Eaton Canyon closure

Note: This closure has expired and no permit is currently required. This page attempts to capture information about the closure of Eaton Canyon beginning August 1, 2014 due to injuries and deaths in the area.

Closure

A new closure is in effect between January 26, 2016 and January 27, 2017. The original closure by the Forest Service was put into effect August 1, 2014 under the authority of forest order 01-14-04 which was posted on the front page of the Angeles National Forest website. As of January 6, 2015, permits may be requested online according to the instructions on the American Canyoneers page.

Because of the closure, the following canyons cannot be completed without a very large amount of additional effort without a permit:

• Eaton Canyon
• Muir Ravine (West)
• Muir Ravine (Middle)
• Muir Ravine (East)
• Esme Canyon

Statements

Coalition of American Canyoneers

The Coalition of American Canyoneers (CAC) attended a meeting with Mike McIntyre of the Forest Service on July 7th. McIntyre confirmed that the closure would prevent the standard canyoneering descent. McIntyre claimed it would be difficult to discern which users were hikers from the bottom and which were canyoneers from the top. It is unclear why direct observation of the Razorback trail itself would be insufficient for this purpose. The CAC believes a permit system is the next step and that many of their members have indicated their acceptance of such a measure.

Authority

The closures were enacted by closure order 01-14-04 and 01-16-02 from the United States Forest Service issued under its authority granted by 36 CFR 261.53(e) which allows a closure for the purpose of public health or safety when provided in an order.

Jurisdiction

The shaded red boundary indicates Forest Service lands

Eaton Canyon lies within the Angeles National Forest, up to the bridge that crosses it at its exit; see the annotated topographic map to the right. The Angeles National Forest resides within Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County

CPC 602p prohibits, as a misdemeanor, "Entering upon any lands declared closed to entry as provided in Section 4256 of the Public Resources Code, if the closed areas shall have been posted with notices declaring the closure, at intervals not greater than one mile along the exterior boundaries or along roads and trails passing through the lands." Section 4256 of the Public Resources Code states that an area designated as a hazardous fire area may be closed. It is therefore unclear how CPC 602 provides the authority for the closure described, but may be used to justify enforcement authority for Los Angeles County in addition to the Forest Service.

Coverage

• CBS story after Forest Service announcement
• Airtalk discussion
• Casey Schreiner at Modern Hiker, Adventure Journal
• Timothy Rutt at AltadenaPoint
• Eispiraten discussion

History

Source

The first known information available on this topic was a leaked email thread. On 5/29/2014, Kim Bosell, the Natural Areas Administrator for Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, sent an email to many recipients including Mike McIntyre (Angeles NF) and Sussy Nemer (LA Co. Supervisor Antonovich Field Deputy Pasadena office) with a set of sign layouts relating to an Eaton Canyon closure. The signs were intended to be placed directly on the boundary of the closed area cite section 602 of the California Penal Code. A number of emails follow in which various people discuss adjustments to the suggested layouts. On 6/6/2014, Leon Bruce Evans stated that they "need to start fabricating the signs ASAP in order to meet the July 1st goal" Also on 6/6/2014, Kim Bosell asked, "Mike McIntyre – Can you tell me if the decals you ordered and received are reflective?"

Coalition of American Canyoneers

The CAC issued a statement on its website soon after the initial discovery of the pending closure, and has maintained an updates page since then.

Forest Service

In a phone conversation on 2014-06-16 14:50 Sherry Rollman Public Information Officer for Angeles National Forest denied any closure or signs were currently planned or made. She stated that the NF did not need to submit to public comment to close Eaton Canyon. She claimed that there were no plans to close the canyon pending and that there was only discussions about what to do about the problems with people traveling up the canyon from the bottom. She claimed not to know about any emails about signage or proposed closure dates. She would not address whether there had been a closure plan in place before but only reiterated that there are only "discussions" about what to do now.

In a telephone conversation on 2014-06-18 09:59 Dennis Merkel of Angeles NF, Los Angeles Ranger District referred comment back to PIO Sherry Rollman and denied specific knowledge of particulars but said he understood Eaton Canyon would be closed soon presumably due to the deaths and injuries on the bypass route.

A person close to, but unaffiliated with, the Forest Service reports that Mike McIntyre, the ranger for the Los Angeles River district, denied that there is a planned closure as of 6/16/2014, but said that local officials are concerned about safety and are looking into ways to minimize injuries there. A different person reported that McIntyre said that, despite the desire of multiple agencies to "see a reduction in injuries," "before any closure occurs, they will certainly talk to all of the canyoneering groups and other parties that want it to remain open, and try to figure out a solution that works for everyone," and that the USFS is not planning to close "that area" on July 1.

Eaton Canyon Nature Center

The proposed closure is not in the Eaton Canyon Nature Center area but is upstream of the boundary with the Forest Service land. Eaton Canyon Nature Center administered land is not included in the proposed closure area and does not have jurisdiction or responsibility for the proposed closure.

In a telephone conversation at 1:40pm on 6/16/2014, two workers at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center indicated that they were unaware of any closure.

In a phone conversation on 2014-06-18 at 16:03 Kim Bosell of LA County Parks and Rec. Eaton Canyon Nature Center refused to confirm or deny the email trail and closure plans stating that her agency had no closure plans and referred to the USFS for any questions regarding USFS closures. Asked directly to confirm the email info regarding signs and closure plans and timeline she stated "you have the emails" and "I don't know how you got them".

Los Angeles County Supervisor 5th District Mike Antonovich

2014-06-19 11:40 a message was left for Sussy Nemer, Field Deputy Pasadena Office to call back regarding Eaton Canyon.

2014-06-20 1202 Sussy Nermer returned the call and stated that discussions had been ongoing intermittently with USFS and other agencies for about two years. Signage had been discussed but had been rejected previously by USFS as possibly incurring greater responsibility for liability. Recently the USFS had suddenly decided to go ahead with signage and closure and arranged for the LA County sign shop to make the signs. USFS wanted the County Sheriff to handle enforcement of the closure. She stated she did not know why the USFS suddenly decided on signage and closure and confirmed that the USFS plans were to close the canyon before the summer season on or around July 1, 2014. As she is not with the USFS she stated she did not know what the USFS was currently planning to do.

Contacts

Mike McIntyre, District Ranger, Los Angeles River Ranger District
[email protected]
(818) 899-1900x221

Sherry Rollman, Public Affairs Angeles Natl. Forest
[email protected]
(626) 574-1613

Tom Contreras, Forest Supervisor, Angeles National Forest
(626) 574-1613

Sussy Nemer, Field Deputy Pasadena Office, Los Angeles County Supervisor 5th District Mike Antonovich
626-356-5407

Randy Moore, Regional Forester
[email protected]
707-562-9000

Ron Kettner, Deputy Regional Forester
[email protected]