We are at a crossroads here my friends in the Eastern Sierra. A vote on the Bodie Hills WSA (Widerness Study Area) reversal could set a precedent that could reverberate through all of time.
Why? Because a reversal on that one Wilderness Study Area could open up things such as energy farms on other WSA’s like the Volcanic Tablelands, Fish Slough, and Crater Mountain where I live in Inyo County. It could threaten all the WSA’s across the entire nation.
I hope that the Mono County supervisors take into consideration that what they decide to do has an effect on all of us.
– David McNeill
My comment about the road upgrade for mining trucks was meant to be facetious and cynical yet somewhat questioning in a conspiracy nut kind of way.
It depends on your statistics. California does indeed have a lot of wilderness, but we also have a huge population. In fact, as a ratio of acres of wilderness to people, California has the least amount of wilderness of all the mountain west states, Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, New… Read more »
…..but California still has the most wilderness in the U.S., outside of Alaska.
And that is a good thing…..
No- its long needed maintenance.
The tough road getting there is all part of it…especially the last 3 miles….How it is supposed to be….kinda adding to the mystic of the “olden days”,don’t you think?
The dirt road section of 270 is actually within the State Park boundaries and was purposely not paved for that reason.
sorry to disagree, hisierragal, but Heckman isn’t drinking the KoolAid, he’s the one trying to pass it out and get US to drink it.
Are they upgrading the road to Bodie in order to support the mining trucks?
Oh,yea…And while they’re at it,let’s add a couple stop lights,and cross-walks….maybe a gas station and a quick stop market along the way….and a sporting goods store.
Mr. Heckman’s statement that “Mining will provide higher paying jobs to a greater number of locals.” is hearsay and suspect. To use an interesting vernacular: it sounds like he has been drinking the kool-aide. If the mining is such a non-issue why is he arguing so vehemently in favor of… Read more »
Actually, I’m not arguing in favor or against, all I’ve said is that until a proposal is proposed, there is nothing to discuss regarding mining issues. I commend your dedication to teaching the next generation, but having a degree in a particular field is one thing and being a teacher… Read more »
Mark….Trying to figure out YOUR agenda to why you seem so against protecting the Bodie Hills,and the ghost town of Bodie….because they accually are one in the same.
Bodie State Park is not part of the area covered by the WSA. Please examine the aforementioned website as to the actual location of the WSA vs. the State Park.
Gosh,Mark…I didn’t mean it literally…..When I,and many others are heading up HWY.395,and make that turn to head up to Bodie,many of us want that whole area,including the 13 mile drive into the ghost town left alone.No heavy equiptment to avoid along the way,no fenced-in destructive mining operation to have to… Read more »
The only “Red Hering” here are your comments regarding a mine proposal that has yet to be proposed……the Letter to the Editor is regarding the Bodie Hills WSA and whether or not there should be a vote on its reversal. Such an inordinate amount of time has been spent by… Read more »
While I’m at it I would also like to point out that Mr. Heckman’s alleged conversation with a representative from Friends of the Inyo is also quite clearly “hearsay and suspect”.
Do I really need to document everything I do or say?….however, for giggles I will…..the representative for the FOI was at the Mobil Mart on Thursday July 21, 2011 for the “Buster Blue” show which started at 6pm, the show ended at 9:30PM. This person was carrying a petition and… Read more »
I already have wilderness in my backyard……statiscally, California has THE MOST wilderness in the lower 48. DVNP is 98% wilderness and 95% of Inyo County is publicly owned property that will never be developed and Mono County is ~88% publicly owned too. So to say that I don’t want wilderness… Read more »
Ya know what – I just went to the Friends of the Inyo website and yes, they are encouraging folks to come to the meeting but there is absolutely no statement being made that only “locals” should able to influence this decision. And it really is a shame that Mr.… Read more »
Lot’s of red herrings you are throwing in there. I am quite aware of the issues concerning mining claims on public land even in wilderness. You spend a lot of time trying to tell me things that I already know but you won’t answer a real simple question. But it… Read more »
@Mr. Heckman, Kinda funny that you accuse me of having “inaccuracies and assumptions”. But of course, you KNOW EXACTLY what you are talking about. Or so you think. I want to start by saying that one of the issues you apparently do not wish to discuss is the fact that… Read more »
@HiSierraGal: Responses to your thorough statement: #1) You are correct, Federal land is for everyone however; that also includes mining companies. The BLM’s mission statement is “To sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the USE and enjoyment of present and future generations.” Please note, USE… Read more »
Mike Heckman…..Back in February of this year,Cougar Gold,was pushing to remove Wilderness designation in the Bodie Hills,and trying to get rights to open up an operation up there.From what I remember,the CEO of the company is the same person that worked with Sarah Palin in her failed campaign in 2008.He… Read more »
@hisierragal: Your comments are fraught with inaccuracies and assumptions……not a single company has proposed ANYTHING yet. The ONLY proposal on the books is removal of the WSA designation in the Bodie Hills; in fact the “Letter to the Editor” that everyone here is commenting upon only discusses the WSA, not… Read more »
Mark Heckman – Although the sage grouse isn’t on the endangered species list you should have mention that the bird is among species that are candidates for federal protection. These species are assigned a priority number between one and twelve. The sage grouse has been given an eight, putting it… Read more »
TM, clap, clap, clap, I agree 100% Our supervisors don’t care about anything but how they will look and what they can get out of it. They sit on their thrones and rule us dumb hill billy’s and maybe we are for allowing them to continue to reign.
Dave, I don’t think the Mono County Supervisors really care about what any of us ‘little guys’ think about this situation. Would you agree?
Rob…The way young people are now-a-days,do you really think many of them would head up to Bodie,looking for work,or staying at the job very long in that type of seclusion ,or dealing with the type of elements in that area….IF that mining operation does go through….which it won’t?The only type… Read more »
I won’t agrue about our young people Wayne 😉 But the pay is pretty good at the mine down in Trona. I would figure pay scales would be about the same if the new mine is also a union job. and talk about minimum-wage bottom of the barrel type of… Read more »
I sure don’t want the Bodie Hills looking anything like that operation they got going on in Trona…Wouldn’t that be a nice,scenic 13 mile drive to the ghost town?
“…would be the minimum-wage bottom of the barrel type of jobs nobody wants.” Which is code for immigrant labor, legal and otherwise. The myth of job creation demands that one buy the premise that there are many unemployed local people in the area that would rush to take those jobs.… Read more »
Ken…This seems to be a topic on some wanting to remove Wilderness restrictions in an area that should be left alone,and not allowing any out of state mining companies trying to get their foot in the door in an attempt to profit and destroy the land.Let’s not turn it into… Read more »
@Mr. Heckman, Wilderness designations by” outsiders?” Well, this land is owned by more than just the residents of the 395 corridor even though I know many of these residents were quite active in obtaining said wilderness status. Outsiders? Minority?” Hard Hit”? Yeah. In case you haven’t noticed the whole fricken… Read more »
hisierragal………I LOVE THIS POST!!!!!….Thank You!!!!!!!
Complain about NIMBYism all you want–but is the isolated Eastern Sierra really the right place for large-scale industrial development? True, some of our trails started as mining roads, which were abandoned because mines were not successful. Now the money rolls in to businesses that cater to visitors who love the… Read more »
Unless your grandkids are trust fund babies they’re going to need to work somewhere.
When your “studies” consist of doing nothing over a long period of time, it can take you 20 years. The WSA should be made into wilderness or opened back up. Who says the animals can’t forage next to a mine? Not so pretty for the NIMBYS, even though so many… Read more »
I believe that these frivolous WSA’s that are throughout this area and country need to either be designated as official Wilderness or removed from the books altogether. The Amargosa WSA was present for over 20 years and many parts of the WSA weren’t included in the final designation. How long… Read more »
Here we go again….If that mining operation is to go in the Bodie Hills,not only will it screw up the wildlife,but also destroy the land where it takes place…….AND it will not mean jobs for the town of Bridgeport…This operation will bring in their own experienced people….with their heavy equipment… Read more »
Amazing!! We are constantly told how we need to be green….AS LONG AS THE ENERGY SOURCE IS NOWHERE NEAR MY HOUSE……stop complaining about oil prices and energy costs as long as you have the “not in my backyard syndrome”.