TuttleCreekClosure

Closure on Tuttle Creek Rd.

Benett,

Attached should be a shot of the “intersection closure” on Tuttle Creek canyon road at the seven thousand foot level in the Sierra. The second shot labeled: AlternateRoute shows the remaining access, through private property, to get to the several hundred acres of pine-nutting/dear hunting area used daily this time of year, by many, many people.
AlternateRoute

Alternate route through private property to Tuttle.

Someone gets a Darwin Award nomination for this one!

Note that the barrier is at the base of a steep hill. Any vehicle coming over that hill from the other side finds itself nose into a barrier with the choice of backing up a steep blind grade or going around the barrier through the brush. Unsafe, stupid placement of the barrier. Worse is the result: the daily traffic that was using this access, goes down canyon about 3/4 of a mile, turns across private property and then goes up a ridiculously steep, severely eroded Forest Service road that even the four wheelers haven’t used in fifty years, but now is the only way to drive to that pine forest area.
Like many folks, I have personal anger over the fact that I was told; “no closures would happen in this area”, and told it by every forest service official at every public meeting for over three years.
All of the feed back that I have heard about this closure is very negative, to vengeful. The area that they attempted to close is a favorite of locals and travelers alike for day use and it is the easiest road access to pine nuts anywhere around Lone Pine. The words ‘blatant disregard’ come to mind.
To add injury to the insult: this was the one road our daughter could take, in her wheel chair, to get into the pinion pines, from our house. When they replanted the intersection, they made a point of leaving no trail connecting the roads. Criminal! She has been going into that canyon her entire life and snap, one day it’ a crime for her to cross the barrier!

Russ Monroe

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