High Sierra Topix

I talked to a Bridgeport ranger today about Humboldt Toiyabe NF staying open and she told me there was a meeting discussing closing the California portion of the forest today at noon but it was still open and she didn’t have any other details. She told me to check back tomorrow but as of now they are open and honoring wilderness permits into Hoover Wilderness. I will give an update if I hear anything.

apeman45 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 2:57 pm I talked to a Bridgeport ranger today about Humboldt Toiyabe NF staying open and she told me there was a meeting discussing closing the California portion of the forest today at noon but it was still open and she didn’t have any other details. She told me to check back tomorrow but as of now they are open and honoring wilderness permits into Hoover Wilderness. I will give an update if I hear anything.

Thank you Apeman! This particular question is very pertinent to my (our) interests.

I hadn't considered the effect of closures on those living amidst the NF! Yeah, that'd drive me crazy.

thegib wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:09 pm I hadn't considered the effect of closures on those living amidst the NF! Yeah, that'd drive me crazy.

My town is completely surrounded by NF. You must pass through NF land to enter or leave in any direction. State and county highways are not affected by the order.

The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest just posted a closure notice for the Carson Ranger District and a day-use only order for the Bridgeport Ranger district.

It is interesting they are keeping hosted campgrounds open for the Bridgeport District and are allowing day use only.

hikerdude87 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:26 pm The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest just posted a closure notice for the Carson Ranger District and a day-use only order for the Bridgeport Ranger district.

It is interesting they are keeping hosted campgrounds open for the Bridgeport District and are allowing day use only.

Sounds like they've got a different risk profile.

Sure would be nice to see those discussions and criteria shared in a transparent manner becoming a governmental organization.

My 2 cents.. the government is trying to regulate people's safety yet again. One of their concerns is "entrapment" of campers/hikers if another fire were to break out. Here's an idea.. let a free American citizen decide what risks they choose to take in their own lives, rather than banning them from certain areas for "the greater good". Total BS in my opinion. Also, to everyone saying oh those poor firefighters working long hours in the tough conditions... well, they signed up for that job and most of them love it. If they don't, they can always quit just like any other job. As well as being mostly seasonal work, I highly doubt any of them are complaining about the OT right now. You really want to try to stop fires from starting? How about increasing the punishment for not following the fire restrictions already in place. Basically, the gov doesn't "trust" us to not start fires... even though there are already laws in place that disallow fires. I'm sorry.. but it is not the government's place to "trust" us or not. That is not their purpose. Rather than close everything, stop giving those who start fires a slap on the wrist and a fine. Make it hurt, make some examples out of idiots that don't get the damn clue. Jail time for anyone caught with a fire, and anyone who is convicted of starting a wildfire is accused of attempted manslaughter. If they can pin that on PG&E, surely they can pin it on an individual too. I'm sick of this crap. Because the gov is so incapable of managing OUR lands, they just shut them down? Typical California politicians being completely out of line. Oh and yes, I live in a serious fire danger area. Around here more fires are started from moron truckers that roast their brakes coming down highway 80 than any ohv'er/camper would start. Rant off

Basically this will eliminate all late summer backcountry trips until the end of time.

That is a bit pessimistic. Although fires are getting worse, not every year is going to be a drought year. Not every year will a fire like the Caldor fire threaten an iconic location like Tahoe.

I do think Inyo should have something like a "pass through" and open trailheads to those who will get into SEKI without overnight camping on Inyo.

I just made a request for a permit from Yosemite. Talked to the ranger, and he said it is not likely that they will shut anything down. There were quite a few permits still available. My request was for Labor Day, Rafferty Creek TH, and there were 11 permits available. The Yosemite permit system is quite easy and friendly, not currently through reserve.gov and it is quite easy to get a real person on the phone.

ericmcornelius wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 9:56 pm

hikerdude87 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 8:26 pm The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest just posted a closure notice for the Carson Ranger District and a day-use only order for the Bridgeport Ranger district.

It is interesting they are keeping hosted campgrounds open for the Bridgeport District and are allowing day use only.

Sounds like they've got a different risk profile.

Sure would be nice to see those discussions and criteria shared in a transparent manner becoming a governmental organization.

It really shows the different management ideologies from the regional offices. They could have aligned with the Pacific NW region and closed their CA portion to all camping and backcountry but they did not. I am curious too about how this decision was made and who pushed for this decision to close all the National Forests in CA