Archive - May 2011
May 27th
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
Deena started it all.
A decade ago, the then-Deena Drossin came charging out of the University of Arkansas and scooted up to Mammoth to train.
Overnight, given her dazzling performances around the world, Mammoth in the summer wasnât just about fishing and camping.
Itâs hard to imagine what might have happened around here had Deena chosen a different path. She won in London and Chicago.
No one here will ever forget watching her bronze-medal finish at the Athens Olympics in 2004, tears streaming down her face as she crossed the finish line.
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
It was unprecedented for Mammoth.
More than 100 Hispanic citizens showed up to meet and greet Mammothâs police Wednesday night at the Village Lodge, creating a bridge between the officers and the community.
They also heard from about a dozen other people, from recreation director Stuart Brown to Alejandro Celorio Alacantara, who made the trip from Sacramento and represented the Mexican Consulate.
Itâs almost as big as Opening Day on Mammoth Mountain: Rock Creek Resort Pie in the Sky returns this weekend. Kathy Johnson puts in her vote for Cheddar Pear, but she might be too busy with her mega garage sale to get there. ...
Deena Kastor is prepping for the New York Mini 10K on June 11. Itâll be her first race since her pregnancy. Yes, little Piper is going, too, on her first airplane trip. Andrew Kastor rides along for fatherly support. For Deena, all roads lead to London 2012 and she ainât kidding. ...
The Buttermilk Fire is now 100% contained and the roads into the area have been re-opened. There is access to all of the bouldering areas and camping is allowed on national forest land. As a reminder, a Campfire Permit is required for all campfires, BBQs and stoves.
Crews are still assigned to the Buttermilk Fire and they are working to put out any hotspots that remain in the burn area as they do a general mop-up from the fire. Over 120 people are still assigned to the fire.
May 26th
Yosemite National Park's waterfalls are expected to peak the first week in June, with the park's snow pack at an average of 199% of normal. Bring your raingear and cameras, preferably water proof cameras.
At the same time, with this huge snowpack the parkâs rivers are flowing at a high capacity, meaning dangerous conditions. Every year, people die from water-related accidents, so please be careful.
In more Yosemite news:
Firefighters are still battling a 250-acre fire off U.S. 168 northwest of Bishop near the community of Starlight and the popular Buttermilk bouldering area but the fire is now 50 percent contained.
Full containment is estimated at 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
Seventy people are currently assigned to the Buttermilk Fire including 11 engines, six hand crews, one helicopter, one dozer and miscellaneous overhead.
Some winds are predicted for today, but so far have been light, allowing crews to make good headway in securing a line all around the fire.
May 24th
A benefit concert will be held at the Bridgeport Ranch Barn and Terrace, at 68 Twin Lakes Road, Bridgeport, California, on July 16 from 7 to 10 p.m. The doors will open at 6p.m. Featured performers are Cowboy Entertainer Dave Stamey, the âCharlie Russell of Western Music,â and Professor David Bourne, âThe Piano Player at the Gem Saloonâ in HBOâs âDeadwood.â
Tickets are $35.00 per person and are available online atBodieFoundation.org or by calling (760) 647-6564. They are also available at the Museum in Bodie.
Dr. Brandon Browne from the Dept. of Geological Sciences, CSU Fullerton, will present a lecture on Mammoth Mountain's "shaky past" tonight at the Green Church, located at the corner of Benton Crossing Road and U.S.395.
Itâs Hantavirus season again, and with Mono County one of the country's hotspots, it's time to think ahead about how to prevent the potentially deadly illness from affecting you or your family.
Mono County's health official, Dr. Rick Johnson, had this to say:
May 20th
By
George Shirk - Times Senior Writer
When Marianna Marysheva-Martinez throws a fastball, she doesnât mess around.
The townâs interim town manager fired one at the Mammoth Lakes Town Council Wednesday night. It was high heat, straight down the middle.
The only thing the council could do was stand at the plate and watch it go by, to the tune of about $2 million.
Marysheva-Martinez said thatâs the best scenario â a $2 million shortfall in the coming budget, and that doesnât even include funds to pay off the $30-plus million judgment as a result of the Hot Creek litigation.
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
Itâs been a long winter up here in the northern Eastern Sierra; eight months of snow, a cold, cold April, flowers frozen on the bud in May.
Even the most ski-crazy winter fanatic is beginning to feel cheated, as May gives way to June with more snow predicted for next week.
But there is hope.
Itâs called a car. Yes, cars are gas-guzzling, carbon-spewing monsters that we should feel guilty for driving. But they are also the essence of freedom and adventure and in this case, escape.
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
Mono Lakeâs Tufa State Natural Reserve is on the chopping block for possibly closure next year, state and local sources confirmed this week.
Bodie State Park is not on the list and Mono Lake and the reserve are open now and will remain open this year.
But if the closure goes into effect next year, it will spell more bad news for Mono County, which is already struggling with economic hits due to the recession.
âThe reserve gets a quarter of a million visits every year,â said Geoff McQuilkin, director of the Mono Lake Committee.
Just for the heck of it: According to the U.S. Travel Assn., more than 49 percent of U.S. adult leisure travelers consider their pets to be part of the family, and 18 percent of U.S. adult leisure travelers usually take their pets with them when they travel. Mammoth would be a good pick, sez us. ...
Some big news about bears in the magazine Science recently. Seems itâs not the mama bears with cubs you really have to watch out for, but the single males if you come between them and their food. Like a morning at the Stove, now that we think about it. ...
May 18th
By
Wendilyn Grasseschi - Times Staff Writer
Mammothâs bears are out and about again, but that doesnât mean they are going to go after the pizza crust in your car.
No. This time of year, Mammothâs bears are going green.
As in veggie green, says Steve Searles, Mammothâs own bear whisperer.
âThe [bears] have been holed up all winter, and itâs been a long winter. Right now, thereâs little available natural food out. But they need something to purge everything out. So, they arenât that interested in your pizza, your burgers,â Searles said.
Yosemite National Park is home to more than 400 species of animals,
including a number of species that qualify for listing under the Endangered
Species Act. The park provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife due
to its undisturbed ecosystems in the Central Sierra Nevada. Wildlife
species in Yosemite range from aquatic invertebrates to large mammals.
One of the many mammals that roam Yosemiteâs forests is the Pacific fisher
(Martes pennanti). The fisher, a medium-sized member of the weasel family,
