Angelenos must stop trashing the majestic San Gabriel Mountains

For the editor: It’s great that President Biden expanded two protected areas in California, including the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.

My question is: Will the people of Los Angeles, benefiting from increased access as well as the institutions charged with protecting it, actually respect what they have been given?

I spent a lot of time working with voluntary organizations to pick up litter and tear down swimming dams along rivers. We begged the U.S. Forest Service to take care of the graffiti. Nothing seems to work.

Respect for nature begins at home, and that respect is sorely lacking in our newly expanded treasure trove.

Jim Burns, San Gabriel