San Gabriel Mountains, Foothills, and Rivers Protection Act of 2025

Key Points

• This bill creates two new protected wilderness areas, Condor Peak and Yerba Buena, and expands two others in the Angeles National Forest. In total, it adds special protections to nearly 30,000 acres of land in Southern California to keep them in their natural state for future generations.
• Several miles of Little Rock Creek would be named Wild and Scenic Rivers, which prevents new dams from being built and keeps the water flowing naturally. The government will also start a three-year study on parts of the San Gabriel River to see if they should receive these same permanent protections.
• The plan ensures people can still enjoy the outdoors. Activities like hiking, horseback riding, and rock climbing are specifically allowed to continue. It also makes sure the military can keep flying training missions over the area and that firefighters have the authority to use equipment to put out wildfires.
• Local Native American Tribes will have guaranteed access to these lands for their traditional ceremonies and religious practices. If requested, the Forest Service can temporarily close small areas to the public so Tribes can have privacy during these important cultural events.
• The bill protects existing water rights for local owners. People who already have water pipes or equipment in these areas can continue to use, fix, and maintain them as long as they owned those rights before the land was officially protected.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.