Boarded up house on N4 and Ball Flats near Jackson Lake

[Leftfield]

whats the story with that place?  To me it looks like a neat place to live.

[gypsywolf]

That is so funny.

Every time we ride by I tell my hubby to buy me that place!!!!!

[Firemn41]

If I am not mistaken, this house belongs to the Forest Service and it was used as a Barracks or Residence for the Fire Crews working out of Valyermo and Big Pines. Nice house, A shame that the ghetto people that come up have no respect and vandalize it

[desertwillow]

If you are refering to the home on the north side, in the late 70's I would babysit for a couple who lived in the house. He was a ranger out of Vallyermo. It is so cute. I would love to live in it today and what a huge stone fireplace.

[sky watcher]

I belongs to the Forest Service, maybe you could get a lease on it like they do the houses going up to Table Top?

[Leftfield]

Well, I bet if someone pursues it, maybe they can live there.  Nothing venture, nothing gain.  No doubt there would be a lot of work behind it - its probably not even insulated but it would be better if it was brought up to code and it get leased out.

[ChrisLynnet]

I belongs to the Forest Service, maybe you could get a lease on it like they do the houses going up to Table Top?

I've been wondering about those! McClellan Flats or something like that... are they long-term leases? And how do you go about getting them?

[KWBoy]

Check this out about McClellan Flats

[ChrisLynnet]

Thank you FunkyG!

[KWBoy]

Don't thank me thank the search function 

[K9luvr]

The houses at McClellan are privately owned structures that are under a Special Use Permit to occupy National Forest Land.  The "Jackson Lake Residence" as the Forest Service refers to the boarded up residence at Ball Flat and Big Pines Hwy is owned by the Forest Service.  To purchase one of the McClellan Flats recreation residences (which you cannot live in year round) you would have to approach a willing seller of one of the cabins then get a special use permit from the Forest Service. 

As for the Jackson Lake Residence, the last person to occupy it as government housing was the old Engine 37 Captain and his family.  He is now an Engine Captain on the Los Padres NF.  The Forest Archeologist paid for an assessment of what it would take to bring this house and a house at Oak Flat (by Templin Hwy off of I-5) up to current code and keep the historic character.  The report came out in December of 2005.  The plan was to bring it up to code (using adventure pass monies for supplies and inmate labor like for the clubhouse) then request the Recreation Advisory Committee (RAC) to add it to the fee program and be able to rent it out for weekends, a week, etc.  The money raised would pay for the upkeep of the building.  That plan sits lanquishing along with the plan to rent out the Big Pines Clubhouse sitting across from Mountain High West. 

The Angeles NF currently sits at a 55% occupancy rate of the organizational chart.  That means that 45% of the positions are vacant.  There just aren't enough people to do all the work, so as a consequence, the "neat to do" stuff like this falls off the plate rather quickly.  All of the "have to dos" like the Antelope Pardee EIS, Forest Plan Revision appeals, etc. take precedence.  When I was on the district, I tried and tried to get this project to fruition but it was like pushing a wall of mud uphill.  I got tired, burned out, frustrated, and left!  I hope that "the new guy" will come in with more energy and enthusiasum and can get stuff like this pushed thru.  I wish John Capell (new District Ranger) all the best!

[Breezymtns]

........does anyone have a "magic wand" they don't need anymore lol ?   

[Chesslike]

[Leftfield]

hmmm....interesting....a program started 100 years ago is still enforced today.   You "buy" the cabin but youre not allowed to be in it year round, lease it or change it as you, the owner, see fit.   So what are you really "buying"?  I can see not being allowed to buy the land underneath but to me, either youre the owner of the cabin or the USFS is.   Sounds like the Forest Services wants it both ways (and has it!).

[K9luvr]

either youre the owner of the cabin or the USFS is.   Sounds like the Forest Services wants it both ways (and has it!).

Yea--tell that to the 80% of the cabin owners in the Bouquet Canyon Rec Residence tract that live there full time.  Oh, and also have meth labs, prostitution rings, pornography filming, etc.  They are grossly out of compliance with their permits--those that HAVE permits....  On the Angeles, many of the rec tracts are now "low income housing" for some not very desirable people.  San Dimas was worse than Bouquet but a majority of them burned up in the Curve fire.  

The opposite of that is the McClellan tract by Wrightwood.  It is one of the best recreation residence tracts in the nation and is used for the intended purpose.  Many thanks to the McClellan Homeowners Assn. for helping to keep things in line and not let it turn into a dump!

If you purchase a recreation residence cabin, the person selling you the cabin should disclose ALL of the requirements and if you CHOOSE to buy one, you should accept all of the rules that go with it.  That is like buying a home where there are a lot of restrictive covenants and then b*tching that it is your house and you should be able to do what you want with it.  If you don't like the rules--DON"T BUY ONE!

[Leftfield]

Do anyone knows who owns the house next to Lake Jackson campground?  My wife and kid decided to do a little mid week camping and there was someone from there with a handgun shooting some rounds and one went whizzing by my wife.  The Camp Host has a lot of complaints about those folks.  Anyway to deal with this?

[RobertW]

It is illegal to discharge a weapon in the forest.   You need to contact the Sheriff's Office when you see this, or have Karen at the Big Pines Station contact "Angeles" Dispatch and report it.

This is a very serious infraction, especially do to the location and the number of people in the area.

[storm]

Does that hold true for BB and pellet guns as well?  Sometimes, when I'm trespassing on county land (levee), I see people shooting these.

[RobertW]

Does that hold true for BB and pellet guns as well?  Sometimes, when I'm trespassing on county land (levee), I see people shooting these.

I'm not sure about county regulations, but in the National Forest, yes it applies to BB guns:

TITLE 36
PARKS, FORESTS, AND PUBLIC PROPERTY CHAPTER II
FOREST SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PART 261
PROHIBITIONS:

Sec. 261.10 d parts 1 & 2,
(Discharging a firearm or any other implement capable of taking human life, causing injury, or damaging property as follows:  1) In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area, or 2) Across or on a Forest Developement road or a body of water adjacent thereto, or in any manner or place whereby any person or property is exposed to injujry or damage as a result in such discharge.)

Subpart B  Sec 261.58 m.
(Discharging a firearm, air rifle, or gas gun.)