Archive - 2013
June 5th
After more than a decade of effort, there is still a long way to go
Fish biologist Dawn Becker Emery is familiar with the concept of swimming upstream these days, after more than a decade of fighting to save an embattled trout native to the Walker River Basin of the Eastern Sierra.
June 4th
Eric Forsell, formerly with ASICS, was chosen by Mammoth Mountain Ski Area CEO Rusty Gregory to be MMSA’s new chief marketing director after former marketing director, Howard Pickett, recently resigned the post.
According to a Tuesday news release from MMSA, Forsell will “drive all aspects of marketing for the resort including strategy, brand, product development, pricing, distribution and advertising.
The Inyo National Forest announced a special opportunity for personal use fuelwood collection in the Reds Meadow area, June 4-9.
The area will open for fuelwood collection at 9 a.m. and all firewood collection activities must be completed by 4 p.m. each day.
Woodcutters will need to present their 2013 fuelwood permit and tags at Minaret Vista Entrance Station, one mile from the Mammoth Mountain Inn, for entry into the area. This is a one-time event for these six days only.
Controversial system to close, open roads up for public input
Nearly a decade ago, in response to growth in Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) recreation on public lands across the country, inventories and planning for motorized travel management on the Inyo National Forest began, according to an Inyo National Forest news release.
State park sponsors interpretive program
How many times have you heard a bird sing and wondered what it was? Wouldn’t it be satisfying to be able to identify birds by their song or call?
Beginning near the shores of Mono Lake next week, participants in a “Birding by Ear” workshop, sponsored by the state park, will visit a variety of habitats during their choice of two different four-hour workshops (June 8 and June 19), gradually working their way up to an elevation of about 8,000 ft.
June 3rd
One person is missing after being swept over 594-foot Nevada Fall in Yosemite National Park Saturday, June 1 and another has died after a rock climbing accident in the park on Sunday, June 2, according to park service officials.
According to news releases from the park, a 19-year-old Sacramento man was swept over Nevada Fall on Saturday, June 1 and a 28-year-old London man died after being struck by a rock while climbing El Capitan on Sunday, June 2.
A frozen berry product called Townsend Farms Organic Anti-oxidant Blend and sold at many Eastern Sierra stores, including Costco, is at the heart of a Hepatitus A outbreak affecting six victims in California and two in Reno.
So far, there have been no outbreaks in the Eastern Sierra according to local health officials.
On the morning of Sunday, June 2, 2013, at approximately 9:30am, Mono County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a call regarding a possible airplane crash at Bryant Airfield in Bridgeport.
On the afternoon of Saturday, June 1, at approximately 4:45 pm, Mono County Sheriff’s Dispatch received a 911 call regarding an ATV rider who had possibly driven off a cliff in the Walker area.
May 31st
By
By Wendilyn Grasseschi,Times Staff Writer
A house fire in Crowley Lake destroyed the home of Maureen and Gordon Coldwwell, two long-time residents, on Thursday, May 30, but they were not home when the fire started, nor were other homes or structures involved in the fire, according to Crowley Lake’s county supervisor, Fred Stump.
Stump, who was the Long Valley Fire Department Chief before he was elected to fill the District 2 Supervisor seat last year (he is still a volunteer firefighter), said the cause of the fire is still unknown, but it took several hours to get the raging blaze under control.
Several long-term Mono County employees and officials have recently announced that they will be retiring from their positions effective June 30, according to county officials.
May 30th
Five of the Troutlaw Gang captured, 30 still at large
The waters of the Mammoth Lakes Basin are safer thanks to the Troutlaw Posse’s capture of five feloniously huge Alpers Trophy Trout.
The Eastern Sierra Fishing Coalition is offering big rewards for catching one of these bad boys. While the Troutlaw fish try to blend in with the general population, they can be identified by the ESFC’s tag.
Five have been captured to date, and 30 still remain at large.
Wastewater treatment plant gives tour to locals, explains where it ends up
It’s a windy cool day just outside of Mammoth proper and spring is in the air. Pine, sage, blooming rabbitbrush and the clean, bright smell of lilac and aspen fill the morning.
Then, the north wind takes a quick turn and shifts to the south.
Spring vanishes. From the south, behind the Mammoth Community Water District front office building parking lot, traveling at wind speed, comes the unmistakable smell of human poop.
.jpg "The scene of a June 2 single plane plane crash at the Bryant airfield in Bridgeport that injured four. The cause of the accident is under investigation. Photo/Submitted")
.jpg "The scene of an ATV accident on Saturday June 1; a cliff near the intersection of Camp Antelope Road and Birchim Flats Road, near Walker. The ATV apparently went off the road at this site for an unknown reason, according to Mono County Sheriff's Department officials, and the victim of the accident as flown to Reno for treatment.")
Customers versus residents
June 5, 2013
At town meetings, we are beginning to hear more and more references to the term “customers” and less and less of the term “residents.”
Like other small, rural communities in California, Mammoth Lakes faces issues pertaining to a tourist-based economy that involves striking a yin-yang balance between competing economic forces and cultural opportunities that include quality of life for its residents.