NPS will help fund tree cleanup

Supervisor Vikki Bauer recently made a trip to Washington, D.C. to secure funding for cleanup required after the November 2011 tree blowdown in the Reds Meadow valley and Devils Postpile National Monument. On Tuesday, she announced that the trip had been successful and the National Parks Service had approved funding for the cleanup project.

“The NPS funding will be used inside the monument and that money was approved at $184,000,” Bauer said by email on Thursday. “It will be used to get the Devils Postpile trail and the Rainbow Falls trails ready for visitors as a first step. They have cleared one campground already but can’t let people in until they are sure that there are no damaged trees ready to fall down. A standing tree assessment needs to be done.

“The USFS funding is not confirmed yet. They say they are still doing some assessment work.” She confirmed that the USFS money, if confirmed, would be used to clean up the USFS areas and infrastructure that surround the monument. She believed just under $300,000 had been requested by the Inyo National Forest.