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But application fees have quadrupled

Applications are now being accepted for a permit to operate a Medical Marijuana Cooperative in Mammoth Lakes. The Town’s Municipal Code authorizes up to two permits for Medical Marijuana Cooperatives and there is currently only one available permit.

Last week, Council voted 4-1 (Wood dissented) to hike the Medical Marijuana Cooperative permit application fee from $300 to $1,209. Police Chief Dan Watson cited underestimating the amount of hours required to process permits as the reason.

Municipal Code Chapter 5.38 addresses the requirements and procedures for applying the permitting process. Medical Marijuana Cooperatives may only be located in certain areas. Potential applicants are encouraged to review Chapter 5.38 so that they have an understanding of the process and the acceptable locations. Chapter 5.38 is available at http://library.municode.com/HTML/16632/level2/TIT5BUTALIRE_CH5.38MEMACO.html#TOPTITLE

Applications may be picked up at the Police Station during normal business hours, Monday through Friday. Completed applications must be turned in no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, July 16. All completed applications will be processed and reviewed pursuant to Chapter 5.38. Those applications deemed qualified by the Police Department will be submitted to the Town’s Community Development Department (CDD).

After the Police Department submits the qualified applicant(s) to the CDD, those qualified applicant(s) will then be required to submit an application for a use permit to the CDD for consideration by the Planning Commission. A public hearing is required for Planning Commission consideration, which requires notification to be mailed to the properties within 300 feet of the proposed Medical Marijuana Cooperative location. The Planning Commission will only be able to approve one qualified Medical Marijuana Cooperative consistent with the Municipal Code.

Please see the Medical Marijuana Cooperatives Fact Sheet for additional information regarding the permit process at http://www.ci.mammoth-lakes.ca.us/index.aspx?nid=476 -MLPD Press Release/Kirkner

Advanced reservations for Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permits for the John Muir, Ansel Adams, and Golden Trout Wildernesses, and for the Mt. Whitney Zone, are now available through the National Recreation Reservation Service, or NRRS. As of Dec. 9, reservations can now be made online at www.recreation.gov  or by phone at 1.877.444.6777. Reservations are no longer being made through the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office.

Up to now, customers wanting to make reservations had to call, mail, or fax a request to the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office. With the move to the NRRS, customers can now make advanced reservations online anytime, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For those visitors who do not have computer access or prefer not to use the internet, reservations can be made through a call center. The new system allows for changes to reservations on the website and through the call center up to two days ahead of an entry date. Customers will still convert their reservations to a wilderness permit as they have in the past by stopping at an Inyo National Forest visitor center. Customers who need extra assistance for trip planning will still be able to call the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office for more information.

The John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas are some of the most heavily visited wilderness areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Overnight permits are required and quotas are implemented May 1 through Nov. 1 in the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wildernesses, and from the last Friday in June through Sept. 15 in the Golden Trout Wilderness. A lottery is in place to reserve main Mt. Whitney Trail overnight and day use permits. Mt. Whitney permits are 100% reservable, while all other quota trailheads are 60% reservable, 40% first-come, first-served available at Inyo National Forest visitor centers one day before the trip.

Reservation fees are remaining the same at $5/person for quota trailheads and $15/person for the Mt. Whitney Zone. A transaction fee of $6 is tacked on to each reserved permit to cover the cost of the online service. The reservation fees are collected under the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) with 95% of reservation fees collected being retained by the Inyo National Forest. These funds can be used for wilderness ranger patrols, visitor information services, educational programs, trail maintenance, restoration work, and staffing the Wilderness Permit Office. The recreation fee program provides the additional funding needed to offer quality services to the public and protection and restoration of the wilderness resource. The $6 transaction fee will be retained by the NRRS to cover the cost of providing the online reservations.

Along with the new online service there are some changes to the process for modifying your reservation, as well as the refund policy. Changes to a reservation can now be done online or through the call center up to two days before an entry date. Last minute changes can be made when permits are picked up if space is available.

Refunds will not be made for changes to reservations for the main Mt. Whitney Trail or Mt. Whitney Day Use, however refunds will be allowed for other entry trails if reservations are cancelled or party sizes reduced at least 22 days prior to an entry date. The $6 transaction fee is non-refundable.

For more information please visit www.recreation.gov, the Inyo National Forest website at www.fs.usda.gov/inyo,  or call the NRRS Call Center at 1.877.444.6777 or the Inyo National Forest Wilderness Permit Office at 760.873.2483. -USFS

In an effort to increase visitor safety, Yosemite National Park will require Day Use Permits to climb the Half Dome cables seven days per week for the 2011 summer season.

Over the past several years, the popularity of the hike has resulted in large numbers of people using the Half Dome cables, particularly on weekends and holidays, according to a press release from the park. Saturdays and holidays averaged 840 visitors per day, while peak days saw up to 1,200 people using the cables. These large numbers of hikers generated significant safety concerns that were cemented by a fatality and serious injuries sustained by park visitors that were caused by these crowded conditions.

The park instituted an interim program for climbing the Half Dome cables this year to address these serious safety concerns. Day Use Permits were required to use the cables on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Although the interim program worked well on the permit days, visitor use on the cables during days in which permits were not required reached peak weekend levels, analogous to peak days before permits were required.

Therefore, to address the consistent crowded conditions on the Half Dome cables, Day Use Permits will be required seven days per week for the 2011 summer season. The Half Dome cables are generally in place from mid-May through mid-October, depending on snowpack and weather conditions, according to the release.

The Half Dome Day Use Permits will be available starting March 1, 2011 for climbing the cables in May and June. Subsequent permits will be available at the beginning of each month for permits three months in advance. Reservations for a permit can be made through www.recreation.gov or by calling 1.877.444.6777. Each person climbing the Half Dome cables will be required to have their own permit. Up to four permits may be obtained under one reservation. The permits are free, however, there is a non-refundable $1.50 service charge for each permit obtained.

During this interim program, visitor use and impacts are being monitored. Yosemite National Park Rangers are studying visitor use and safety, assessing the visitor experience, and compiling data that will be analyzed by park managers. An Environmental Assessment process for a long-term plan for the Half Dome cables began public scoping in spring 2010.

A visitor use study on the 2010 Half Dome Cables Day Use Permit is available at http://www.nps.gov/yose/naturescience/half-dome-cables.htm. To learn more about the Half Dome hike please visit
http://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/halfdome.htm. –NPS/LAK