Join San Clemente's Toll Road Trek: All Are Welcome

SAN CLEMENTE, CA —Naturalists Joel Robinson and Jarrod Gaut will join San Clemente City Council-member Lori Donchak and Public Works Director/City Engineer Tom Bonigut in leading and narrating the “Toll Road Trek” hike on the Forster Ridgeline Trail on Saturday, September 23rd from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Members of the public are encouraged to attend and learn more about the negative impacts of the alignments being studied by the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA).

The starting point for the hike is at the trail at Avenida La Pata and Camino Del Rio. Participants are asked to park on Camino Del Rio in Forster Ranch and to carpool if possible.

Note: This can be a strenuous three-mile hike on a dirt trail. Wear tennis shoes, sunscreen, hat and bring a water bottle. Dogs on leash are welcome.

Naturalist Joel Robinson is founder, executive director, and head naturalist for Naturalist For You. He has guided thousands of people on professional wilderness tours since 2001.

Many organizations and agencies have utilized his talents, including the U.S. Forest Service, Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, The Wildlands Conservancy, the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy, Los Padres Forest Association, Silverado Modjeska Park & Recreation District, Santa Ana Mountains Wild Heritage Project, City of Santa Ana, City of Lake Forest, and Orange County Department of Education. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide with the National Association for Interpretation. He writes an environmental blog for OC Weekly. He has been seen on Public Television, Nat Geo Wild, and Syfy Network. His mission is to connect everyone to local wilderness in an effort to raise the level of environmental awareness and stewardship.

Learn more at: http://www.naturalist-for-you.... Naturalist Jarrod Gaut was born in California and raised with a love of its natural spaces. After graduating from Pitzer College in 2014, he has traveled Europe through a professional water polo career, but never strayed too far from the wild places. From the mountains of Spain’s Basque Country, to the Fjords and archipelagos of Scandinavia, and to the heartland of Slovakia’s forests, Jarrod has tried to soak up every bit of wilderness he could. Now back in his native Orange County he is excited to share in his love of the land and sea.

The San Clemente City Council is concerned about potential adverse impacts associated with the proposed alternative alignments 13, 14 and 17 as depicted on maps prepared by the TCA and that are being studied as part of the 241 toll road extension. These routes would decimate existing open space and residential areas, if approved. On July 28th, the City filed suit against the TCA seeking to reset and broaden the process of solving South County transportation challenges, beyond TCA’s resolve that the extension of the 241 toll road is the only solution.

View the lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, Orange County here: http://san-clemente.org/home/s...

To learn more visit: http://san-clemente.org/about-... For more information, please call (949) 361-8254 or email FergusonL@san-clemente.org.

Courtesy, photos