USFS - Inyo NF - Patrol District
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 Patrick Woods - 3/28/17
This request should be funded. While some of the problems could possibility be addressed by diverting some law enforcement resources to weekends from weekdays, more resources are clearly needed to improve compliance in the backcountry. The use of properly trained and equipped FPO's in lieu of LEO's is, in most cases, a cost effective and efficient approach to increasing compliance to the OHV rules. John Shepherd - 3/28/17
The Inyo National Forest law enforcement personnel are a great asset to our Forest. They do not take an adversarial role with the user groups but take an educational approach. There is two way communication with the OHV community as we all work together to enforce the regulations. We really appreciate their efforts to help distribute the CTUC maps at the kiosks boxes and in person. It is very important that the OHV community use only the existing trails and not create new ones. Rogue use of the public lands creates a black eye for the user group. The current trail system was established in 2009 by mutual consent of the user groups through the Collaborative Alternative Team (CAT). Additions or subtractions to the trail system should be done in a similar manner. This grant will help to help the OHV community to Stay on the Trail! Thank you. Mike Johnston - 3/29/17
The Monache Property Owners support this Grant Request with some reservations. As in the past several years, a Grant Request for a South Zone FPO has been requested. During Grant cycle G15 this position was not staffed and approved funds had to revert back to the OHV Grant Fund. Although this request is $19,000 less than approved in Grant cycle G15 if the INF cannot staff this position the funds requested should be reduced and made available to other needed Organizations. In Line Item 6., page 9 and Line Item 6.1, page 15, of INF Grant Request G16-02-05-G01, it states “Backcountry field per diem for Monache Ranger (funded 50% with this grant and 50% with LE grant) - 50 days.”. No mention has been made in this Grant Request that it is shared on a 50 – 50 basis with the corresponding INF Ground Operations request. Lack of staffing of this position in the South Zone, specifically the Monache Meadow Area, has allowed illegal OHV to resume to previous years when the INF did not have a presence in Monache. Because of a lack of INF staffing during 2016 a CA Fish and Game Warden was observed issuing Resource Damage Citations for illegal vehicle trespass into the South Fork of the Kern River in Monache Meadow. Dion Salfen - 4/1/17
This is to support approval of the USFS - Inyo NF - Patrol District: Law Enforcement grant request. I am a mountain hiker and have hiked in many parts of the Inyo National Forest over the last 17 years. Over that time period I have seen an increase in use of OHVs with a considerable number of illegal routes having been created. There are both trails created that are used over and over and there are one-time incursions. Both of these are damaging to resources and they continue unabated due to lack of law enforcement on the forest. Population explosion, the use of the internet and GPS type devices have let to increased illegal OHV activity and it will only increase without adequate law enforcement. With the inadequate funding that the USFS receives from Congress, there is no hope of managing OHV activity in a responsible manner. This grant request is a step in the right direction so I urge your approval. William Mitchel - 4/2/17
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