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Although it once characterized the wilds of California, the California grizzly bear is now extinct. The last grizzly in Southern California was tracked and killed in Trabuco Canyon less than 20 miles northeast of San Juan Capistrano in early 1908. For every child who learns that Southern California was once as wild as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Alaska, we propose establishing the Grizzly Bear National Monument as part of the National Park System in what is now the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest. This gesture harkens back to a time when condors soared over wildlands populated by pronghorn antelope and millions of wildflowers; grizzlies navigated the old-growth chaparral to find perennial streams filled with wild trout; and jaguars roamed the deep canyons of the region's diverse landscape. It's time we secure that heritage and preserve the jewel of Southern California's coastal mountain range. Download flyer. Watch the YouTube video about the monument! To learn more about the designation and management of national monuments, click here. (Placename trivia: The name Trabuco is the Spanish word for blunderbuss, a muzzle-loading firearm with a short, large caliber barrel. A trabuco was thought to be lost by an early Spanish explorer in what is now known as Trabuco Canyon.)
Newspaper Headline: Last Grizzly Shot in Trabuco Canyon in January 1908
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Photo of Killed Grizzly in Trabuco Canyon in 1908
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Designation of the Trabuco Ranger District of the Cleveland National Forest as the Grizzly Bear National Monument (GBNM) will:
- Allow the public to finally have a chance to understand and celebrate the significance of the chaparral ecosystem and the role the California grizzly bear played in the state’s colorful history.
- Shift management away from favoring resource extraction and development to outdoor recreation, education, and habitat conservation.
- Boost eco-tourism opportunities for Orange, Riverside, and San Diego County.
- Act as a source of pride for local residents.
- Preserve the rural equestrian lifestyle and opportunities for hiking and mountain bicycling through acknowledgement, accommodation, and access.
- Protect historic treasures such as Silverado Canyon, Glen Ivy, and Native American cultural sites.
- Increase outdoor recreation opportunities and protect valuable natural resources.
- Secure a vast sanctuary for communities to educate our children and all future generations.
As a companion to the Grizzly Bear National Monument proposal, we envision a rural public transit route (bus and/or shuttle) to better serve residents and tourists as they navigate the Santa Ana Mountains. Download PDF of Rural Public Transit Proposal.
Canyon Trolly
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Historic CA flag
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The Rural Public Transit Route will:
- Alleviate traffic/parking congestion in canyon communities.
- Allow residents and tourists to conserve fuel and cut emissions while entering and leaving the monument.
- Further enhance the eco-tourism opportunities for the Orange, Riverside, and San Diego County.
- Decrease traffic collisions and noise pollution in the canyons.
We invite you and your group to join us at the table. All organizations and recreational user groups are welcome!
Organizational Supporters (If your organization wants to be added to the list of supporters, please let us know via email):
Individual Supporters (If you want to be added to the list of supporters, please let us know via email):
- James Hadley Wells
- Robert Miller
- Phil McWilliams
- Bill Tarasi
- Janine & Charles Robinson
- James McGrane
- Rosemary Krabbe
- Lisa & Kennard Yackytooahnipah
- Rolf Hertenstein
- Norma & Jack Keating
- Adam Fanello
- Jason Fitzgibbon
- Leeta Latham
- Ed Amador
- Leanne Kelly
- Lara Montagne
- Jeff Emerick
- Makiko Goto-Widerman
- Matthew McMahon
- Michael Metcalf
- Jacob Thomas Burnard
- Ken Gourley
- Lynn Walton
- Tim & Rachel Martinez
- Mark & Amy Haller
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) recognizes that National Monument designation is a viable land protection option.
Please notify your elected officials and let them know that you support the Grizzly Bear National Monument designation to prevent inapproprate public infrastructure (tunnel, reservoir, utility corridor, etc.) and preserve the Santa Ana Mountains for all future generations. It will take an act of the president or congress to designate a new national monument. Click here to cut and paste a form letter to send directly to the president.
Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, 47th District
Congressman Ed Royce, 40th District
Congressman Ken Calvert, 44th District
Congressman Darrell Issa, 49th District
Congressman John Campbell, 48th District
Congressman Gary Miller, 42nd District
Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell
Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster
Senator Dianne Feinstein
Senator Barbara Boxer
President Obama
First GBNM Strategic Meeting at Santa Rosa Plateau Visitor Center, Friday, May 15, 2009
From left going clockwise: Patrick Mitchell (SAMWHP), Rick Halsey (Chaparral Institute), Meghan Miller (Cal Poly Pomona), Patrick Johnson (Cal Poly Pomona), Pam Nelson (local conservationist), Joel Robinson is taking photo (NFY/SAMWHP)
