Roughed up by Rim Fire

Mono County economy rattled by smoke, highway closure

Last weekend, Tioga Road (Hwy 120) reopened between Crane Flat and White Wolf giving visitors complete access to and from the east side once again. The road had been closed since Aug. 28 for fire suppression activities for the Rim Fire.

The closed highway, which meant a lack of a thoroughfare for visitors for two and half weeks that included the Labor Day holiday weekend, and heavy smoke from the fire took its toll on different portions of the Mono County economy.

“An economic hit was taken by all businesses in North County,” said District 4 Mono County Supervisor and owner of the Meadowcliff Lodge, Tim Fesko. “Antelope Valley was hit hard due to nearly three weeks of smoke. Sometimes it would be so bad that visibility was down to a 1/2 mile. Bridgeport/Twin Lakes was hit also.

“Cancellations started shortly after the fire started as the smoke was running north. From what I hear, cancellations for the Labor Day weekend ran from 50% to 100%. The economic hit was felt by all businesses,” Fesko said.

A little further south in Lee Vining, however, it wasn’t smoke that was causing problems.

“It’s a good thing the smoke wasn’t here,” said Chris Lizza, owner of the Mono Market in Lee Vining. “People who got smoked out in Tahoe and Reno came here.”

He added, however, that the Hwy 120 closure definitely had an effect.

“Our sales were down about 20-25 percent,” Lizza said. “We were still busy but it just wasn’t off the hook like it could have been. I’m glad it was limited to two weeks. It’s been busy now that the road reopened.”

Executive Director of the Mono Lake Committee, Geoff McQuilkin agreed. “I can definitely say we saw a substantial downturn in both retail business and general visitor presence at Mono Lake during the time the Tioga Road was closed. We count the number of people coming into the information center, whether with a question or to make a purchase. It looks like visitor numbers were down 30% during the time the pass was closed.”

However, in north county Fesko said that business in his neck of the woods picked up in the few days prior to the reopening of Hwy 120.

“Several days before Tioga Pass reopened, the smoke cleared and business picked up. Of course, once the pass reopened, business picked up,” Fesko said. “Damage, economically, occurred and nothing can be done at this point. We have dealt with bad times in the past and will survive.”

Mono County Economic Development Manager Alicia Vennos said that north county lodging owners had reported a 50-65% loss of reservations on the books for September because of the road closure.

“Whether they get those bookings back now that the road is open remains to be seen. In Walker/Coleville, there were certainly lodging cancellations because of the road closure, but anecdotally it seems there were more because of the consistently smoky skies in that area – the smoke really hurt businesses in the Antelope Valley, especially with respect to their normally very busy Labor Day weekend.”

Currently the Economic Development department is working on a survey that will go out to all the local businesses.

“That should give us a better idea of the impact of the fire and the road closure on local business levels,” Vennos said.

Economic Development Assistant Jeff Simpson also pointed out, “YARTS [Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System] had to stop service into the [Yosemite] Valley while Tioga Road was closed. They’ve altered their service to accommodate service to Tuolumne Meadows.”

YARTS Transit Manager Dick Whittington confirmed this.

“Ridership was strong until they closed the road,” he said. “Then we couldn’t get back and forth between Mammoth and the Yosemite Valley. Everything went in the toilet on Aug. 28.”

Whittington did say that YARTS was able to continue service to Tuolumne Meadows during the road closure.

In addition, the service is making an effort to help local businesses and travelers by extending transit service on Highway 120, west and east corridors, through Sunday, Sept. 29. According to a Yosemite press release, “Previously, the runs from Tuolumne County, on Highway 120 West, were scheduled to end for the season on Sept. 15. The service from Mono County, on Highway 120 East, will continue to operate on weekends through Sunday, Sept. 29.”

Mammoth Lakes Tourism Executive Director John Urdi said that while occupancy estimates have held steady in Mammoth and Average Daily Rates for hotels has been up, certain properties that cater to the motorcoach business have been affected.

“I talked to one property that had nine buses cancel last Friday,” Urdi said. Full affects for Mammoth will be known in mid-October when TOT numbers for August are released.

The Rim Fire has burned more than 256,000 acres in and around Yosemite National Park. Containment was expected by Friday, Sept. 20.

Photo: Holly Moseley