Residents voice out against high-speed rail through Angeles National Forest

United in their opposition to build California’s high-speed rail line through the Angeles National Forest, more than 1,000 residents rallied Tuesday night, Jan. 13, in Lake View Terrace, voicing their concerns about how building the rail would drive down property values, bisect the Sunland and Tujunga neighborhoods, and permanently affect the region’s way of life.

The project, spearheaded by California Governor Jerry Brown as part of his final-term political agenda for affordable low-carbon transportation, would connect Los Angeles with San Francisco and is being constructed in three segments linking the Bay Area to Southern California and the Los Angeles Basin.

Many residents worry about the noise and the way a high-speed rail line would affect not only the humans, but also the wildlife inhabitants.

“The only noise that we like to hear around here is the singing of the coyotes, the hawks screeching overhead, maybe our neighbors’ mule braying,” said Shadow Hills resident Nikki Ahten.

Several communities along the path of three proposed East Corridor routes are home to horse and ranch owners. Residents of Kagel Canyon presented a video so rail officials could see the area through their eyes.

“Here in Kagel Canyon, the horse is our method of high-speed transportation,” said one resident.

Residents are concerned about the future of the area’s equine industry, as well as the natural springs feeding the Little Tujunga Watershed.

“The hydrology of springs like this are extremely sensitive,” said Kristin Sabo of Save Angeles Forest for Everyone (SAFE). “If you do surface construction, you can reroute damage or destroy them.”

Other issues include the volume of trucks needed to remove the dirt after tunneling through the forest or rail construction.

“That means we got nearly nine-and-a-half million cubic yards of dirt that’s got to be hauled away,” said contractor Jan Slort.

The High-Speed Rail Authority says it wants public input before deciding on a route and starting environmental studies.

“We do understand that and it’s completely valid,” said Valerie Martinez of the High-Speed Rail Authority. “However, it truly is coming from a place of talking before we start getting things actually engineered. Let’s talk about the community impacts. Let’s talk about the political impacts. Let’s talk about the impacts to schools and kids.”

(With reports from ABC7, NBC4 Los Angeles)