theSheetNews.com

The Reds Meadow Road is now closed for the season due to the amount of snow received in the most recent storm. Logging operations remain in progress, removing down trees from the wind event of Nov. 30, 2011. Due to the tree removal operations the Reds Meadow Road has been plowed, and will continue to be cleared of snow to facilitate the removal of the trees. However, because of hazards associated with hauling the trees out of the valley on potentially slippery roads, for safety reasons the road will be closed to all public use, including bicycle, skier, snowmobile and pedestrian traffic, and  access to Reds Meadow Valley will be prohibited when logging operations are in progress.

Normal road closure procedures state that after Oct. 15, the Reds Meadow Valley Road is closed to the public after the first accumulating snowfall. The most recent storm dropped over a foot of snow at Minaret Vista and on the Reds Meadow Road, thus bringing about the seasonal closure.

The Forest Service will post “Area Closed” signs at the point of closure when restrictions are in place. Generally, the area closure will be in place Monday through Saturday from pre-dawn to sunset, but may also include some Sundays. The closure will be posted at the gate beyond Minaret Vista or at the road to the Vista just beyond Mammoth Mountain Inn, depending on Ski Area Operations. Access to the Minaret Vista and beyond along the San Joaquin Ridge will not be allowed via Hwy 203 when the closure point is near the Mammoth Mountain Inn.

The Forest Service is continuing its clean-up efforts from the November 30 wind event that toppled thousands of trees in the Reds Meadow Valley, surrounding area and throughout the Inyo National Forest. A logging contractor is in the process of removing 3.5 million board feet of timber from the Reds Meadow Valley to help reduce the risk of wildfire and threat of insect or disease infestation.

The Forest Service is asking that the public cooperate and respect this necessary closure to ensure their safety, as well as the safety of the crews working in the area. Anyone entering the closed area may be issued a citation.

For more information, please call the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center at 760.924.5500 or visit the Welcome Center at 2510 Hwy 203 next to the Mammoth Ranger Station. -FS

No, really, June Mountain is not opening this winter, so what’s next?

At Tuesday’s Special Mono County Board of Supervisors meeting, there were still some non-believers; a chosen few, including Supervisor Vikki Bauer, who wouldn’t or couldn’t accept that June Mountain would indeed NOT be opening this winter.

Bauer threw the idea of a subsidy deal on the table where the County would invest $200,000 from its contingency fund in airport subsidy and June Mountain marketing if MMSA CEO Rusty Gregory would respond within two weeks in the affirmative of opening June Mountain.

“I want to cross the ‘t’ one more time and make sure we can’t keep June open this year,” Bauer said. “I don’t want to not have it open if it could. We need to take care of the requested items to take the responsibility off our backs and put it all on Rusty.”

Her idea fell flat among her fellow supervisors, and June Mountain General Manager Carl Williams, who had stated twice the week before that the Mountain would not open, repeated himself for a third time.

“It’s not going to open this season,” Williams said in reference to June Mountain. “I, personally, appreciate the idea of a subsidy, but the Board shouldn’t spin its wheels trying to do that.”

Connie Black, owner of the Double Eagle and leading member of the Keep June Mountain Open Coalition, agreed.

“It’s not going to open, don’t waste more time,” Black said.

Black reviewed the timeline that had gotten them to this week’s meeting, beginning with the initial announcement of closure in June, all the way through the meetings the KJMOC have had with Rusty in the past few weeks.

“We had a meeting with Rusty on July 16 [following the somewhat volatile July 10 public meeting] and he said

the bottom line was that he needed to lose about $500,000 less than he had been,” Black said. The group was given two weeks to come up with some solutions.

“We met with all the supervisors, the planning commission, the public, etc. and came up with a plan that would eventually get us to $500,000,” she said. “We were ready to go back to him, so I called and left messages, but received no response. We did our work but they didn’t want to listen.”

And then Williams dropped the bomb at the July 25 KJMOC community meeting (see last week’s story in The Sheet, “No love in this elevator”).

“After last Wednesday’s meeting I got a call from Rusty saying, ‘Let’s have another meeting’ and I thought, ‘Why?’” Black said. But she and the other leading Coalition members went ahead and met with Gregory on Sunday, July 29.

“We were told that June would not open,” she said. “It was pretty much what Carl had said last Wednesday.”

The issue on the table now is how to move forward and whether or not Rusty Gregory and MMSA should be part of June Lake’s rebirth.

It was clear that the County Supervisors were interested in helping, but just how wasn’t quite nailed down and will continue to be discussed at future meetings. In fact, Bauer requested that it be put on the agenda for all three of the Board’s August meetings in one form or another.

The KJMOC, however, did present the Board with a list of five items they had mulled over with Gregory to help guide discussions at the County level.

1. A transient occupancy overlay district where single-family homes could be opened up to nightly rentals, allowing for a larger bed base and the collection of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT). According to Community Development Director Scott Burns, this topic will move forward regardless of the June Mountain situation. The Mono County Planning Commission will take it up in depth during a public hearing at its Aug. 9 meeting.

Some, including Supervisors Hap Hazard and Tim Hansen, were skeptical of this type of overlay.

“TOT is dependent on tourists,” Hazard said. “What will attract tourists here this winter without the mountain?”

Supervisor Byng Hunt suggested June Lake market everything from sledding to ice skating, but in a conversation on Wednesday, Supervisor Hansen admitted that it was naïve to think that tourists would come in just for these activities.

“It would be one thing if they were here skiing, but they’re not going to come in just to ice skate,” he said.

2. Further review grant funding that might be available to the County, which could then be passed on to the community of June Lake or for future use at June Mountain. (See page 2 for more on this.)

3. Clarification of entitlements for the Rodeo Grounds. It was suggested that the County review the zoning plan as well as June Lake’s area plan to determine how zoning and developer entitlements could go hand in hand. This, however, did not go over well with several supervisors.

“What do entitlements have to do with keeping June Mountain open?” asked Supervisor Larry Johnston. “If a project was shovel-ready people still wouldn’t pull a permit. No developer is going to want to build when the Mountain is closed.”

Johnston thought that the entitlement discussion was purely speculative and could even be deemed extortion since the Mountain will close anyway.

“I don’t like the word entitlement,” said Supervisor Hansen. “It implies special treatment for the developer. Everyone in the county should receive special treatment.”

“Why lay out a development plan when we don’t know who the developer will be?” Hunt asked. “It takes away flexibility during a time when June needs to redefine its image.”

“No other community has done more planning or visioning than June Lake,” Bauer chimed in. “We are prepared for a developer.”

Black agreed. “What we are asking of the Board is that it stay neutral on entitlements but help us attract developers. We don’t want to give gifts, but we want to entice them.”

Her fellow KJMOC member Patti Heinrich said she was opposed to entitlements. “That’s one carrot we should hold back.”

4. A TOT rebate. The idea was suggested to return a portion of the TOT generated in June Lake directly back to the community to use for marketing. The supervisors seemed divided on this issue and will take it up further at future meetings.

5. The ever-controversial airport subsidy.

“I support air service, but I don’t see it connected to [June] mountain’s closure,” Supervisor Johnston said.

“We already fund air service,” said Supervisor Hansen of the County’s past contributions. “It’s like a cocaine habit; they want more every year.”

Mammoth Lakes Tourism’s Executive Director John Urdi is expected to give a full air service presentation to the Board on Aug. 21.

June Lake resident Dean Rosnau foretold what he believed was Gregory’s ultimate goal.

“Intrawest isn’t going to get $2.9 million for the Rodeo Grounds,” Rosnau said. “Rusty is going to wait until next year and then lowball Intrawest and get the Rodeo Grounds for a cheap price.”

Failed businesses would just make it easier for Gregory to come in next year, buy the Rodeo Grounds and replace everything in town with his own vision.

“He threw this community under the bus and we don’t need to work with him anymore,” Rosnau said.

District 3 Supervisor Elect Tim Alpers, however, opined that Gregory genuinely did want to continue to operate June Mountain.

“I really finally believed Rusty’s financial situation on Sunday,” Alpers said. “We need to work on trust with verification with Rusty.”

Alpers added that Gregory was “livid” when he heard that Alpers had contacted U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein’s office to discuss how MMSA’s land trade could be, if at all, tied to June Mountain’s closure.

“It’s not legally connected, but morally so,” Alpers said.

Mammoth District Ranger Jon Regelbrugge did not comment on the land swap, but did reiterate that if MMSA continues to violate its permit by not operating June Mountain, the permit would be revoked.

Supervisor Johnston suggested that the County purchase the Rodeo Grounds and use it for a land swap at the base of June Mountain, where he believed the additional bed base actually belonged.

Johnston also suggested that the County nail down the value of June Mountain by authorizing an appraisal. Gregory recently threw out a value of $14 million, but many seemed to conclude that number was just a starting point for discussions.

Lastly, Johnston suggested that County Finance Director Brian Muir be directed to analyze the true economic impact of the mountain’s closure.

The Board will take up the June Mountain closure topic again on Aug. 7.

Pictured: Rusty Gregory speaking at Tuesday’s meeting/

June Lake community remains frustrated by pending June Mountain closure

Looking thinner than usual, Mammoth Mountain’s CEO attended the June Lake Citizen Advisory Committee meeting on Tuesday night. The June Lake Community Center was packed, filling two rooms and spilling into the hallway, and the meeting lasted for more than three hours.

It was the first time the public heard directly from Gregory since the announcement of June Mountain’s closure was made public on June 21.

Unlike many times past, however, his words did not soothe the crowd because he was unable to simply say he would reopen the Mountain for the 2012-13 season.

A common complaint in the weeks since the announcement has been the nature of it; abrupt. Gregory explained that it had been an extremely last minute decision forced upon him and his partners by their lenders.

Gregory explained that the company has eight lenders: six senior and two junior lenders.

In a non-drought year, Mammoth has revenues of about $45 million. $17 million goes to pay interest and $10 million goes to pay the debt down. The remainder goes to capital expenditures, Gregory explained.

This year, however, Mammoth only had about $23 million in cash flow.

“We were in default of our covenants and we worked for four months with Wells Fargo who reworked our covenants,” Gregory said. At least one of the other senior lenders needed to agree to the new covenants and at first all of the other senior lenders did agree, Gregory said.

However, one week before the Mountain would have been in default, the other banks said no to the new covenants. Instead, Mammoth was told to cut more expenses.

“June was one of those cuts,” Gregory said. “It was thrown in at the last minute, otherwise we would have been in default. We had to close it until we can do better.”

In order to appease the bank, Gregory said they would need to develop a long-term plan and a way to deal with the annual loss at June.

“I’m happy to continue operating at losses, but the issue isn’t the annual losses, it’s the purpose for those losses,” he said.

He asked the community to develop a vision for June. To which the community sharply replied that it had developed a vision back in 2006 when June Mountain went through a shortened season and June Lake formed the June Lake Coalition.

The Coalition reviewed the impacts of losing June Mountain and negotiated among its members to identify mutually beneficial planning solutions for June Lake and specific recommendations for the Mono County Board of Supervisors.

The group’s work can still be found online at http://www.monocounty.ca.gov/junelake/

“We know our vision, ask us,” said Double Eagle Resort co-owner Connie Black.

Gregory also pointed out, as many expected he would, that in order to be able to move forward, the community needed a larger bed base.

“We need another 1,000 units,” he said. “It won’t work for people to drive from Mammoth to June. At least 20 percent of the ski area’s demand needs to be in the bed base here.”

The Rodeo Grounds, still owned by Intrawest, are up for sale and listed for $2.9 million. The property would most likely be the spot for this bed base. As a joke, it seems, someone put a Sold sign on the For Sale sign at the Rodeo Grounds during Tuesday’s meeting. Gregory hadn’t heard of the Rodeo Grounds selling and pointed out that he would have the first right of refusal, anyway.

A call to June Lake realtors on Wednesday confirmed that the sale of the Grounds was not showing up anywhere on the MLS, or Multiple Listing Service.

In addition to bed base, Gregory also advocated intensely for support of air service.

“Air service is about to get canceled on a year-round basis,” he said directly to at least two of the Mono County Supervisors who attended the meeting.

“Byng and Larry, you need to give to air service,” Gregory said to Supervisors Hunt and Johnston. “Get off your asses.”

Bud Hayward

“I know damn well Dave McCoy would not be doing this today [closing June],” said the original owner of June Mountain, Bud Hayward, who attended the meeting. Hayward operated June for 27 years before selling it to Dave McCoy.

“I started June as a business and developed a plan,” he explained. “It was big enough to be profitable and it still is today, but it can’t be separated from land development. June Mountain operating without land development is a loser.

Members of the community have

made it clear they would like to see June Mountain sold to someone who “would love and nurture it,” but Hayward made it clear he had “no interest, whatsoever, financially.”

Gregory said he would be happy to talk to anyone interested and qualified to buy June, but that he would rather not sell it.

Forest Service

Inyo National Forest Supervisor Ed Armenta said he had met with Gregory earlier on Tuesday.

“We have let Rusty Gregory know that he is in non-compliance and will issue him a letter of non-compliance,” Armenta said to rousing cheers from the audience.

Armenta also said the Forest Service was going to require an audit of June Mountain to “make sure we are getting the straight story. Today was the first of many meetings with Rusty.”

Community Efforts

In an effort to show that they were doing what they could to try to save June Mountain, the children of the community opened a lemonade stand and made $147.38, which they presented to Gregory at Tuesday’s meeting.

A young woman, Karrah Spitznagel, a 22-year resident of June Lake had collected more than 17,000 signatures on a petition to save June, which she also presented to Gregory on Tuesday.

“In a way I want to thank you, Rusty,” said Tim Alpers, Mono County Supervisor Elect, “you’ve galvanized this community like I’ve never seen it.”

Alpers did however warn that the ripple effect of a June Mountain closure would be felt from Topaz to Chalfant. His idea was to turn the Mountain into the greatest family resort in the country.

Next Steps

Gregory agreed to work with Black to get a group together in the next two weeks to begin to work on solutions to see if there would be any way to keep June open for the upcoming winter season, but he didn’t make any promises.

“I can’t do a one year commitment,” Gregory said. “It would be placating you to say it will open this year and I won’t bulls**t you.”

Gregory also pointed out that June Mountain needed to operate more efficiently by “creating demand to come here.”

“As much as you hate me tonight, we want to make it work,” he said. “Love it or hate it, Mammoth attracted capital.” He said the same needed to be done in June.

Members of the public called out that maybe he should start by marketing June Mountain better. It was also mentioned several times that a one year closure would lead to at least five more years of potentially worse losses while the mountain ramped back up.

When asked whether or not he could choose people over profit for one more year, Gregory said “We’ve done it for 26 years, we can’t do it anymore. It puts the larger community at risk.”

UPDATED 6/22/12 10:43 a.m.:

Rusty Gregory, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Chairman and CEO, announced on Thursday that the company will not operate June Mountain this summer and for the upcoming 2012-13 winter season.

“June has operated at an annual deficit each year since its purchase in 1986,” said Gregory in a press release. “It is time to invest some of this subsidy into the analysis and planning required to position the resort for a sustainable future, then secure the approvals and financing required to create it.”

The estimated annual operating deficit is $1.5 million, Gregory elaborated in a phone interview Thursday.

Mammoth purchased June Mountain in 1986 with the idea of significantly increasing the size of the resort by building new facilities, extending new runs to the June Lake Village, and fostering additional developed ski areas along the San Joaquin Ridge, resulting in a connection between Mammoth and June Mountains, the press release stated. For a number of reasons, these plans were never realized and June Mountain has, in turn, suffered from an identity crisis that has both stifled its ability to achieve its full potential and required substantial financial subsidy from Mammoth on an annual basis. Cessation of operations will help the company dedicate its focus to a new future for June Mountain. Mammoth will be working with its partner the U.S. Forest Service to reach the best possible result in this endeavor.

In the weeks to come, Mammoth will be working to determine if and to what extent it can absorb June’s year round workforce.

10 year round employees will be furloughed immediately for two weeks while Mammoth determines if it can employ them.

June Mountain G.M. Carl Williams and Marketing and Sales Manager Abigail Ross will stay on for now to facilitate the 14 weddings booked for June Mountain this summer.

Gregory said all wedding contracts will be honored.

Local June Lake resident Dean Rosnau called the closure a “death blow.”

“It will be economically devastating for the town of June Lake,” Rosnau continued. “Businesses, even the venerable Tiger Bar, can’t survive on locals only.”

Back when Intrawest was looking at developing the Rodeo Grounds in June, Rosnau remembers a group of locals who were against the development coming up with the mantra, “Don’t Mammoth, June.”

“I said, don’t Bodie, June,” Rosnau said. “Frankly that is what will happen now. June will be the new Bodie in terms of lack of viability.”

Rosnau added, however, that he wasn’t completely surprised by the decision since times are tough across the board and MMSA is struggling as well.

Don Morton, owner of June Lake Construction, was appalled at the decision.

“This has caught everyone by surprise,” Morton said. “Three or four years ago when we had a 17-day season it completely crippled the town. We have businesses that are barely hanging on anyway. We need help right now.”

Morton felt that Mammoth Mountain had “raped” June Mountain since Starwood took over in 2005.

“They stole our snowmaking equipment and haven’t put money into June Mountain for 6-7 years,” he said. “Setting June Mountain up for failure has been the most successful thing that Starwood has done. Mammoth Mountain doesn’t want the competition.”

Morton pointed out that if MMSA were to close June Mountain, permanently, it would then be required to restore the area, which would just create a negative cash flow.

“Why not sell June Mountain to someone who loves it,” Morton asked.

Bottom line for Morton, however, “in 10 years June Lake will still be here.”

Gregory said the complany has been thinking about the closure for awhile. “We need to develop a clear vision [for what we want to do at June].” But for now, he said, “the market’s speaking.”

————————————————————-

Rusty Gregory, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area Chairman and CEO, announced today the company will not operate June Mountain this summer and for the upcoming 2012-13 winter season.  “June has operated at an annual deficit each year since its purchase in 1986,” said Gregory. “It is time to invest some of this subsidy into the analysis and planning required to position the resort for a sustainable future, then secure the approvals and financing required to create it.”

Mammoth purchased June Mountain in 1986 with the idea of significantly increasing the size of the resort by building new facilities, extending new runs to the June Lake Village, and fostering additional developed ski areas along the San Joaquin Ridge, resulting in a connection between Mammoth and June Mountains.  For a number of reasons, these plans were never realized and June Mountain has, in turn, suffered from an identity crisis that has both stifled its ability to achieve its full potential and required substantial financial subsidy from Mammoth on an annual basis.  Cessation of operations will help the company dedicate its focus to a new future for June Mountain. Mammoth will be working with its partner the U.S. Forest Service to reach the best possible result in this endeavor.

In the weeks to come, Mammoth will be working to determine if and to what extent it can absorb June’s year round workforce. -Press Release

Read more in Friday’s print version of The Sheet.

The Eastern Sierra Unified School District is used to talking about pink slips this time of year, and at Wednesday’s Special Board meeting, discussions veered back to the inevitable.

ESUSD staff presented the District’s Second Interim Budget Report, which projects the District’s finances over the next few years. While the 2011/12 school year will enjoy a small surplus of $140,000 due to transportation money returned by the state as well as $118,000 from the final outcome of the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area tax assessment, the 2012-13 school year doesn’t look as bright.

“We are looking at a $74,000 deficit next year,” explained ESUSD Superintendent Don Clark. “Without the layoffs approved [on Wednesday], we would have had an additional $280,000 deficit.”

Board members approved the pink slipping of 4.5 positions. Two of these positions were teachers at High Desert Academy, the high school in Benton.

“The elimination of these two positions will effectively close the High Desert Academy,” Clark said. A plan is currently being developed to bus High Desert Academy students to Bishop High School next year.

“We [ESUSD] would drive a bus from Benton to Chalfant,” Clark said. “Bishop would then pick the students up there and drive them to Bishop High School.”

Currently High Desert Academy has 11 students, six of whom are seniors. According to Clark, there is only one potential freshmen thinking about attending High Desert next year, which means ESUSD will have six students who will require busing.

The third pink-slipped position is an elementary teacher at Edna Beaman, also in Benton.

“This means that there will be triple-graded classrooms at Edna Beaman,” Clark said. Grades K, 1 and 2 will also be placed under the care of one teacher. However, with only 38 students in the entire school, there will still only be 15 students in the triple-graded room, according to Clark.

Similarly, the fourth pink-slipped position was one teacher at Bridgeport Elementary. Grades 4, 5 and 6 will be put into a triple-graded classroom for a group of 16 students.

The .5 position that was also pink-slipped Wednesday night was the Antelope Elementary School PE teacher in Coleville.

Clark confirmed that this was just the first warning to these teachers of a potential layoff. Final decisions are not made until May but the District is required to give the teachers notice in March.

“All of the news that we are hearing [regarding future financing], however, is that things are going to get worse, not better,” Clark said. “We are pretty confident that the layoffs will go through.”

The Mammoth Ice Rink is scheduled to close Sunday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. Based on weather conditions, the Mammoth Ice Rink may operate on a limited schedule and week-by-week basis after that date.

Please contact the Mammoth Ice Rink at 760.934.2505 or the Recreation Department Offices at 760.934.8989, ext. 222 for updated operating days and times.

The Tioga Road in Yosemite National Park will close at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17. A series of wet weather systems, with the possibility of heavy snow at the higher elevations, are predicated over the next several days. This possible precipitation, coupled with cold temperatures, will result in hazardous driving conditions on the road.

The Glacier Point Road will remain open through at least this evening. The park will assess the road and weather conditions tomorrow, and there is a possibility the road may close due to hazardous driving conditions.

If conditions change that precipitate the reopening of the Tioga Road, the park will issue a subsequent news release.

For updated 24-hour road and weather information, please call 209.372.0200. -NPS

Topaz curve to be realigned

By Tim Fesko

In the Antelope Valley, one recent topic that seems to be getting its fair share of discussion, and at times misinformation, is this year’s construction project on U.S. 395 at “High Point.” The purpose of this project is to realign the High Point Curve located on the western side of Topaz Lake in order to make the road safer for everyone.

This project was first brought to the public’s attention a few years ago during the early design stage. It was brought before the Antelope Valley Regional Advisory Committee (RPAC) and other groups such as the Chamber of Commerce. Input was taken over the past couple of years by Caltrans to come up with the current approved design.

This project is expected to begin in April with the installation of construction signs and storm water protection. The month of May will be the time for major earthwork (which includes night work and night-time highway closure) and the start of constructing retaining walls. June through September will be the construction of retaining walls, installing anchored mesh on slopes to reduce rocks and realigning the highway. The project is scheduled for completion in October with the installation of guardrails, paving and final cleanup.

In order to complete the major earthwork as quickly as possible, Caltrans had originally proposed to completely close the highway to all traffic in early May, 24 hours per day for 8 days. However, after receiving input from the local RPACs, Chamber of Commerce’s and Businesses, Caltrans agreed to close the highway only at night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., including weekends, for up to an estimated 14 days. During these 14 days (7 a.m. – 7 p.m.) all traffic will be controlled with 20-minute delays.

“Closed at night to all traffic” means that NO vehicles can pass through the project from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. during this nighttime closure period. If possible, but not guaranteed, emergency vehicles will be allowed to pass upon approval of the Resident Engineer.

Caltrans has committed to opening Monitor Pass (Highway 89) to passenger vehicle traffic by May 1, weather permitting, and keeping it open especially during this nighttime closure period. A detour between Holbrook Junction (395 & 208) and Bridgeport (182) will be available during the nighttime closures.

Once the “Night Time Closure” is completed, the highway will be open to all passenger vehicle traffic but subject to 20-minute delays for the remainder of the construction period (May – October). Residents of Antelope Valley should plan on this delay both leaving and returning to the valley. Signs indicating the construction and delays will remain at Holbrook Junction (north of Topaz Lake) and south of Bridgeport for the duration of construction project.

While the economic effects on local businesses of this construction project are unknown at this time, businesses are well advised to contact Caltrans, 760.872.5250 with any and all questions and concerns.

Send your questions, concerns and the inside scoop on the happenings in Mono County to tim@monocounty.info

Local impacts of Governor Jerry Brown’s budget cuts earlier this week are already being felt. According to word from Leslie Dawson, Education Coordinator for the Valentine Reserve in Mammoth, which is part of the UC system, on Tuesday the White Mountain Research Station in Bishop, also a part of the UC system, said it would soon close for six months to “reorganize.” Dawson said her understanding of the situation is that WMRS staff has either been laid off, or is going to part time. The station will be closed for research and class use “until the reorganization is complete.”

According to WMRS Director and UC Faculty Advisor Dr. Frank Powell this scenario was a possibility from early on in the budget tug-of-war. “Who knows how the new triggers might make things worse,” Powell observed. “You’ll recall that in the first round UC and CSU took huge cuts, and some of this was recovered in student tuition. Tuition can’t be used for research facilities like WMRS, however.” Likening it to a high stakes game of poker, he opined that the state has essentially been gambling when it comes to cutting institutions such as UC. “I think we’ve lost this battle,” he said. “Citizens simply don’t trust government to use taxes for things they think are important versus wasteful.” Powell expressed his concern that UC stands to lose valuable faculty and students, who are key elements in both education and UC’s world-renowned research institutions.

“WMRS is an irreplaceable resource for both the national science community and the University of California, commented Valentine Reserve Director Dan Dawson. “Despite [the UC budget cut] constraints, many of us are working hard to resolve these issues. I am optimistic WMRS will be reorganized and emerge from this challenge even stronger.”

California State Parks announced Thursday afternoon that Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve has been removed from the list of parks slated to close by July 2012.

State Parks said that the Bodie Foundation has signed a concession contract to collect fees at the Old Marina parking lot located on the west side of the lake. The agreement will help generate revenue that will be used directly toward operating expenses associated with keeping Mono Lake open. The Bodie Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation, interpretation, and public enjoyment of Bodie State Historic Park, Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve and Grover Hot Springs State Park.

“We commend our park partners for their caring and support for this and other parks in the Eastern Sierra,” said Matt Green, Acting District Superintendent for the California State Parks Sierra District. “Through their fundraising efforts and their excellent cadre of park volunteers, they have come forward to maintain public access and enjoyment for a majestic body of water that is one of the oldest lakes in North America.”

Mono Lake will remain open to the public under the management of California State Parks and will continue to strengthen existing relationships with its many partners, including the Friends of Mono Lake chapter of the Bodie Foundation.

“Our Foundation membership felt strongly that we could not stand by and not help State Parks in their time of need,” said Brad Sturdivant, President of the Bodie Foundation. “This will be a challenge, and we are hoping for donations to ease the burden, but we are very pleased to be working to keep this historic and natural wonder open for public enjoyment.”

Mono Lake is more than 1 million years old, and attracts more than 570,000 visitors yearly to the Eastern Sierra. Mono Lake is located along U.S. 395, south of Bridgeport, near the town of Lee Vining.

For more info: visit www.bodiefoundation.org and www.monocounty.org.