About DEEP CREEK

A traditional favorite for some Southern California fAERIES
Deep Creek is a beautiful natural hot springs down in a desert canyon.
Deep Creek is just over a two mile hike from Bowen Ranch.
Bowen Ranch is where you can either park for the day or set up camp for over night stays.

Beautiful natural desert landscape surrounds this amazing natural phenomenon. Add a wide cool swimmable 'deep' lazy creek. Stone pools large enough to hold five to ten people which have geothermically heated spring water pouring into them. Clothing is optional and the environment is friendly. Anything goes just respect the land and the environment.

Moon Circle Calendar -see if we are planning a next fAERIE Campout or other event.

The future public use of Deep Creek Hot Springs is at stake as Deep Creek is under consideration for designation as a Wild and Scenic River and/or a Special Interest Area.

Special Interest Areas (SIA's) are managed to protect areas with unusual characteristics. Management  emphasis is on protecting or enhancing and, where appropriate, developing and interpreting for public education and recreation, areas of unusual characteristics. These areas are managed to maintain their  special interest values. Typically, Special Interest Areas have been designated as botanical, geological, historical, cultural, paleontological, scenic, or zoological areas. Special Interest Areas may also be designated to protect and manage threatened, endangered and sensitive species, or other elements of biological diversity; or for their emotional significance, scenic values, or public popularity. Special Interest Areas vary in size from small to fairly large.

 In Spring 2001, the following areas were identified for further analysis for SIA's.

 Liebre Mountain (Botanical) Angeles National Forest
 Aliso-Arrastre (Cultural) Angeles National Forest
 Fileree Flat (Botanical) Cleveland National Forest
 Pine Mountain (Botanical) Cleveland National Forest
 Chiquito Springs (Botanical) Cleveland National Forest
 Big Sur Management Area Los Padres National Forest
 Wagon Caves (Cultural) Los Padres National Forest
 Arrastre Creek above 2N02 (Botanical, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Bear Creek (Botanical, Scenic, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Cajon Pass (Geological, Zoological, Cultural) San Bernardino National Forest
 Coxey Creek (Scenic, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Deep Creek (Cultural, Scenic, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Fish Creek Meadows San Bernardino National Forest
 Garner Valley (Botanical, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Green Canyon San Bernardino National Forest
 Holcomb Creek (Botanical, Scenic, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Cactus Flat San Bernardino National Forest
 Santa Ana River - Upper (Scenic, Cultural, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 San Jacinto River (Cultural, Scenic, Zoological) San Bernardino National Forest
 Siberia Creek Trail Camp San Bernardino National Forest
 Sugarloaf Meadow San Bernardino National Forest
 May Van Canyon San Bernardino National Forest
 Wild Horse Meadows San Bernardino National Forest

The Wild and Scenic Rivers Act provides specific direction regarding the identification of potential Wild and Scenic River's (WSR) in federal agency planning processes: Forest Plan update is one avenue for evaluating the status of WSR designation on a Forest if the issue of WSR management (i.e., eligibility, classification, suitability) is identified as a planning concern.

 Eligibility is an inventory as to whether a river is free flowing and possesses one or more outstandingly remarkable value(s). There are a variety of methods to determine that certain values are so rare or unique as to make them outstandingly remarkable. The determination that a river area contains outstandingly remarkable values is a professional judgment on the part of the interdisciplinary study team. Input from organizations and individuals familiar with specific river resources should be sought and documented as part of the process. In order to be assessed as outstandingly remarkable, a river-related value must be a unique, rare, or exemplary feature that is significant at a comparative regional or national scale. Dictionary definitions of the words rare and
unique would indicate that such a value would be one that is a conspicuous example of a value from among a number of similar values that are themselves uncommon or extraordinary. One possible procedure would be to list all of the special values of the river and then to assess whether they are rare, unique, or exemplary within the State, physiographic province, ecoregion, or other area of comparison. Only one such value is needed for eligibility.

If Deep Creek is designated as a Wild and Scenic River, I believe that the Forest Service would remove any man made improvements at the hotsprings.  This would mean that some of the hot pools would be removed, such as the honeymoon pool, the Arizona pool, and maybe the upper pool (I think there were some man made improvements with this pool).

 Forest resource managers have completed an inventory of resource values they feel should be considered during the evaluation of these rivers for eligibility as Wild and Scenic Rivers. In Spring 2001, Deep Creek was identified for further analysis and evaluation to determine potential eligibility as wild and scenic. Some of the critical resources include the Willow Flycatcher, Nationally Significant Wild Trout, Regionally Significant Arroyo Toad, and the lemon lily. Additonally, the Hydrological resources of Deep Creek are deemed Regionally Significant and the Geologic Resources are considered locally significant.

The potential exists for changes in public access policies to Deep Creek Hot Springs should DCHS be included in either the Special Interest Area or Wild and Scenic River. The best Christmas present you could give to Deep Creek is to go to the Forest service website and write a letter. State that you would like to see public access to Deep Creek retained  regardless of the potential designation of Deep Creek as an SIA and/or Wild and Scenic River.

The Forest Service will have more public meetings during the first  quarter of the year. Public Comments  on what you value about the forests and what your vision for the future of the forests is due by December 31, 2001.

This is the first part is a process which is meant to result in the update of the management plan by 2004.

 Forest Service suggested subjects that you could comment on would include: wildlife habitat, species conservation, multiple use, water, exotic species, fire, coordination with neighboring jurisdictions, land acquisition, access, roads, mining, range, special uses, support to urban infrastructure, dispersed  recreation, campgrounds and developed recreation, recreation fees, visitor facilities, motorized  recreation, off-highway vehicle recreation, non-motorized recreation, trails, roadless/unroaded areas, wild and scenic rivers, wilderness, research natural areas, scenery, general development, visitor information and education, law enforcement, solitude and spiritual values.

Send written comments to: Forest Plan Update, USDA Forest Service, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road,  Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92127. Email: SoCalForests@fs.fed.us Fax: (858) 524-0130
 Toll free information line: (866) 252-8846
 Forest Plan Update Public Affairs Office (858) 524-0140

 Website for San Bernardino National Forest  www.r5.fs.fed.us/sanbernardino
 San Bernardino National Forest phone (909) 383-5588