BLM and Forest Service Initiate Palms to Pines Scenic Byway Corridor Management Plan

The Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, in partnership with the San Bernardino National Forest, has initiated the development of the Corridor Management Plan (CMP) for the Palms to Pines Scenic Byway.

The state-designated Palms to Pines Scenic Byway runs between the cities of Banning in the northwest or Hemet in the west to Palm Desert in the Southeast, traveling through the Monument via state highways 243 and 74.

The byway showcases a scenic forested “island” along the Southern California desert divide. Traveling from a desert oasis to snow-peaked mountains, the route offers an impressive array of wild land beauty.

The public will have an opportunity to become involved in the development of the CMP through a series of five scheduled workshops. The first workshop in the series is set for:

• November 8, 2010: Camp Ronald McDonald, Apple Canyon Center, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• November 9, 2010: Idyllwild Nature Center, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• November 10, 2010: Pinyon Pines Fire Station, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

This first set of workshop community meetings will provide an introduction to the project, a description of the CMP, project timeline, an explanation of what a National Scenic Byway is and the process of developing one.

For more information contact: Steven Harris, BLM Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 760-833-7166 or email: steven_harris@blm.gov. 

California Desert District   22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos, Moreno Valley, CA