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Mammoth Is Interesting

Negligent users of the Long Valley natural hot tubs could find themselves in some hot water -- but not the sulfuric kind.

"We are still discussing what to do here," said Larry Primosch, the realty specialist for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). "But there has been a growing amount of disappointing use of the tubs.

"People are camping right next to them and leaving their trash out there."

Primosch, who spoke about the issue to the Mono County Collaborative Planning Team on Thursday, Aug. 31, said no plans had been set in stone, but that the BLM might send law enforcement officers to write fines for such activities.

Joe Pollini, assistant field office manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Bishop, said that ticketing would be a last resort and that educating users on low-impact tubbing would be the more-likely scenario.

Education, he said, would consist of sending BLM employees, volunteers or local police to the tubs this fall and next summer to advise visitors of better places to camp and dispose of trash. He recommended staying at nearby established camp sites, but said it was imperative campers make base at least one-half mile from the tub.

The BLM is already monitoring the area to decide how to proceed.

Pollini said the only fines that might be immediately imposed would be for cross-country driving in the area, off of established roads.

"We get strong compliance through our educational strategies," Pollini said. "This method usually covers 95 percent of the problems."

Other than the environmental impact of campers at the tubs, Pollini said visitors tend to be discouraged to enter the tub when others are camped next to it.

"Dissuading camping next to the tub would open them up to more users," he said. "Each group should have access to the tubs for at least a few hours."

Pollini said no tubs had been clearly identified as high priority, but he hinted that Wild Willy's, on the east side of the Benton Crossing Road towards Crowley Lake, could be a problem area.

Although Pollini and the BLM could, essentially, start policing the hot tub area, he consistently emphasized one point: The BLM isn't, and has no intentions of restricting public access to this unique recreation area.

"Hands down," Pollini said, "our main goal here is providing continued access to the tubs."

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