Cocoa, cookies and MLTS conversation

Bit by bit, inch by inch the Mammoth Lakes Trail System is coming into existence. On Dec. 13, the Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access Foundation and Mammoth Lakes Tourism presented the first MLTS Open House to update the public on just how far the program has come. The evening was complete with MLTPA’s signature cocoa and cookie selection to keep stomachs full and brains alert while presentations were given.

MLT Executive Director John Urdi kicked things off by explaining that MLT’s role in the Mammoth Lakes Trail System is raising awareness and exposure of the area and all it has to offer.

“The trail system is a huge amenity for us to market,” Urdi explained. “It is a benefit for athletes and families; something that people will go out of their way to come to Mammoth to experience.”

John Wentworth, CEO of MLTPA then explained that implementation of the trail system is happening now, right under our noses. Not only have signs been put into the ground (have you traveled along the Lake Mary Bike Path yet?), but CEQA analysis of the Trail System Master Plan is underway and the Town is on track to adopt this plan by the spring of 2011, according to Wentworth.

“Partnerships are making all of this happen,” Wentworth explained, referring not only to the cohesive work being done between the Town of Mammoth Lakes and Forest Service, but also the partnerships MLTPA has developed with those two entities.

MLTPA recently signed a Master Agreement with the TOML to work as consultants for moving forward with even more implementation of the Mammoth Lakes Trail System. More signs and implementation are expected in the summer of 2011.

“We are surviving, and local funding sources are reliable,” Wentworth stated, referring to local measures R and U that were passed by the community in the last few years and have made it possible to continue work on trails and recreation even though the economy has taken a nosedive.

For more information on the MLTS and what MLTPA is up to, community members are invited to attend the monthly Recreation Commission meetings. Here, MLTPA will present progress reports on its work with the MLTS. Visit the Town’s website for dates and agendas for these meetings.