OJAI : Dedication of Trail Marred by Vandalism

The heavily promoted dedication of a national forest trail above Ojai was delayed Friday when authorities discovered that suspected gang members had trashed a nearby campground and chopped up the wooden sign marking the begining of the trail to use as firewood.

Despite the vandalism, which included a sprinkling of empty beer cans on the Lion’s campground in Rose Valley, officials proceeded with the ceremony to dedicate the Gene Marshall-Piedra Blanca National Recreation Trail, using a substitute sign.

The 18-mile trail, which starts at Sespe Creek and continues north to Reyes Creek by way of Pine Mountain, traverses the heart of the 219,700-acre Sespe Wilderness.

The Sespe, Chumash and Matilija wilderness areas--covering 287,450 acres of Ventura County backcountry--were created last year with the passage of the Los Padres Condor Range and River Protection Act.

Protected from the sun by the shade of a giant cottonwood tree, forest officials lauded the efforts of the late Gene Marshall, a former forester-turned-stockbroker who campaigned for 30 years to preserve the Sespe Creek area.

“Gene knew the special qualities of the Sespe and understood how it worked as an ecosystem,� said Ranger Erwin N. Ward.

“This dedication is not just about a trail, but about the wilderness and the beauty of the Sespe area.�

As he spoke, wisps of smoke rose from a bundle of sagebrush, a ceremonial blessing borrowed from the Chumash Indians who once traveled the trail route.

Before the ceremony concluded, officials arrived with a duplicate trail-head sign that was originally intended for the trail’s opposite end.

Surveying the vandals’ wreckage, including ripped-up benches, trash and crude carvings of suspected gang initials, Ward shook his head sadly.

“It really irritates me to see this,� he said.

“The damage shows a total disregard for the forest and for the people who come to enjoy it.�