Death Valley News

News pertaining directly to Trona, Death Valley, the northern Mojave Desert, Inyo County, and adjacent areas.

Re: Death Valley News

Postby blackturtle.us » Tue Aug 13, 2013 12:32 pm

I'm sure that most people know that the paved road through Panamint Valley is closed. Basically the signs displayed below inform motorists that there is no access to Death Valley using this highway and that the road is closed 19 miles beyond the location of the signs. What I've heard is that the road is closed just beyond the turn off to Ballarat, which means that those working at the Briggs Mine can get to work! I've also heard that sixty feet of the road is missing somewhere near the intersection where the highway veers north and where Wildrose Road begins.

Here are the signs posted at the Inyo County Line across the highway from the bottom of Hemlock Street:
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby desertrat » Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:11 am

Storm aftermath impedes travel in Death Valley
I've heard rumor that it's still possible to get to most locations in the park if you drive around ROAD CLOSED signs and have a 4x4 with high clearance, but most of the major roads into and through the park are officially closed and will be for some time.
:4x4:
The only paved route through the southern end of Death Valley National Park remains closed and could stay that way for months. Flash flooding from a July 28 storm caused major damage to Badwater Road between Badwater Basin and California state Route 127. A 1,000-foot section of the pavement was washed away completely, and mud and debris covered another 20 miles of road.

LINK: http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/nevada-and-west/storm-aftermath-impedes-travel-death-valley
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby cactuspete » Tue Aug 20, 2013 8:47 am

County facing $2 million in road damages
Inyo County doesn't have the resources to adequately deal with this problem. Further environmental restrictions and transportation issues drive up the cost of repairing the roads. Between Inyo County, the National Park Service, the state of California, and the federal government, you'd think that someone would be able to pull their head out of their ass long enough to fix the problem, but apparently all these officials are a bunch of morons!!!
:smack:
The first step in gaining access to this funding was proclaiming a local state of emergency, which Carunchio did Friday, July 27, on the basis that the county doesn’t have the resources required to properly address the situation. The Board met in special session Tuesday to ratify the proclamation and will re-ratify it, after changes were made at the suggestion of the state, this coming Tuesday, Aug. 6.

LINK: http://www.inyoregister.com/node/4946
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby tronagirl » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:06 am

Heavy July Rains Washed Away Many Roads In Death Valley National Park
It sounds like there's a lot of work that needs to be done to fix all the washed out roads. I wonder when they'll get around to it.
:4x4:
The July storms brought major damage to many of the park's roads as well as taking out two power poles that left everyone sweating with no power in Cow Creek for days. Flash flooding has forced the closure of several Death Valley National Park roads.

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LINK: http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2013/08/heavy-july-rains-washed-away-many-roads-death-valley-national-park23789
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby BallaratBob » Wed Oct 02, 2013 7:59 am

Government Shutdown Forces Closure of Joshua Tree and Death Valley National Parks :4x4:
Not sure if this really means all that much if you want to get to some of the more remote sections of the park, but all the tourist attractions will be shut down.
The shutdown of the federal government caused by the lapse in appropriations has prompted the National Park Service to close all 401 national parks, including Joshua Tree National Park and Death Valley National Park, park officials announced Tuesday.

LINK: http://banning-beaumont.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/government-shutdown-forces-closure-of-joshua-tree-and-death-valley-national-parks
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby surfsteve » Sun Oct 13, 2013 7:22 am

Park Ranger: Obama Administration Has Instructed Us to “Make Life as Difficult For People as We Can”
President Obama, as demonstrated by a senior aide who recently admitted that the administration doesn’t care how long the shutdown lasts as long as they are winning and scoring political points, is simply trying to make life difficult on Americans by closing parks and memorials or other locations of sentimental value just to make a point.

Take for example, the plantation home of George Washington at Mount Vernon, where the Park Service recently closed off the parking lot, despite being a privately owned tourist location.

And now an angry park ranger confirms it is designed with the intent of hurting the American people.

Via the Washington Times:

The games politicians play: Barack Obama is having a lot of fun using the government shutdown to squeeze the public in imaginative ways. The point of the shutdown game is to see who can squeeze hardest, make the most pious speech and listen for the applause. It’s a variation on the grade-school ritual of “you show me yours, and I’ll show you mine.”

President Obama is not a bad poker player, but the man with all the chips always starts with the advantage (and he gets all the aces). He has closed Washington down as tight as he dares, emphasizing the trivial and the petty in making life as inconvenient as he can for the greatest number. It’s all in a noble cause, of course. Access to most of the memorials is limited, and often in curious ways.



The Park Service appears to be closing streets on mere whim and caprice.



“It’s a cheap way to deal with the situation,” an angry Park Service ranger in Washington says of the harassment. “We’ve been told to make life as difficult for people as we can. It’s disgusting.”

Watching the federal government close off a privately-owned business solely for political style points should scare the hell out of you. This is the stuff of dictatorships.

also see http://freepatriot.org/2013/10/06/obama ... -s-states/
I think Obama is trying to shut down the government for real so that martial law can be implemented. Apparently he is trying to do it till at least October 17 so the United States can default on it's payment for the first time ever. Apparently there are 16 states relying on federal funds so heavily that they will shut down as well with California being at the top of the list. Maybe it's time to start stocking up on groceries!
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby BallaratBob » Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:44 am

DVNPS puts skids on desert races
It 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
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby wildrose » Sat Dec 28, 2013 9:20 am

Special Use Permits for Sporting Events – Death Valley National Park :sun:
More than a few people I've come in contact with have complained that the Bad Water to Whitney event interferes with traffic. They say that self-important participants take up too much of the road and impede traffic. They have support vehicles which putt along with flashing lights at an incredibly low rate of speed. Also many of the actual participants don't run inside the white line, exposing themselves to traffic. If participants were more courteous I don't think there would be a problem, but they are so caught up in their own little world that revolves around ultra-marathoning that they think that everyone else should bow down and worship them and willingly accept any inconvenience caused by the event without complaint. Although the ultra-marathon is not anywhere near as disruptive as motocross and off-road vehicle racing events, it can still be frustrating to deal with any delays caused by the event. For the sake of clarity, let me emphasize that the disruption caused by the runners is tiny compared to disruption caused by off-road vehicle events, but the vehicular events take place outside the park and so are not under the jurisdiction of DVNP.
This past year, multiple near misses between event participants and park visitors in vehicles were observed. Park employees who monitor these events and respond to emergency situations caused by the events are exposed to unsafe situations due to extreme weather conditions and the location of events on high speed highways (55 - 65 mph speed limits). A safety assessment is being conducted on the effects of these types of events on visitors, participants and employee safety. The purpose of the safety assessment at Death Valley National Park is to identify any safety risks caused by these events and determine if there are actions that can be taken to mitigate the risks

LINK: http://www.nps.gov/deva/parkmgmt/upload/Public-Response-for-Sporting-Events-Dec-2013.pdf
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby panamint_patty » Mon Dec 30, 2013 10:12 am

I agree with everything wildrose wrote! The Bad Water to Whitney event can create traffic delays for those of us traveling to Beatty. It's usually not too bad, but more of a hassle than it should be. Crowds and the desert should never be allowed to meet. Give me wide open skies and wide open highways. Don't fence me in!
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Re: Death Valley News

Postby CoolChick » Wed Feb 19, 2014 6:51 pm

Park Ranger Shoots And Kills 20-Year-Old On Highway Near Vegas
This was just north of Las Vegas near Red Rock Canyon. That's outside of Death Valley NP, but it's in the general area. The original video contains the actually shooting. It's pretty graphic.
ORIGINAL VIDEO: http://www.reviewjournal.com/news/last-moments-man-killed-police-red-rock-captured-video
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