theSheetNews.com

The Forest Service has several comment periods and public meetings currently in the works. Read on to see how you can get involved.

Public meetings on Travel Management implementation

The Forest Service will be hosting two public meetings in the end of May to update the public on the implementation of the 2009 Motorized Travel Management decision for the Inyo National Forest. The meetings will be held on:

Tuesday May 29 – Mammoth Lakes, Forest Service Auditorium, 6:30-8 p.m.

Thursday May 31 – Bishop, Inyo National Forest Supervisor’s Office Conference Rm., 351 Pacu Lane (behind the DMV), 6:30-8 p.m.

The process of planning for the Motorized Travel Management decision began about eight years ago in response to tremendous growth in off-highway vehicle recreation on public lands across the country.  The goal of motorized travel management is to develop and maintain a sustainable system of routes that provide an array of motorized recreation opportunities and access to recreation destinations, as well as provide for protection for natural and cultural resources in the area.

Over the last two years the Forest Service has been physically implementing a variety of actions directed by the 2009 decision. Implementation includes signing system roads and trails, general maintenance and repairs, as well as the blocking, signing and/or disguising of unauthorized routes that were not added to the system. These efforts should reduce confusion and improve the experience for travelers on the Forest’s roads and trails. Additionally, many routes added to the motorized system require some kind of mitigation, such as stabilization, drainage work, and seasonal gates or reroutes intended to reduce the effects of motorized use on natural or cultural resources.

At the public meetings Forest Service staff will describe and answer questions about the last two years of implementation, as well as the work that is planned for this upcoming summer season. If you have a need for any special accommodations to be able to attend either of these meetings, or for more information, please contact Public Affairs Officer Nancy Upham at 760.873.2427.

Comments sought on MMSA winter project proposals

The Mammoth Ranger District of the Inyo National Forest is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) on proposed projects at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA), which would be carried out this fall.  The proposed projects would enhance developed winter recreation at MMSA and at Woolly’s Adventure Summit (WAS), the winter snow play area adjacent to the ski area. The proposed actions include the following winter recreation enhancement projects: improvements to the WAS area including expansion of the tubing lanes and parking area; removal and relocation of two old shacks, removal of abandoned footings, and ski run grading, all in an area adjacent to the top of  Face Lift Express (Chair 3) and on the Face of Three ski run; grading within the Coyote ski run; and extension of a snowmaking line to enable snowmaking at the South Park half pipe.

Comments sought on Mammoth Mountain bike park trail proposal

The Inyo National Forest, Mammoth Ranger District is soliciting comments on a Mammoth Mountain Bike Park Trail Construction Project proposal.  Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (MMSA), a permittee on the Inyo National Forest, has proposed to construct 2.5 miles of mountain bike trails in the vicinity of, and in conjunction with the operation of  the Discovery Chair (Chair 11). All proposed trail construction is within the Mammoth Mountain Ski Area permit boundaries.

The purpose of this proposed project is to provide new terrain, recreation opportunities, better connectivity, and better separation between differently skilled riders within Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. The proposed projects are needed to provide two new progressive, beginner-level mountain bike trail experiences and a connector from the top of the Discovery Chair to a pre-existing, more difficult trail.

The Forest Service has made a preliminary assessment that this proposal falls within a category of actions listed in the Forest Service NEPA Handbook that are excluded from documentation in an Environmental Assessment (EA) or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and that there are no extraordinary circumstances that would preclude use of the category regarding Construction and Reconstruction of Trails.

Both the bike trail project and the winter projects are subject to the notice and comment provisions of 36CFR 215.3. The public comment period ends 30 days following the date of publication of the legal notices, which are expected to be May 17. Those wishing to comment on either proposal should not rely upon dates or timeframes provided by any other source. Only those who provide comment or otherwise express interest in the proposed action during the comment period will be eligible to appeal the decision.

Written comments for either project must be submitted to Allison Jackson, Winter Sports Specialist, Inyo National Forest, P.O. Box 148, Mammoth Lakes, CA  93546. Electronic comments may be sent to ajackson@fs.fed.us in the following acceptable formats: plain text (.txt), rich text (.rtf), Adobe (.pdf), or Word (.doc). Written comments may also be submitted by fax (760.924.5537) or by hand-delivery to the Mammoth Ranger Station during normal business hours, excluding holidays.

Information about the proposed project and maps will be posted on the Inyo National Forest website on May 17. Additional information may also be obtained from the Project Leader, Allison Jackson, at 760.924.5510. -Press Releases

Matt Davis (orange shirt) with the Mono County Board of Supervisors. (Submitted photo)

On Tuesday, April 10 the Mono County Board of Supervisors adopted and presented a resolution in appreciation of Matt Davis for his service to our country.

Davis served as an active duty mechanic for the United States Marine Corps from 1999 until 2005, and has served as a reserve in the Nevada Army National Guard since 2005.

In December 2010, Davis was moved from reserve status to active duty in order to prepare and train for deployment. In January 2011 the Equipment Mechanic for the Mono County Road Department since 2005, was deployed to Operation Enduring Freedom with the Nevada Army National Guard Company C 422D Expeditionary Signal Battalion.

Davis returned in January 2012. He was released from active duty and returned to his position in the Road Department in February 2012. The County wishes to extend a sincere ‘thank you’ in appreciation for Matt Davis’ service and to all those who serve in the military. -Mono County Press Release

Book now … Winter Air Service to Mammoth Yosemite Airport flies off into the friendly skies on Sunday, April 15. (Photo: Geisel)

County preps for Internet service providers

As bandwidth continues to be a hot commodity and service providers put a hold on new Internet accounts, the Eastern Sierra’s need for digital infrastructure is becoming desperate.

Rather than sit idly, the Mono County Board of Supervisors chose to busy itself on March 20 with its own digital infrastructure updates during a presentation from County staff. It was an effort to get organized so that once Digital 395 goes online and Internet service flows freely through the Eastside, the County is prepared for Internet service providers (ISP) that may want to jump on the bandwagon and provide last-mile service.

Digital 395, or D395, is the project building a new 583-mile fiber network that will mainly follow the U.S. 395. Conduit and cable placement construction is expected to start in April.

As it has often been described, Digital 395 will act as the “backbone” of Internet service running up and down the Eastern Sierra, allowing for faster broadband.

“Service providers are the nerves,” added Mono County Deputy Counsel, John-Carl Vallejo. These nerves connect D395 to people’s homes.

These service providers must be awarded a state franchise in order to provide services under AB 2987, the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006 (DIVCA), Vallejo continued. When the DIVCA took effect, state law for these types of service providers superseded city and county laws that had previously managed these franchises. Cities and counties do, however, do still retain some decision-making authority.

Last year when Suddenlink acquired NPG, it was also awarded a state video franchise. The term video refers to cable television. At that time, the County received a letter from the state explaining that the franchise had been awarded and that the County should “determine what, if any actions it would take pursuant to the authority provided under the state video franchise statute.”

At its meeting on March 20, the Board heard from Vallejo on the actions that it can pursue when dealing with providers both in video and digital infrastructure. The discussion quickly focused on digital infrastructure and D395.

According to Vallejo, the County will be able to weigh in on fees, rights of way, public educational and government channels (PEG channels), and penalties for a franchise holders’ failure to adhere to cable provider requirements.

These decisions directly link to D395 because when it comes time for last mile providers to branch out from the D395 backbone, they will be crossing their cables over County land and rights of way. While the County will still be able to require these providers to go through the encroachment permitting process, it will not be allowed to have exclusive franchises anywhere in the County.

“All franchises need to be treated equally,” Vallejo explained.

Which is why the County is updating its code to reflect the DIVCA changes, and working to determine its fee and fine structures. In the end it should provide one clear set of rules for all service providers to adhere by.

Eastern Sierra Connect

Following Vallejo’s presentation, representatives of Eastern Sierra Connect introduced themselves to the Board. While not directly related to D395 or to the franchise discussion at hand, Eastern Sierra Connect is another player in the local quest for digital infrastructure.

Eastern Sierra Connect (ESC) is a project of the Desert Mountain Resource Conservation and Development Council. Its goal, according to its website, is to “evaluate existing broadband infrastructure and potential future through a demand aggregation project in Mono, Inyo and Eastern Kern counties.”

It is aimed at encouraging existing and potential providers to build local broadband for unserved and underserved Eastern Sierra communities.

ESC will be working to bring the last-mile providers to the table in order to help them access a large bucket of California Public Utilities Company (CPUC) money available for building infrastructure projects.

“We need to educate the public and the providers,” said ESC Committee Member Danna Stroud.

Grant funding is not reliant on D395, but according to Stroud that project “makes us more appealing to providers.”

Stroud described ESC’s work as a “positioning exercise.” She explained that providers applying for the CPUC funding don’t need projects that would be implemented right away, but need to get in the door, and in line.

“We need to make ourselves competitive with other consortiums throughout the state,” Stroud said. There are 13 other consortiums like ESC in California.

“Eastern Sierra Connect is doing what the County would end up having to do,” Vallejo explained.

“The County wants someone in place as an interim contact for broadband activity,” Stroud added.

ESC recently received a $450,000 grant from CPUC for its operational costs.

ESC requested that a member of County staff be appointed to its committee. Since it was not part of the agenda item, the appointment will be discussed again at the Tuesday, April 3 BOS meeting.

Vallejo plans to bring the code changes related to the state franchise agreements back before the Board in the near future.

The Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, located in Lee Vining, will re-open to the public on Thursday, March 29. From March 29 through May 16, the visitor center will be open Thursday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and will be closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Beginning Thursday, May 17, the visitor center will be open seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Forest Service continues to explore partnerships and identify opportunities to help reduce costs and gain efficiencies in the operation of national forest visitor centers. For the first several weeks of operation of the Scenic Area Visitor Center, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, or ESIA, will commit finanical and staff resources to the public services offered in the Mono Basin. It did the same thing last fall when the organization kept the visitor center open throughout the month of November. With support from ESIA and volunteers who are part of the Mono Basin Docent program, the operating season of the visitor center is able to be extended into the shoulder seasons. The Forest Service is working with ESIA and other partner organizations to further identify new roles and responsiblities that non-profit organizations can assist with in the operation of  visitor centers throughout the Inyo National Forest.

With support from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Forest Service installed a photovoltaic power system at the Scenic Area Visitor Center in 2011. Agreements with Southern California Edison on how to distribute the generated power have been reached and the solar system will soon be supplying the visitor center with more than 60% of its annual electricity needs.

For more information, please contact District Recreation Officer, Jon Kazmierski, at 760.924.5503. -Press Release

March 8: The University of California White Mountain Research Station invites the public to a lecture on Thursday, March 8 at 7 p.m. Sue Burak, Avalanche Specialist of Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center will present a talk entitled: “How to Read an Avalanche Advisory: Lessons Learned from Avalanche Incidents.” All lectures are FREE to the public. White Mountain Research Station is located at 3000 East Line Street in Bishop. For more information, call 760.873.4344.

March 9: The Inyo National Forest and Bishop Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have submitted preliminary applications for grant funds from the State of California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation (OHMVR) division for the purpose of enhancing and managing motorized recreation in this area. These and all other grant applications, as well as detailed instructions about the process and how to comment, are viewable from March 6 until April 2 on the OHMVR website at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov/. Comments may be submitted on the division website and/or sent directly to the responsible agency. Comments must be received by April 2.

Forest Service has its eye on snowmobilers

During the week of Feb. 13, six local residents were cited for trespassing in the Owens River Headwaters Wilderness, in the area known as the Slash Pit, according to a press release from the Forest Service. Reduced snowpack this year has led to a concentration of use in this area.

Inyo National Forest law enforcement personnel have started their snowmobile patrols for the 2012 season, the release continued. In a continuing effort to protect congressionally designated wilderness within the Inyo National Forest from illegal snowmobile use, law enforcement patrols will be routinely patrolling problem areas both on skis and snowmobiles and through aerial reconnaissance. The patrols will be looking for people whose snowmobiles have strayed into “off-limit” areas of the Forest, such as designated wilderness and other areas specifically closed to snowmobiles. Areas that will be regularly patrolled include: designated wilderness and Research Natural Areas, the Mammoth Lakes Basin, Obsidian Dome cross-country ski trails, Shady Rest cross-country ski trails and the area west of the G-trail from June Lake Junction south to the Glass Creek Hill. Free Winter Recreation Trail maps that display where the motorized restricted areas are located can be picked up at the Mammoth Welcome Center.

Law enforcement officials would like to thank the public for information that they have provided regarding snowmobile trespass, and they encourage anyone witnessing violations to call the Interagency Dispatch Center at 760.873.2405. For more information, please contact Lisa Walker, Recreation Specialist, at 760.647.3031.

The nation’s federally designated wilderness areas have prohibited motorized use since the passing of the 1964 Wilderness Act, making them off limits to all motorized vehicles. Despite these prohibitions snowmobile tracks and public reports indicate that numerous riders venture into these closed areas every winter season. Riding in a congressionally designated wilderness or other closed area is a Federal and state offense carrying fines of up to $5,000 and/or six months in jail, in addition to possible seizure of the snowmobiles used in the commission of the crime.

It is the rider’s responsibility to know where these closed or restricted areas are located and their boundaries. Major winter trailheads and launching points have kiosks with maps showing the restricted areas; maps are also posted online at http://www.mammothweb.com/scripts/usfs/snowcat.cfm.

If in doubt, you should check with a local Ranger Station or visitor center.

Ansel Adams Wilderness Map finally gets a tweak

The Forest Service has released its new map of the popular Ansel Adams Wilderness, managed by the Inyo and Sierra National forests. This topographic map replaces the older map, which was last published in 1987. Included on the map is the Owens River Headwaters Wilderness, recently designated through President Obama’s signing of the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act on March 30, 2009.

Designed to help visitors to the Ansel Adams, the 32”x45” waterproof topographic map contains two different coordinate systems for users of global positioning systems (GPS), as well as the more traditional Public Land Survey System historically utilized by land managers and surveyors.  In addition to showing campsites and trailheads, locations for equestrian opportunities and resorts under special use permit are also illustrated. To further assist in ecosystem protection, permanent fire restriction areas are identified and roads and trails on the map reflect the results of the recent travel management plans for both the Sierra and Inyo National Forests.

The map is available for purchase at local ranger stations and visitor centers, numerous map retail outlets or at www.nationalforeststore.com. -USFS

Yes, it’s true. Suddenlink and Verizon are not taking any new internet customers. As Suddenlink corporate spokesman Pete Abel said this week, “The bandwidth – or size of the circuits that connect that area to the larger Internet – is already at capacity, meaning we cannot add new customers without compromising the experience of current customers.”

“We’re all in the same boat,” he added. “It’s a limited highway and we can only put so many cars on it.”

While that will change with the imminent Digital 395 project – Geisel says it’s expected to break ground in April and be completed by next summer – for now, new customers are largely stuck having to buy Verizon wifi cards, which are not effective in some areas (Old Mammoth Road being one example).

Geisel spoke to Verizon corporate this week, which has also suspended any new Internet account service, including its FiOS brand bundled service package. Verizon’s FiOS fiber optic service packages High Definition TV, Internet and digital voice over Internet (VOIP) phone service. A call to Verizon’s Fiber Optic and Customer Service divisions confirmed that both cellular and landline phone service aren’t affected, but anything having to do with Internet service, via both copper wire and fiber optic delivery methods, is currently listed as not available.

Verizon service is fed to the Mammoth Lakes area via a fiber optic transmission line originating in Bishop, which contains roughly 12 strands of cable. The cable run between Bishop and Mammoth, according to various historical accounts, started off during the early 2000s. Crews compiled miscellaneous lengths of unused fiber cable that was spliced together, and coupled it to the phone lines that were already in existence up the grade.

About 80% of the way to completion, a fire near Tom’s Place in 2003 temporarily halted the progress, and at that point Verizon decided that with 80% of the cable already in place, it wouldn’t be cost effective to go back to the beginning and reinstall a one- or two-splice cable run.

The bandwidth problem seems to start there.

Technically speaking, research revealed that with fiber optic cable, every additional splice tends to diminish the cable’s performance, even if only slightly, and essentially leads to maxing out the cable’s bandwidth somewhat prematurely.

During the early 2000s, the cable was probably at or near state of the art quality, but has since aged 10 years. And at the time, many of the popular devices that are now commonplace and demand significant amounts of bandwidth, such as iPads and 4G smart phones, didn’t yet exist. Verizon’s Fiber Optic division stopped short of giving a definitive explanation, but indicated the reason could be simply that the existing fiber optic cable run is likely maxed out and doesn’t have the capacity to accommodate any new customers.

According to Jarryd Gonzales with Verizon Media Relations, the company is “working on expanding services to its customers” in this area, but it probably won’t be until the end of this year before new service might be available. Bishop, however, is unaffected and bandwidth is available there to handle new service orders.

That statement comes as no real surprise to Mono County District 2 Supervisor Hap Hazard. He pointed out that Verizon has been closely following the Crowley cell tower issue and Digital 395 Broadband Infrastructure project. Hazard commented that, based on his experience with both issues, it’s likely Verizon [and other providers] will opt to wait for access to D395, rather than upgrade the outdated, piecemeal cable run. “Their business model probably is to make a shift to last-mile provider status when D395 is up and running,” Hazard opined. “If I were Verizon, that would be the plan that makes the most sense.”

Suddenlink phone service

Suddenlink announced at the end of last month that it is now offering a competitive phone service alternative in Mammoth Lakes.

Suddenlink Home Phone: Unlimited offers unlimited local and domestic long-distance calls, plus the most popular calling features – including Voice Mail, Caller ID, Call Waiting, 3-Way Calling, Anonymous Call Rejection and Call Forwarding.  International calls are also available at competitive rates.

Customers can also use the same phones they use today and keep their existing phone numbers and wiring.  The company’s phone services are installed by professional local technicians.

More information about local Suddenlink services is available by visiting www.suddenlink.com by visiting Suddenlink’s local customer care office at 123 Commerce Drive, Suite B6, in Mammoth Lakes; or by calling toll-free 800.896.5701.

Surveys show clerks slacking

A December 2011 survey found that some retail clerks have become slack about checking minor’s ID’s. Congratulations to these Mammoth businesses whose clerks asked the young survey assistant for ID: A-Frame Liquor, Mammoth Liquor, Busy Beez General Store, Rite Aid, the Shell Marts and Vons. Three other clerks at Mammoth tobacco retail outlets did not ask for ID from the young people.

California Business and Professions Code Section 22956 states: All persons engaging in the retail sale of tobacco products shall check the identification of tobacco purchasers, to establish the age of the purchaser, if the purchaser reasonably appears to be under 18 years of age. Federal law requires retailers to check the ID of anyone appearing under the age of 27. The California driver’s license of persons under 21 has a blue stripe stating the year they turn 18 and can buy tobacco, and a red stripe stating the year they turn 21.

In the September 2011 tobacco retailer compliance survey conducted in the unincorporated Mono County area, 2 out of 13 businesses sold to minors; however, all clerks asked the youth for ID. Both County and Mammoth surveys were not enforcement actions; local law enforcement was not asked to provide enforcement and no one will be fined. This will not be the case in future tobacco compliance surveys.

Over the last year, Inyo National Forest personnel have spent more than 50 hours cleaning up undeveloped shooting areas north of the Mammoth Geothermal Plant. On Nov. 17, the Forest Service removed more than three tons of trash and materials that had been used for targets and left at the sites. Many of the items removed, such as televisions, refrigerators, propane cans, and fire extinguishers contain toxic materials and heavy metals. In addition to being a blight on the landscape, the trash left behind can be a hazard to the public and wildlife.

Where allowed, target shooting on national forest lands is a legal activity. Leaving behind trash, glass, cans, targets, and shells is NOT legal. Where abuses occur, the U.S. Forest Service has the authority to close areas to target shooting.

The Forest Service is asking the public to help keep these shooting areas open by limiting targets to materials that can be readily collected and disposed of and by removing all materials brought to the site after target shooting. Failure to comply will result in a citation and could lead to closure of the areas.

After cleanup (Photos: USFS)

If you have questions about this request or are seeking additional information on target shooting on national forest lands, please contact the Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center at 760.924.5500.

The following is prohibitted on national forest lands:

Discharging a firearm or any other impediment capable of  taking human life, causing injury, or damaging property:

(1) In or within 150 yards of a residence, building, campsite, developed recreation site or occupied area 261.10 (d)(1)  $400 or M.A.

(2) Across or on a Forest Development road or water adjacent thereto, or in any manner or place whereby any  person or property is exposed to injury or damage 261.10 (d)(2)   $400 or M.A. -Press Release