DVNPS puts skids on desert racesIt looks like some major events may not be happening this next year unless something is done quickly to alter the situation. Personally I won't miss the events since I prefer not to have to deal with the traffic congestion caused by them, but many local businesses will suffer since these events bring a lot of people to the area who need gas, food, and lodging!
Death Valley National Park suspended permits for the iconic Badwater 135 Ultramarathon and other running and bicycling endurance events in the park until officials can complete a safety review, a statement on the park's website said Monday.
Here's what park officials actually posted on their website:
Effective immediately Death Valley National Park will temporarily discontinue issuance of running and bicycling event permits. Future event permits will not be considered until a thorough safety evaluation of this type of activity has been completed. Activities that already have a fully-executed permit will go on as planned. Our website will be updated once we have completed this safety evaluation.
It sounds like several events are already approved and scheduled and so there's a real good chance that the issues will be resolved before any events are actually cancelled and so this may be a false alarm.
SIERRA WAVE:
http://www.sierrawave.net/27910/on-desert-races/LA TIMES:
http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-trb-death-valley-suspends-races-20131223,0,4616381.story