RANCHO BERNARDO -- U.S. Forest Service officials are proposing the first closure of three areas of the Cleveland National Forest to all recreation in winter and spring to avoid disturbing golden eagles and prairie falcons during nesting season.

Although the eagles and falcons aren't in danger of extinction, in San Diego County their numbers have plummeted. And officials say they want to restore those populations by keeping climbers, hikers and others from disturbing the birds while they raise their young.

But climbers and hikers say they try to avoid disturbing the birds and can't understand why the Forest Service wants to keep them out.

Forest officials are proposing to declare three prime nesting areas -- Eagle Peak and Rock Mountain near Ramona, and Corte Madera Mountain east of Alpine -- off-limits to backcountry recreation from December to May. In each of the areas, which are several hundred acres in size, birds have built nests high up on the steep cliffs, said Joan Wynn, a spokeswoman for the Cleveland forest in Rancho Bernardo, in an interview last week.

"There aren't any established trails and roads in these areas," Wynn said. "It's all backcountry area. It's not anything that is developed."

However, all of the locations are good rock climbing areas, local climbers say. And the proposed Eagle Peak closure east of Ramona takes in the popular Three Sisters hiking area with its scenic waterfall that often roars in spring.

"I was just out there (Thursday) for the day," said Kevin Worrall, a 51-year-old La Jolla resident who has been climbing since he was 13. "And it really sunk in how much there is to lose."

Worrall said he is bothered by the thought of being shut out of the area half the year.

"It's a place that is relatively easily accessible, in that it is an hour and a half drive from the coastal communities," he said. "And, basically, it is a place where you can find a totally natural environment and experience the land in its native, pristine state. It's just good for the soul to know that it's out there."

While the restriction is only a proposal at this point, it could take effect as early as this spring, Wynn said.

Golden eagles are year-round residents of San Diego County. But over the last 100 years, their numbers have been reduced by half, from an estimated 108 pairs a century ago to 53, Wynn said. Human disturbance and habitat destruction is blamed for the decline.

"We're trying to take care of the ones that we have left," she said. "We don't want the population to continue to decline to where we don't have any golden eagles at all."

Prairie falcons are even more scarce in San Diego County, with an estimated 20 to 30 pairs, she said.

Tom Stephan of Ramona, acting president of the California Raptor Advancement Group, a conservation organization, praised the proposal.

"They have my endorsement, that's for sure. It's been a long time in coming," he said.

Stephan said most backcountry visitors do not disturb the birds.

"People walking down below them at the base of cliffs aren't going to bother them," he said. "It's rock climbing that is 99 percent of the problem. They (the birds) demand seclusion. They demand isolation. And they can't get it if people are climbing around their nests."

Wynn said the presence of humans nearby can stress the birds and result in nests being abandoned.

Worrall challenged the suggestion that rock climbers are largely the reason why raptors become stressed. He said climbers are careful to avoid nests, and most of the nests tend to be on ledges.

"Climbers want to be out on the more open, exposed faces," Worrall said.

As for his beloved Eagle Peak, "We've never ever flushed a bird out of any roost or nest out there," he said.

Worrall suggested the Forest Service could trim the Eagle Peak closure area by as little as 10 percent and still protect the birds without eliminating climbing and hiking in the area.

Steve Matous, executive director for the Boulder, Colo.-based climbing group Access Fund, said the proposed closure could set a disturbing precedent because the birds are not federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

"That does not mean that we want to kill the birds," Matous said. "But this doesn't sound like a reasonable closure to us."

The Forest Service is taking comments through the end of this month.

It said that comments may be sent by e-mail to kwinter@fs.fed.us or through the post office to: Kirsten Winter, Cleveland National Forest, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, No. 200, San Diego, CA 92127. Mailed comments must be postmarked by Jan. 31.

Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 740-5442 or ddowney@nctimes.com. Comment at nctimes.com.