The Pan Hot Springs Meadow Habitat Management Plan was adopted by the Big Bear City Community Services District last June, as a means of protecting sensitive species on 135 undeveloped acres owned by the district just east of Paradise Way and south of Highway 18 en route to Baldwin Lake. Given the sensitive plant species (including the San Bernardino Bluegrass, Pedate Checkerbloom, California Dandelion, Slender-Petalled Mustard and Ashy-Grey Paintbrush) on 40 of these acres, the CSD established a Restrictive Covenant to protect these endangered and threatened species in the subalpine meadow habitat, and partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the California Department of Fish and Game, the San Bernardino National Forest, the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, Ray Bolling (owner of neighboring Pan Hot Springs), and the University of Redlands to preserve the environment, recognize the cultural significance of the land once inhabited by Serrano Indians, and provide opportunity for community enjoyment and education in the area, which is adjacent to the land to be developed as Paradise Park. To this end, five UofR students (Mickey Agha, Meghan Directo, Peter Gibson, Alison Roedl and Amy Simpson), overseen by the Environmental Studies Department’s Dr. Timothy Krantz, drafted an action plan for the Pan Hot Springs Meadow. These plans include the removal of non-native species, including the invasive Ryegrass, and the potential development of an interpretive trail system. The student presentation before CSD’s Board of Directors on May 18 included trail designs and preliminary brochures on the area’s sensitive species and the Serrano Indians. CSD President John Day noted that a final version of the interpretive trail would need to be handicap accessible, though, per General Manager Mike Mayer, “We’re going to take their ideas and incorporate them into our plan. This is exactly what we were looking for.” Mayer added that conversations with their Habitat Management Plan partners would continue, probably over the next several years, but, he said, “With this as a beginning, I think we can move forward in a positive way.”
