The Humber Park trailhead and parking lot, which includes the Devil’s Slide Trail (3E05) and Ernie Maxwell Scenic Trail (3E07), will be inaccessible from the afternoon of Monday, May 16 to Friday, May 20 due to contractors mitigating an infestation of Goldspotted oak borer beetles (GSOB).

With windy or rainy weather, this work and the closure may be postponed until the following week (May 23 to 27) or June 6 to 10.

Alternative trails into the San Jacinto Wilderness include:

• Deer Springs Trail (3E32)

• South Ridge Trail (3E08)

• Marion Mountain Trail (2E14)

To manage the already-infested trees and limit further spread and tree mortality, the San Jacinto Ranger District will be spraying a California-registered insecticide on large, high-value oaks in this area. Spraying must be done at or before the beginning of the “flight season” (mid-May through October) when adult beetles emerge from beneath oak bark and spread to un-infested trees.

GSOB has caused extensive oak mortality in San Diego County and is now spreading north throughout Southern California. There is a potential for significant economic, ecological, cultural and aesthetic losses in the region as well as threats to public safety from hazardous dying trees.

For more information on the beetle, visit www.GSOB.org.