BLM - Bishop Field Office
BLM law enforcement is crucial to protect the numerous petroglyphs and other archeological wonders under the jurisdiction of the Bishop office. The territory is immense, the population is small and the areas in need of protection are widely dispersed and hard to get to. Those of us interested in protecting these treasures while still being able to access them know that without sufficient BLM law enforcement assets, the easiest way to protect these sites is to just close them. I prefer a better law enforcement presence to deter those who might degrade the assets and to respond when interested citizens report vandalism or theft. Please approve this grant. Steven Adler - 3/13/17
I support this grant to fund ground operations of the Bishop BLM office. Much of the land around Bishop is overseen by the BLM and funding is never sufficient. The BLM coordinates well with all of us interested in maintaining access to this beautiful place, but making sure that access does not harm the land BLM protects. Please fund this grant. Steven Adler - 3/13/17
This proposal should be funded. Law enforcement is necessary in the "back country" because, unfortunately, there are a few people who abuse when they use! Those few people reflect very badly on the vast majority of those of us who do use our public lands responsibly. Their illegal actions are constantly thrown in the face of those of us that respect out lands by those that wish to eliminate all OHV use. Even the low level of law enforcement presence requested in this proposal will help greatly. The word will pass quickly that you can not abuse our lands without the chance of being caught and punished. As an aside: When they get caught they best wish I am not on the jury! John Shepherd - 3/22/17
I am in favor of more money spent on law enforcement. The OHV areas where I hike are becoming more devastated every week. OHV is a disaster and I would like to see it be more curtailed. If that won't ever happen then we need to have more enforcement. Lois Alexander - 3/22/17
As a resident of Bishop who lives in Starlite Estates surrounded by federal public lands, and one concerned about irresponsible OHV users damaging our local public lands I support funding to enhance federal law enforcement capacity. I do think it is strange that the federal government has to rely upon state grants for law enforcement, a point I will make to my federal elected representatives. Tom Boo - 3/27/17
This grant proposal should be approved and fully funded. It is general knowledge in our area that there are very few Law Enforcement officers patrolling our public lands. While the vast majority of OHV users obey the regulations and respect our public lands, there are those few that do not. The people that violate protective laws on our public lands need to know that Law Enforcement is out there and that they may be caught and prosecuted. Even the low level of law enforcement presence requested in this proposal will help. Thank You Pat Woods - 3/28/17
Law enforcement is a useful tool in educating the OHV users and very beneficial in the Bishop area. It is important that they help to distribute the CTUC maps and also fill the map box at the kiosk. Mike Johnston - 3/28/17
This project should be funded. Without maintenance trails simply become unusable. This has been an especially bad year for trails because of numerous washouts and there will be even more as the spring runoff continues. If the BLM is unable to maintain these trails OHV recreational opportunities will be reduced in our area and have negative impact on our economy. John Shepherd - 3/22/17
I would like to see the Bishop BLM expand their Ground Operations. This year there will be considerable damage due to the immense run off and therefore much needed repair work. They are currently understaffed for the task at hand and will need all the help they can get. Fortunately they are a great group to partner with. I would like to see expanded pro-active efforts to reinforce the Tread Lightly theme. It would also be good to restore motorized access the the west side of the White Mountains. Mike Johnston - 3/28/17
This grant proposal should be approved and fully funded. Our area is a playground for Los Angeles and OHV activities are a significant part of the tourism that supports the economy in the Eastern Sierra. This grant will help with the management of the OHV resources in our area and is a good use of our "green sticker" funds. Thank You. Patrick Woods - 3/28/17
I am very much in favor of this grant for increased Law Enforcement in our Back Country. Law enforcement is a good thing. It is unfortunate that there are those that are careless & disregard rules, but it is a fact of life. Encreased presence will encourage people to do the right thing and teach their children to also do the right thing and to follow the rules. John McVicker - 3/30/17
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I strongly support this application from the BLM's Bishop Field Office for law enforcement. This is a grant for a small dollar amount that could improve visitor awareness of OHV routes and restrictions, ensure compliance and minimize encroachments into protected areas. Nick Sprague - 4/3/17
I am in favor of this grant that will help maintain our trails. In many respects we experienced a great weather year this fall/winter. Record snow and rains in the Back Country. The downside to this is that our roads & trails have taken a beating and this will only get worse as the snow begans its melt. This Ground Operations funding will address this issue, clearing roads which will encourage people to 'stay on the road' and not try to make their own 'go around'. Hopefully this grant will encourage our BLM to keep roads open and not take the easy way out by closing toads and restricting our access to our lands. John McVicker - 3/30/17
I strongly support this application from the BLM's Bishop Field Office. This office is leveraging a relatively small grant to actively repair, sign and patrol an extremely large area. Nick Sprague - 4/3/17
This is a comment concerning the Humbolt Toiyabe National Forest and the BWRA. My son and I had the opportunity to ride as volunteers with Outback Snowmobile Ranger Ryan Lethwaite. He was very experienced in all aspects of the area, and made us very aware of the pleasure and danger that can exist in the park. It was one of the most amazing things I have done in my lifetime. This area is only able to be seen by snow machine, and I believe the position of monitoring this area is paramount to the safety of all riders. I have followed this on their website and Facebook page and it brings me back to the BWRA. Allowing access to this area in a safe and managed way will only ensure the continued enjoyment for so many individuals trying to take in the spendor. Thanks for allowing me and my son to have the experience of a lifetime, while doing it in a well supervised and educational way. Sincerely, Ed Foley - 3/28/17
Hi Marty, my name is Sharon Connor. I was at the open house a couple of weeks ago 3/16. First, thanks for hosting the open house, it was helpful. Since we are in the comment period I thought it would be a good idea to put in my comments to the Forest Service, the BLM and the county, in writing.
My comments to each of the entities was that I think it is a very bad idea to invest in an OHV economy, the dream of the Adventure Trails project. A significant influx of OHV's is only going to scare away our tourists who count on the Eastern Sierra for its serenity and a chance to commune with nature.
I understand that the Forest Service has a multi use mission. But motorized vehicle recreation is the only form of recreation that is absolutely incompatible with any other. So there needs to be a very significant buffer zone between OHV's and other forms of recreation. OHV recreation also leaves a far bigger footprint than any other on our landscapes, and this has to be taken into account in the balance. I am in favor of restoration projects and monitoring and patrol on existing routes. And signage may be helpful. But we have all seen signs of damage where dirt bikes go off into the brush, which is clearly not on any route. The more vehicles we have, the more damage we will have, even it is a small percentage of users who don't follow the rules.
So while I realize we have an enthusiastic local OHV community and some tourists who come from out of town, and that's fine, I would be against any effort to expand/promote OHV tourism in the Eastern Sierra. Thank you--Sharon Connor - 3/30/17