San Gabriel Mountains

Rep. Chu stood with President Obama as he declared the San Gabriel Mountains a National Monument.

The Los Angeles area is one of the most park poor regions of the country. Too many of our communities – especially low-income communities - lack the resources for residents to walk, jog, bike or picnic in their own neighborhoods. This is why I have fought to bring federal resources to our region to maintain outdoor spaces that can be experienced by residents and visitors.

One of best ways to experience nature in our region is to explore the San Gabriel Mountains, with their forests, streams, and hiking trails. Our mountains attract millions of visitors every year. But, as beautiful as these mountains are, they are in critical need of safe and proper facilities, clean-up efforts, and educational programs for our youth. That is why I have worked with communities, stakeholders, utilities, recreational groups, and others to protect San Gabriel Valley’s natural resources by establishing the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

Establishing & Protecting the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
In October 2014, President Obama acted on my call for permanent protection for the San Gabriel Mountains and declared 346,000 acres as a national monument. This meant that we could finally begin directing much needed funds for new trails and cleanup to the monument, something that was difficult when it was just a part of the national forest budget. Immediately after the new designation was announced, over $4 million were pledged by various groups to help improve this area. This was a critical step towards making our treasured mountains, rivers, and forests a national priority.

But all of that was put at risk when President Trump signed an Executive Order directing the Secretary of the Interior to review all national monuments designated since 1996 for a potential rollback of their boundaries or complete nullification of their monument designation. I was shocked and dismayed that the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument was on the list for review. And so I led an effort to keep the monument designation in place. I sent a letter from the Democrats in the Los Angeles delegation urging Secretary Zinke to leave the San Gabriels’ monument status intact. We made the case that our local communities benefitted from the mountain’s federal status. As a result, at the end of the review, Secretary Zinke did not make any recommendations to change the San Gabriel Monument.

Expanding Wilderness Protection

In order to further protect our outdoor spaces, I introduced the San Gabriel Mountains Forever Act, which would add 31,069 acres of protected wilderness to Southern California. This includes 6,774 acres of Yerba Buena Wilderness, 2,027 acres of San Gabriel Wilderness, and 13,851 acres of Sheep Mountain Wilderness. In addition, the bill protects 25.3 miles of the East, West, and North Forks of the San Gabriel River and 20.2 miles of the Little Rock Creek.

Wilderness is a federal designation that protects “relatively undisturbed” Forest Service land. It is the highest form of protection of any federal wildland. These areas of untouched nature would remain open to hiking, camping, and other recreational activities encouraged in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, but commercial activities and motorized vehicles would be prohibited in order to prevent over-development, pollution, and habitat destruction.