Inyo NF Closure 8/31 - 9/17

[thegib]

My permit was canceled and I was refunded. Of course I'm bummed, even tho I was prepared to bail because of smoke. I hear you on the nanny state concerns - there are a lot of troubling precedents being made, but I can't imagine how exhausted the fire fighters must be, and I just can't blame 'em for this.

[rlown]

The fire will do what it wants. It was due. Lots of dead fall fuel. I also worry about the firefighters.. A LOT of work in hot weather and heavy gear.

[richlong8]

My son is a Kern County Firefighter- so I have a personal stake in the safety of firefighters, and he agrees with me, that closing down every National Forest in California is draconian. Did you know that most fires could be put out much quicker in California if they would allow the use of heavy equipment? That change was made, to not allow any heavy equipment to help fight a fire that crosses the arbitrary line of wilderness. These fires become much, much larger than what they need to be. It seems as if some of the people in charge of the forests would rather let than burn up than put them out as quick as possible. And we only log 10% of the board feet of timber that we logged in the 1970's in California. This creates excess fuel to burn, and contributes to these huge infernos. In other words, the US Forest Service and the bureaucrats have helped create the fire problem, but they want to restrict the owners of the forests, us, from using the forests. So we get punished for their inability to manage the forests correctly. They seem to be happy with burning the forests down instead of allowing logging, and the price of lumber is sky high, affecting everyone in this country. So ask me how I really feel?!

[CAMERONM]

I don't support this, seems like a dramatic overreach of power by lower-level bureaucrats who are not accountable to the public. I understand the various reasons, but ultimately I don't agree. I don't think the danger of fires being started by recreational users, nor the danger of entrapment, can be supported by the data. A decision like this should be made at a higher level, like the governor. Fires are the new reality.

Every year, some group advocates for changing the rise and run of stairs. The argument is that longer steps with less rise per step is more safe. Eventually, the obvious conclusion is to ban stairs altogether. Disallowing automobile use would be a very effective way to end driving accidents...and so it goes.

[richlong8]

For me, it is not practical to restrict my movements in this situation. My trip was to go over Shepherd Pass which is almost 250 miles from the Tahoe Fire. If I ignore the order, they are making me a lawbreaker for breaking their arbitrary, draconian rules. Very similar 17th century Europe, where most of the founders of this country fled from, to settle in the American wilderness, so they might live as free men. Think about it.

[redbear]

Sadly, people initiating the closures are the same people who's bad policies resulted in devastating forest fires we now experience:
https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cou ... -wildfires

[wildhiker]

I know many people here might think otherwise and I might get ridiculed, but this state and the country as a whole slowly but surely turning into a nanny state our founding fathers would be ashamed of. Show me the evidence of one wildfire started by a hiker/backpacker/climber. I bet there are none. Bureaucrats at all levels starting to feel empowered by the events of last year and they ALWAYS know better what's good for an individual and society in general. Liberty to make your own decisions, take risks and be responsible for your own actions will soon be things of the past in all aspects of our lives. Sadly it's our own fault...

I certainly understand the idea of personal responsibility. The problem is that for every experienced hiker who is not likely to start a fire, there are hundreds of other visitors who might, and really, there is no way for the Forest Service to tell them apart. All those cars at the trailhead - who would be responsible, and who would light an illegal campfire? All those cars on the forest roads - who would have a trailer tire blowout that sparks a fire from the rim scraping the road (this really happened a couple years ago and started a massive wildfire up by Redding that burned hundreds of homes)? The problem is that we have a small Forest Service with really limited budget trying to manage millions of acres of land open to the responsible and irresponsible alike. So with no capacity to spare to deal with new problems, they take the only course they can see - close the forests. I don't like it, but I can certainly understand it.
-Phil

[jborvrnut]

It is all NF in Region 5 now. Toiyabe NF is not in R5 so is not covered by the order. There is a sunset date of 9/17 on the order, but expect that to be extended as the date nears, barring any wet weather to alleviate the fire danger.

I had my permit scheduled for the 24th canceled yesterday evening so I think they already know the sunset date is mute.

[c9h13no3]

c9- are you sure that NPS and BLM will not close? What is your statement based on? Just curious because if I could be sure this were so I would try for one of their permits.

Yosemite closed briefly last year during the peak of the Creek fire if I remember correctly, air there was so bad that it seemed inhumane to make employees keep showing for work. I don't believe SEKI ever closed, I think they closed a road or two but still allowed access. Almost all BLM land in California & western Nevada was still accessible, and the Yosemite closure was pretty short. It's pure speculation based on what happened last year. It's possible they adopt the Forest Service's routine.

[balzaccom]

I know many people here might think otherwise and I might get ridiculed, but this state and the country as a whole slowly but surely turning into a nanny state our founding fathers would be ashamed of. Show me the evidence of one wildfire started by a hiker/backpacker/climber. I bet there are none. Bureaucrats at all levels starting to feel empowered by the events of last year and they ALWAYS know better what's good for an individual and society in general. Liberty to make your own decisions, take risks and be responsible for your own actions will soon be things of the past in all aspects of our lives. Sadly it's our own fault...

I certainly understand the idea of personal responsibility. The problem is that for every experienced hiker who is not likely to start a fire, there are hundreds of other visitors who might, and really, there is no way for the Forest Service to tell them apart. All those cars at the trailhead - who would be responsible, and who would light an illegal campfire? All those cars on the forest roads - who would have a trailer tire blowout that sparks a fire from the rim scraping the road (this really happened a couple years ago and started a massive wildfire up by Redding that burned hundreds of homes)? The problem is that we have a small Forest Service with really limited budget trying to manage millions of acres of land open to the responsible and irresponsible alike. So with no capacity to spare to deal with new problems, they take the only course they can see - close the forests. I don't like it, but I can certainly understand it.
-Phil

Not only that, ALL available resources are currently being stressed to the absolute limit by the Caldor Fire and it's growth towards Lake Tahoe. If anything did go wrong anywhere else, they simply don't have the bandwidth to address it. Those guys have been pulling 48 hour shifts already, and there are simply no other resources available.