# Cleveland National forest?



## Smokehound714 (May 24, 2013)

Virtually every bit of wilderness here is designated as a "wilderness area", and as such, flipping stones is prohibited..


  Im getting really annoyed here, because I'm basically forced to break the law to collect.  I honestly don't want a fine because i flipped a friggen stone.



   I'd like to know if there are any portions of the cleveland national forest closer to anaheim, and NOT lake elsinore, that aren't off limits to collecting.

  The thing is, it's really tough because every dang portion of the national forest closest to me is blocked by a bunch of private property, private trails everywhere, and it's getting really tough to look.


  So far, it seems i have to take a 4 hour gauntlet of busses, through TWO travel agencies, just to get dropped off 20 miles from the cleveland national forest.  

  Ive looked around, and i get NO help, everyone seems to be overtly paranoid about poaching.  I honestly never expected this to be such a pain in the butt,  my fondest memories are running around, flipping stones to see what awesome critters I can find, and my favorite past-time as a child being criminalized is just painful.


 Can any of you guys throw me a bone here?  I'm a very responsible person, I leave the area cleaner than it was when I entered.  I just want a region to flip rocks without being treated like a miscreant    I cannot travel to los angeles, riverside, or san diego, unless someone is down to go collect, in that case, I can put in about 20 bucks on gas..

 My main targets are Bothriocyrtum californicum, anuroctonus pococki, and a few others.  I know how to find all of these, there's just this huge barrier blocking me.


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## jthorntonwillis (May 24, 2013)

Exactly why I moved from Ohio,Bad place to live,good place to be from


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## RichRollin (May 24, 2013)

Smokehound714 said:


> Virtually every bit of wilderness here is designated as a "wilderness area", and as such, flipping stones is prohibited..
> 
> 
> Im getting really annoyed here, because I'm basically forced to break the law to collect.  I honestly don't want a fine because i flipped a friggen stone.
> ...


Flip all the rocks you want.  I've been to many parts of the CNF and I got to be honest I never even knew this was prohibited.  I've never seen a park ranger on a trail anywhere other than at Caspers and even then that is rare, and I really doubt anyone else out hiking or biking is going to care enough to report anything, if they even know that flipping rocks is prohibited.  I'll flip a few rocks every time I hike there, never bothered to collect, I just like to see what I can find and maybe take a picture.


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## Smokehound714 (May 24, 2013)

It's legal to flip stones in the cnf, but not areas designated as "wilderness areas", etc.

 Regional parks do not allow this, either.

  there are dfg and park rangers watching you and you dont even know it.

 going off trail will get you in trouble, too.


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## josh_r (May 27, 2013)

I think you are being overly paranoid. I have hunted many of these areas for inverts and ensatina as well. I have never ever had an issue... even with rangers around. In fact, there have been times I have been stopped by rangers and I have showed them what I was doing..  they found it fascinating and wanted to know more. they then left me to do what I was doing.... Not all rangers will be that cool though....



Smokehound714 said:


> It's legal to flip stones in the cnf, but not areas designated as "wilderness areas", etc.
> 
> Regional parks do not allow this, either.
> 
> ...


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