Archive - 2013
June 4th
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.
Campgrounds, visitor centers stay open, public could see slower service in some areas
A 5 percent cut to the Inyo National Forest budget this year (compared to last year) will not result in campground or visitor center closures or reduced hours, according to local forest officials.
It will, however, likely affect how often some maintenance, monitoring, and other forest work gets done, and it means several top and mid-level administrative positions currently vacant may stay that way.
Local veterinarian says only cat to be grabbed by a coyote and returned alive
It was a quiet Sunday morning on Memorial Day weekend and Mammoth Lakes resident William “Billy” Silva was out early walking his two cats.
It was early, before sunrise; “dark thirty” as the former Army paratrooper and pathfinder called it.
The streets of Mammoth were seemingly empty, which is why Silva was out with his cats in the first place—no bears, no coyotes, no ravens, no hawks—no cat killers, in other words.
By
Mike Gervais- Special to the Times
DFW helping to re-establish fishery in southern stretches of river by planting broodstock
Blackrock Fish Hatchery broodstock, those big trout used for spawning to propagate future generations, are being released in the Lower Owens River.
Last week marked the second large-scale release of the hatchery’s broodstock in as many months—and officials from the Department of Fish and Wildlife said there is going to be at least one more release in the coming month.
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.
This summer, the forest will host two public meetings to update the public on the status of the “travel management” program this year: June 11 in Mammoth and June 13 in Bishop.