrance branch. "When there are violations, we do prosecute. If they're going past a fenced area, that's an issue."

Asked if she recalls her department prosecuting any violations submitted to her office from Santa Clarita Valley, she said. "Not in recent times.

"We did have a special agent along the coast that worked with us, but he's since retired. There's a lot of people who flaunt their disregard for the law but there is not enough law enforcement officers to stop and catch them."

Riding unchecked

The SCV Independent found only one person charging off-roaders with fines in Santa Clarita.

Sgt. Roger Wallace heads a team of 20 officers at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station assigned to the Off-Road Enforcement Program.

Wallace and his team hand out fines to off-roaders five to 10 times a week, he said, but these violations are largely vehicle offenses. My message is ‘Please go to Gorman if you want to off-road."

"There is no open areas for them to off-road right now, The only nearest place is Hungry Valley (State Park)."
Two areas normally designated for off-road use - Rowher Flats and Drinkwater - are currently closed to allow the areas to recover from the Buckweed Wildfire of 2007.

Re-opening Rowher Flats was further delayed after diggers uncovered "earthen oven" artifacts believed part of an indigenous culture. Authorities moved to protect the archeological find - small comfort for the stickleback.

Asked if he's charged anyone in the Santa Clara River watershed near the Interstate, Sgt. Wallace said: "We have not caught anyone in there in about a year and a half"

"We were pretty aggressive several years ago," he said, referring to an outreach program to inform the public about protected lands.

"I would like to think that had an impact," he added.
Right now, however, off-roaders appear to run roughshod along the banks of the Santa Clara River, under the I-5 overpass near Six Flags Magic Mountain.

The SCV Independent photographed several fresh tire tracks along the mushy riverbanks - which, by the size and shape of the markings, indicate recent motorcycles, dirt bikes, all-terrain vehicles and trucks.

Graffiti, beer cans and the usual litter were also documented in the area.

What concerns Wallace most about off-roading is the risk a vehicle could spark a wildfire. Not having a screen for motorcycle spark plugs could net you a $600 fine.

Damage to land warrants an $800 ticket under county codes.
The biggest ticket in his arsenal, said Sgt. Wallace, is a $1,300 fine for "a high severity fire risk".

"We're hesitant to write tickets for that."
Peter Johnston, is a wildlife biologist with the Santa Clara River & Mojave River Ranger District of the Angeles National Forest.

He said he's also seen environmental signs defaced in the Santa Clara River watershed at Bouquet Canyon Road.
Any charges, fines or citations laid in connection with vandalism to any signs or to off-roading?
"Not that I know of," he told The SCV Independent.

"If say someone were driving off road vehicles through the creek, if we had law enforcement in the area and saw them, we would cite them," he added.

Teresa Savaikie has been challenging local officials to take charge in protecting land already deemed in need of protection.

She can't recall ever seeing someone prosecuted for trampling on protected ground.

"This is such a blatant violation of federal and state law," she said. "We don't enforce any of these federal laws and we because of that, we are watching the river die."

So, the next time you're stuck in traffic on Interstate 5 near Six Flags and you glance over the guardrail, down at the river bed, and see a dirt-bike kicking up a whip of sand or hear a 4-by-4 reverberating under the overpass, just remember this translation:

"So What? No one's going to charge me with anything."

---

---