The mountains sure look different than they did decades ago. Five shades of green have turned into five shades of brown, and it's not only because of the current drought or the nasty bark beetle. Forty three years ago the Forest Service had a chance to really turn the Angeles National Forest green. But, the plan never went through...and in a way, we residents up here had a chance to breath a little easier. Read the account of an interesting forest plan and you'll begin to realize how close we came to being known as the Bandini National Forest instead of the Angeles.
Anselmo Lewis, the District Ranger for the Baldy District wrote eloquently to Sim E. Jarvi, who was the Angeles National Forest Supervisor in 1964. "Reference is made to the letter received from Mr. William E. Bovard, of the Falcon Aviation, Inc. of El Monte on March 13, 1964, concerning his proposal to dispose of cow manure from the local dairies through the medium of air drops on the Angeles National Forest..."
You read right! Plans were afoot to deposit great amounts of cow manure in the national forest! The cow population in Los Angeles, even only back forty years ago, was one or the largest in the nation...and the quantities of such a dairy byproduct had to be astounding. What else were the dairies supposed to do to get rid of the waste? Ranger Lewis compared the task of removing such a pile of ...um, manure, as being much greater than Hercules cleaning out the Aegean Stables. In 1964, one dairy alone was willing to pay over $2,000 per month for disposal of the stuff, this was a sure money maker for everyone involved. Shucks, man! Forest Service trail and fire crews would no longer have to make their own homemade peach liquor hooch...for the first time in Forest Service history they can go out and buy it.
After some investigation of what the author calls "operation manure drop", some facts were abundantly clear: 1) To maintain a productive dairy it has to be cleaned. 2) Disposal of the product through regular commercial channels is not feasible due to the fact that the supply far exceeds the demand. 3) The demand for manure is seasonal, reaching its peak in the spring gardening months, whereas the dairy centers produce at a constant high rate, round the clock and on a yearlong basis. 4) Give-away programs to the general public have not proven feasible due to the fact that the material must be treated to destroy noxious weed seeds before it is suitable for home use. 5) -quoting from the letters of District Ranger Anselmo Lewis-, "Method of disposal is complicated by the morphological characteristics of the product in its raw state, which varies from fines to large solid chunks, to the extreme of a fluid state of gel-like consistency. The latter state offers considerable difficulty to the inexperienced collector, as well as creating a definite safety hazard in the form of insecure footing while harvesting the crop. Of particular hazard is when the product is in the semi-solidified state. When lifted overhead in loading with a fork or shovel, the brittle outer shell tends to crack permitting the semi-fluid interior to cascade down on the inexperienced harvester with disconcerting results. When in the latter state the material is cohesive, imparts a more or less permanent greenish tint to fabrics and produces an aroma varying from ammoniacal to unique." That's the formal Forest Service way of stating the obvious: Cow manure is hard to handle, it's yucky, it stinks to high heaven and its stains everything it touches.
Due to the rapid urban growth in the county areas, the possibilities of using disposal areas in the vicinity of the dairy centers were said to be costly and had a potential of creating health problems. With great piles of dairy byproducts such as manure in the immediate path of encroaching subdivisions, one can see a problem building...or excuse the pun...a problem piling up. Imagine a large pyramid-like pile of manure blocking off your grand view from the porch of your new home, or your children inadvertently using the mounds for sand pile enjoyment. Think of the ol' Carson Bandini Mountain, amen?
After the Forest Service investigation into the "operation manure drop" neared completion, they found that it held some merit and could benefit the Angeles National Forest in certain ways. It was estimated that it took over 200 years to create an inch of soil. With the drops, the development of plant life with a definite greater erosion prevention potential, as well as an increased rate of soil depth, could start immediately upon application. So, cow pie drops sounded feasible.
It was the plan of the Falcon Aviation, Inc. of El Monte, to use a PBY bomber to dispose of this diary byproduct, the bomber had the capacity to handle 11,000 pounds for each drop. Needless to say, that was a lot of.....stuff. So, the Forest Service began forming 'drop' rules: 1) Give advance warnings of drop days, 2) To avoid spread of manure particles, no dropping would be permitted on windy days. This was a smart rule when you consider that people in adjacent valley towns can receive eye irritation. Another concern was the discoloration of the painted surfaces of houses...especially on light colored homes. 3) No heavy salvo drops, drops that involved huge amount of the byproduct. The physical aspect of this product cascading upon the forest in rather large amount can cause psychological problems. Finally, 4) Violations of the rules would result in heavy fines. (According to the writings of Baldy District Ranger Anselmo Lewis, these factors were actually figured in).
There was a downfall to the grand scheme of things regarding the manure dump. If the Forest was to be used as a disposal site, certain management directives and practices would have to be included to avoid bulking of the material and to assure that it was distributed in fine layers. It was obvious that from a fire standpoint, the bulking of this product would hold fire, produce pungent odors, be difficult to extinguish said fire and the manure would tend to return to its gel-like consistency when subjected to water. On steep slopes this could be a distinct safety hazard to forest personnel and forest visitors.
District Ranger Lewis closed his argument against "operation manure drop" in this fashion: "In conclusion, we feel that this proposal is of sufficient economic importance and potential from a multiple-use standpoint that it warrants additional investigation. To that end we suggest that the Experiment Station be assigned the project for further study. We feel that due to their past experience and knowledge in studies of this type that they are uniquely qualified to appraise the value of the use of this material as proposed, and to advise administration as to the procedures and techniques to be used to obtain the maximum benefits to the Forest."
There is no recorded evidence that the aerial operation of dumping manure in the national forest was ever started. People living in the mountains and the Forest Service fire, recreation and trail maintenance crews breathed easier. After all, "Dropping manure on Forest Service crews are prohibited" was never one of the rules included in "operation manure drop".
Piece of the forest's history, excerpt from 'History of Big Pines", by T. Graham
