The Los Angeles Times has encapsulated the recent move by the National Park Service to put a halt on runs and cycling events through Death Valley. The Badwater Run organizer, Chris Costman, had recently talked to the Inyo Supervisors about asking Congress to reverse the decision. Supervisor Matt Kingsley pointed to the large number of visitors to Lone Pine for the event.
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Other than about 20 miles between Bad water and State hwy 190. The Bad water 135 is run on the state hwy. Did the park check with Cal Trans. Or is this more of “We are the Feds and you are not”
Also over 90% of Death Valley is in Inyo Co. Did the park check with the County? Or is this more “We are the Feds and you are not”
This land was set aside for the people. Now the park is looking for ways to kick the people out. And they feel “We are the Feds and you are not”. We don’t need to ask.
Is it because the race participants stay in Lone Pine and not the Park?
The NPS is set up now with 80% of the money for entry in to the parks. The Park keeps to fund the Park. DVNP is so huge at over 9 million acres it has noway to gate off all the entrances into the park. There by loosing all that gate money. In the big picture the Park want’s to close all the secondary roads so visitors will have to pay at the gate to inter. Just like the gate at Scotty’s Castle. This is a big deal and the DVNPS is doing all they can to make it happen, because “We are the Feds and you are not”
Desert Tortise-
The Angeles National Forest is not Park Service….it’s Forest Service. What you described is the result of 20 million people who all want to recreate in “their forest” but aren’t really sure how to do it without destroying it. It really is becoming an eyesore.
Whether the rangers are state of Federal, NPS or USFS, it is all the same. Oh, did I forget to mention the cans of spray paint brought up and graffiti left behind? Or the ancient native American drawings defaced? And how about huge fires due to careless campers? Yep, but the public always knows what is best.
This is also interesting and perhaps shows the suspension of endurance races in a different light.
http://runitfast.com/2013/12/23/the-real-reason-death-valley-national-park-has-suspended-all-endurance-races. Traffic congestion is the stated reason, but …….
Silly Sheeple, we are the Federal Government. It is our park not yours and we know what’s best.
Now move along.
While I don’t know any of the rangers in DVNP, I have shared breakfasts with NPS rangers in Angeles National Forest many many times. What they will tell you is the heartbreak they feel watching the beautiful land they are charged with caring for and showing to visitors torn up by too many of those very same visitors. The public brings their loud music, booze, fist fights, firearms and crime up with them and leaves trash, abandoned stolen cars (pushed off cliffs or set on fire after being stripped) and the occasional dead body behind when they return. It breaks their heart every single day. Instead of being docents of the land they are so fond of, they end up having to referee disputes between hikers and mountain bikers or equestrians, or between campers, telling people to turn the music down, put out their fire, collecting fees from campers who failed to use the self pay kiosks (while sucking up the ration of grief from the offended camper, imagine having to pay, oh the indignity!), and generally have to act like a combination playground monitor/referee/cop every day. Walk a mile in their boots sometime.
Albert Einstein: “A Foolish Faith In Authority Is The Worst Enemy Of The Truth”
It seems DVNP is just another one of the federal agencies with too much money, time and people, so they find busy work that, unfortunately, compromises the use of the park by the public. Although I have no plan to cycle or run across DV, I see no reason for others to be denies use of the highways for this purpose so long as they have a reasonable safety plan. Beyond it’s no business of the nanny bureaucrats to deny use of a public asset so they can conduct still another useless study. I say useless since the notice doesn’t address any specific issue that needs to be addressed that would warrant prohibition of popular events.
Thefact is, if any injury or accident did occur during a sponsored event, the victim is likely to get medical attention far quicker than a tourist that just happens to be passing through the park that may have to wait and hour or two, or more, for any kind of assistance.
So, let’s just reduce the DVNP staff, thus saving the taxpayer some money, and allow the sponsored events to continue.
I don’t claim to under stand the desire to compete in one of these events, but I’ll defend ones right to do so. DVNP, no one is asking you to babysit the people of the USA…if you won’t allow people to use their own land, then give it back. DVNP DOES not need to exist or be so large. Decrease its size to a small area right around furnace Creek. The highway is not under DVNP control, why does the park even care.
The nee administration at DVNP IS VERY SCARY! They have the ‘we’ll let you know how and when you can enjoy your land’ attitude!
Just ANOTHER reason to see how it seems DVNPS seems to be making way too many negative decisions and seemingly acting as an all-mighty “authority”……spending lots of $$$ to restore and improve the Father Crowley look-out,while at the same time refusing to want to pay to have a vehicle removed from the very same cliff 100 yards down that claimed a mans life …and how about what MANY think, to this day, despite their efforts and “investigation”,that they were the ones that wanted to rid themselves of the headaches they felt the Barker Ranch was to them a few years ago.Recently,at one of my jobs,one of our company trucks broke down near the Wildrose turn-off..the driver pushed the truck off the highway,called for help,and while waiting on a tow,a DVNP Law Enforcement officer came along with the threat of a citation if the truck remained there for much longer….and our driver was forced to push the vehicle farther onto the shoulder by himself while the “officer in charge” sat and watched….for all of this…..a big lump of coal in the DVNPS Christmas stocking this morning !!
Thank you for getting the link out for all to see.
This is a big deal for the tourism in Lone Pine. The race participants come from all over the world and most of them stay in Lone Pine for days before the race and after.