Effect of Government Shutdown on USFS Wilderness Areas

[JMSZ]

I guess every NF has their own rules. Here in Co you can set up a hunting camp (or for that matter any camp) almost anywhere in the NF and are allowed to stay for 2 weeks. I guess that the rules are different there as there are really way more people and they (the NF) need more controls.

I will say this tho...if I were camped there and the site had no improvements (eg. tables, bbqs, fire rings or pit toilets), I would have told the him to write a ticket and I'd see him in court! But thats just me!

The real curious thing is that all the improved NF campgrounds here in Co have camp hosts. These are people (mostly retired) who stay at the camp all season. They are basically in charge and clean eveyrhing, collect fees, empty trash and do everything. The FS Rangers are usually nowhere to be found. They get free camping (and maybe a small amt of $$) and it costs the gov't almost nothing. As long as they are there, it doesn't make a lot of sense to close the campgrounds, especially during hunting season and lots of fees coming in. Studid is as stupid does!!!

The developed campsites SHOULD be the only ones affected, but that and a lot of other things seem to be subject the politically-motivated decisions of the agency head concerned.

Gotta love the attitude of so many in this country who really believe that the federal government is free to create or ignore laws on a whim and whatever the federal government decides to do trumps all legal, moral and ethical standards.

I'm heading out again today, so I'll see what happens.

 

[JMSZ]

In case anybody else is heading for the Sequoia National Forest, I just talked to somebody at the Kennedy Meadows General Store.

She said that since last weekend the FS has since gone through and closed all of the campgrounds and all of the road gates, including Monache Meadows.

 

[Sawfish]

Matt,

Sorry about this development. It is hard enough to get a tag. Now you have to deal with this BS. Have you seen a lot of dirt bikers in the area. Probably gone now, if the campgrounds are locked. Stopped at that place last year to get a hamburger, and she told me they only have them during the tourist season (summer), but they left the sign up all year because it was too much trouble to take down!

 

[JMSZ]

It is what it is. I only saw a couple of dirt bikers up there when I was there last week, mostly hunters, all over the place.

Going to guess the guys with the toy-haulers won't be there, but they may get creative. I'll be interested to see what the hunters w/ the trailers are doing, I can't believe they'll stop going just because of this.

I called the store late this morning, I should have called yesterday, I'm reassessing where I'm going to go and holding off until tomorrow, can't do a lot with 5ish hours of daylight left and a 2+ hour drive in.

I was also hoping that the system that went through yesterday might have pushed the deer down the mountain a bit, but the lady there said there wasn't any snow at Kennedy Meadows and she couldn't see any in the mountains around there.

I can see up the 395 north of Little Lake and I don't see any snow at all.

Matt,

Sorry about this development. It is hard enough to get a tag. Now you have to deal with this BS. Have you seen a lot of dirt bikers in the area. Probably gone now, if the campgrounds are locked. Stopped at that place last year to get a hamburger, and she told me they only have them during the tourist season (summer), but they left the sign up all year because it was too much trouble to take down!

 

[bigshot]

Yea guess they closed the Mohave Preserve too...my buddy is stressed out because his Cali Bighorn Sheep hunt is in the Mohave Preserve. He heard from a deer hunter buddy of his, that has a D-17 deer tag, will not be able to hunt this weekend opener, due to being warned by Rangers to stay out or be cited with a $10,000 fine if he is caught hunting in the Mohave Preserve.