Photo by R.D. Cohan
June Fire Human-Caused Fire
Investigators have determined that the June Fire was human-caused. An employee of June Mountain was operating heavy equipment on June Mountain Ski Area when the fire ignited.
Recent fires on both US Forest Service land and Bureau of Land Management, Bishop Field Office land have been human-caused. These fires have been vehicle-related or equipment related. Please take efforts to reduce the chance of these starts happening.
Vehicle and equipment fires typically start near developed areas, life, and property—the very areas where fire is unwanted.
California is experiencing extreme drought and investigators note that a simple spark is enough to start fires that are growing rapidly.
Please visit http://www.preventwildfireca.org/OneLessSpark/ for more information on how to prevent unwanted fires.
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http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-09-24/2-southern-california-ski-resorts-sold
BIG BEAR LAKE, Calif. (AP) — Two Southern California ski resorts that draw visitors from around the world have a new owner.
The operators of Mammoth Mountain have signed a $38 million deal to acquire the company that runs Bear Mountain and Snow Summit in the San Bernardino Mountains
The move comes in the midst of a historic drought.
“My father used to say, ‘In business, you want to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing,'” said Rusty Gregory, chief executive of Mammoth Mountain. “This does look like a questionable time to buy a ski resort operation.”
However, the slopes might not be the main focus of the deal, according to the Times. Mammoth Mountain’s biggest investors are resort developers who already have plans to build on the land around Bear Mountain and Snow Summit.
“In the next few months, expect announcements on developments and expansion plans for all four of our resorts,” Gregory said, referring to Mammoth Mountain; its smaller sister resort in the Sierra, June Mountain; plus Bear Mountain and Snow Summit east of Los Angeles.
—
Ken Warner
And also:
1995
> Starwood Capital creates Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. and Mr. Sternlicht becomes Chairman and CEO
http://www.starwoodcapital.com/history.aspx
…but whatever
Ken. That’s a very informative note you have submitted but it is entirely incorrect. MMSA is in majority owned by Starwood Capital whose CEO is Barry Sternlicht. Starwood Hotels is a different company altogether.
joe glotz: You appear to be correct. Trying to untangle business relationships gets more difficult every day. The two Starwoods are still kindof related. But I am not going to disagree with you or argue about your information.
http://www.starwoodcapital.com/starwoodbussiness.aspx
Hotel Brand Management
SH Group, an affiliate of private real estate investment firm Starwood Capital Group, is a hotel brand management company that owns 1 Hotels, a nature-inspired luxury hotel brand which will launch in 2014 with exclusive properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Miami’s South Beach. The group also holds the license for the luxury Baccarat Hotels & Resorts brand, which will roll out in 2014 with the opening of its flagship property in New York. Leveraging its marketing, design, operational and technological expertise, SH Group is the force behind some of the most groundbreaking and dynamic hotel brands in the world. Additional information can be found at 1hotels.com and baccarathotels.com.
1 Hotels
As a luxury hotel brand inspired by nature, 1 Hotels combines the best of environmentally sustainable architecture and design with extraordinary comfort and an unrivalled level of service. Owned and operated by hotel brand management company SH Group, an affiliate of private real estate investment firm Starwood Capital Group, 1 Hotels will launch in 2014 with exclusive properties in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Miami’s South Beach. 1 Hotels was developed with the simple idea that nature isn’t just beautiful—it changes the way we feel. Each 1 Hotel upholds this vision by channeling nature through design, connecting with the local community, and doing things that matter. Additional information can be found at 1hotels.com
Baccarat Hotels & Resorts
Drawing upon the 250-year history of the iconic French crystal maker, Baccarat Hotels & Resorts delivers a distinctive personalized experience in the world’s most illustrious locales. Owned and operated by hotel brand management company SH Group, an affiliate of private real estate investment firm Starwood Capital Group, Baccarat Hotels & Resorts will launch in 2014 with the opening of its flagship property in New York. Baccarat Hotels & Resorts is distinguished by its attention to sophisticated, luxurious design, commitment to impeccable service, and an unerring focus on creating memorable experiences. Additional information can be found at baccarathotels.com
You know that Rusty only owns a small portion of MMSA. It’s not a local, mom and pop business anymore. Which makes me wonder why everybody here in Mammoth Lakes bends over backwards to help MMSA. Like the “Land Swap”. Like the airport. Like MLT. Like giving up our quality of life to rude people from SoCal.
The majority owner is Starwood Hotels. You should read about Starwood. It can give you a little insight about the future of MMSA. The future of MMSA is going to be “take the money and run”. Starwood is in a devestachure phase where they are selling properties — like MMSA — and then offer to manage them for the new owners.
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/press/history.html?language=en_US
“Starwood’s CEO, Frits van Paasschen, and senior management move to Shanghai for the month of June. The move reflects the company’s global evolution and boom in China, its second largest market after the United States. Relocating global headquarters to China provides senior management with an on-the-ground view of the immense growth occurring in that part of the world. “Eighty percent of our future pipeline is outside of North America, and nowhere is more emblematic of our global growth than China, where we will open one hotel every two weeks this year. China’s spectacular transformation is hard to grasp unless experienced firsthand – it’s the proverbial, ‘you can’t really understand a culture until you buy groceries there.” – Frits van Paasschen”
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-04/starwood-to-sell-as-much-as-3-billion-worth-of-hotels.html
Potential buyers of Starwood’s properties range from real estate investment trusts in North America to investment funds around the world to sovereign-wealth funds and high-net-worth families or individuals, van Paasschen said.
Starwood has sold at least six properties in the past year, including W New Orleans, W Chicago Lakeshore, W Los Angeles/Westwood and the Manhattan at Times Square Hotel, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The company owns 42 hotels “out of nearly 1,150 that we have on our system,” van Paasschen said. “We have joint ventures and leases for a number of hotels beyond that.”
Starwood typically has agreements to manage the properties that it sells, with some lasting as many as 40 years, he said.
Not everyone from Los Angeles is rude. Some of us have spent our lives enjoying the Sierra and doing a great deal to protect and preserve its beauty and resources. Rude people can be found anywhere So can kind people. Where one lives is not the determining factor in how one behaves.
SoCal Allie: Well, you didn’t do a very good job in L.A. Try harder.
Once again KW ,
Another gracious statement. You seem to be forever a pot calling the kettle black. How can one ever expect any sea level understanding , sympathy or kindness with such a limited tolerence of others? Thank You for your comments
SoCal Annie, could not agree more that “rude people can be found anywhere”. I sometimes see one of them in the mirror but I’m working on that one.
PA: “Another gracious statement. You seem to be forever a pot calling the kettle black.”
I really don’t know what that means.
But about L.A. — L.A. is like an obscene blood sucking parasite with a 300 mile long proboscis. Every time a third generation Angeleno turns on the tap, she grounds the boats of her memory.
There is a simple solution. People from L.A. don’t have to drive up here to clean campgrounds. They need to build desalination plants. Lots of them. The way to protect the Eastern Sierras is to fix L.A. Which hasn’t been a priority.
When L.A. and the Upper East Side both have enough water, then L.A. can remake itself into the garden spot paradise it once was. And the Owens Lake can float your boats again.
I’ve run in to plenty of rude “locals” here in Mammoth, Ken. Well at least they think they’re locals cuz they’ve lived here for a few seasons. Not many TRUE “locals”. Most Mammoth residents have come from somewhere else. But some like to think they’re locals. Bottom line, most people don’t give a crap if you’re’ a “local” or a visitor as long as you treat others with some respect.
So Cal, I don’t think people from L.A. have any idea how to “protect and preserve” the Sierra’s. There is very little real private property up here. LADWP is not about to give any of their land due to water rights. Rest of the land is already BLM and Nation Forrest. This land is already protected and preserved. The Pacific could still use your help!
Hey T,
Don’t give up on people. There are plenty of “protect and preserve” folks in the Southland who are aware and effectively contributing to the preservation of the Sierra’s, the Owens Valley, the Inyo, Mono Lake and the Mojave.
They actively support many facets of the tasks of the preservation of this Eastern Sierra through education, intervention ,demonstration, litigation and lobbying in the halls and courts of So Cal and Sacramento.
The Metabolic Studio has been active all this past year in the 100 Conversations. The Sierra Club is forever active ,the Mono Lake Committee and many of the visitors are active and concerned especially when they become aware of the local Sierra environmental issues . There is the Audubon ,the Friends of the Inyo, the Owens Valley Committee, the Manzanar Committee, don’t know them all but there are signifcant participation in all these groups from So Cal folks . I am surprised that you T are not at the forefront of these efforts being “Trouble” and contributing hard truth you tend to dispence.
Sorry to tirade and to go off subject . Have to say thanks to all the Firefighters for all your efforts, talking about protect and preservation efforts . You all know what it takes to hold a line. All are thankful, north south east and west
Thanks Philip, I really don’t mean to come across as anti -LA or even being against any of the organizations you speak of. I just like it the way it is up here and don’t think we need to change much. I do think we need to monitor the hell out of DWP thou.
Thank you Philip! That is the family I was born into: A third generation Angeleno who’s mom described seeing sailboats on Owens Lake when she travelled up the 395 as a child with her father. The Sierra Club, Mono Lake Committee, Save the Tule Elk . . . I have been a part of it my whole life. When I get the not-often-enough chance to visit my favorite parts of the Sierra, and all the towns on along way, you can bet I am wearing a smile. No one in my family has ever been unkind to anyone and wouldn’t think of it. And I always leave my campsite cleaner than I found it. Some of us really care a lot. Can’t wait to come back and say hello. Thanks for listening. PS. I have gotten a couple of speeding tickets on the way there over the decades. Never on the way back though.
Just send the bill to the lay off gods at MMSA. They deserve it!
Don’t sound so enthused. Barbara
Paul, sorry you read “enthusiasm” into a factual post.
B. Richter
Yikes! MMSA and/or their insurance company are going to have an expensive bill to pay.
B. Richter
Na… Just raise taxes in Mammoth Lakes. Call it Meas. F…..