Fast Food coming to Carrizzo?

I read this today...

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/11/28/2310178/fast-food-restaurant-carrizo-plain.html

This would be going in near the old motel at the North end of the monument, in California Valley area. I'm not quite sure just what to think about this.. good or bad? :eek1

And the problem would be??? They want to re-model the motel and add food. Why not?

Well.. for one thing it just seems like it would detract from the ruralness and make it seem a little more civilized, I guess. I'm not really condemning the idea, just wonderind what the actual impact would be. I suppose it won't amount to any more traffic than is already out there due to the work crews.

You realize that there was already more than that with former gas station across the street and all...right?

and a fire station, motel, community center, air strip (which I've landed on) and a partridge in a pear tree. Yeah, knew that. But by the time I began working on the website, most of all that, though outside the NM, was defunct. The store has been open/closed several times over the years.

I just kind of hate to see any commercial build up out there.

I was down there a year ago in April and it was the desolate place I love to visit. Just how badly have these solar panel jokers marred up the area in a years time???

Scott.. the solar activity is mostly on the other side of 58, but some aworkers are apparently staying in the old motel. There's definitely more traffic on 58 out that way these days. I don't think the project has impacted the area inside the NM other than traffic to and from.

Hi scottmac,

My wife and I just rode through there last weekend and I was shocked at how much the part you see from Rt 58 and Bitterwater Road had changed since I was last there, about a year ago ...

Big solar farms south of 58 and at the end of Bitterwater Road ... what dyvking says about the NM is true, we didn't really see the farms from Hurricane Ridge or Elkhorne Road ...

The area isn't ruined for me, still big vistas, and the solar farms are not that big [yet], but man ... progress marches on ... pretty quickly, too ...

The strange watch-tower thing at the north end of Bitterwater has started to collapse, also ... near the collapsed old county store ...

oh well,
see you around the campfire,
-- SFMCjohn

"and the solar farms are not that big [yet], but man ... progress marches on ..."

I don't call that progress !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don

Copy that, I didn't know how much you knew about the area.

Appreciated. See my website in my sig line below.

That really sucks.


Riding down there from the north on Bitterwater is part of the whole experience IMO.
Nothing to see but empty rolling hills,cows and the sporadic ranch buildings.

That's what makes Carrizo feel so remote. Pulling up to Soda Lake road and seeing a
Mcdonalds is just plain wrong.

Once the Solar boom is over (built out) all this building for support will dry up and go away. Even the largest solar farms only have a few people on site. The motel has been shuttered for YEARS so I'm glad to see the owner recoup SOME of his money, even if it's only for a while.

Unless some sustainable employment in numbers comes to the Carrizzo, it'll all quiet down in a couple years.

I need to get out there and see what's going on! Since I retired I haven't been on 58 out that way on over a year!!!

Gerg

Home to the indians... oil... ranching...hunting... now solar
Someone just tryin make a buck off the land
Good thing our tax money is making the park better

Cary and I rode through the Carrizo Plain last week on our way home from Baja, and snapped this pic of the new solar farm at the intersection of Bitterwater Rd and Rt 58 ... looking east, it goes for three or four miles, with a large electrical sub-station in the middle ...

It was Friday, and we passed a hundred big-rigs headed east on Rt 58 ...

see you under the power-lines,
-- SFMCjohn

I was poking around on the BLM's Carrizo website regarding the wildflower bloom this season, and came across a link to their Travel Management Plan ... guess the last public meeting they had was June 30, 2011 ...

Here's a link to the minutes and some handouts ...

Last time I was through. a few weeks ago, I noticed some "road closed" signs I'd not seen before ...

More progress, I guess ... I didn't find anything more recent than 2011 ... anyone hear anything about the Travel Management Plan?

see you around the campfire.
-- SFMCjohn





TRAVEL MANAGEMENT
HANDOUT

Minimization criteria

~Routes and trails shall be located to minimize damage to soil, watershed, vegetation, air, or other resources of the public lands, and to prevent impairment of wilderness suitability.

~ Routes and trails shall be located to minimize harassment of wildlife or significant disruption of wildlife habitats. Special attention will be given to protect endangered or threatened species and their habitats.

~ Routes and trails shall be located to minimize conflicts between off-road vehicle use and other existing or proposed recreational uses of the same or neighboring public lands, and to ensure the compatibility of such uses with existing conditions in populated areas, taking into account noise and other factors.

~ Routes and trails shall not be located in officially designated wilderness areas or primitive areas. Areas and trails shall be located in natural areas only if the authorized officer determines that off-road vehicle use in such locations will not adversely affect their natural, esthetic [sic], scenic,
or other values for which such areas are established.

This is from the AMA, here's the main point "The AMA is concerned the proposed actions may unnecessarily restrict street-legal, dual-purpose motorcycles" ...

dyvking, have you heard anything about proposed changes to Carrizo Plain access for motorcycles? Maybe I'll pm you ...

see you around the campfire,
-- SFMCjohn



Carrizo Plain National Monument: New rules threaten OHV use Take Action!

On Dec. 21, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management announced establishment of interim final supplementary rules for public lands managed by the Carrizo Plain National Monument in Kern and San Luis Obispo counties, Calf.. The American Motorcyclist Association believes your comments are necessary to prevent the closing of this area to off-highway vehicle use.

As stated in the Bureau of Land Management’s Federal Register Notice:
“Recently there has been a noticeable increase in Off-Highway Vehicle (OHV) use in the Monument. Monument resources, including the majestic grasslands that offer refuge for endangered, threatened, and rare plant and animal species, are highly susceptible to damage from OHV use. The significant fossil assemblages and cultural artifacts associated with the Monument are also susceptible to OHV damage. This led to the determination during the planning process that non-street-legal vehicles generally are not compatible with the Monument Proclamation.”

The AMA is concerned the proposed actions may unnecessarily restrict street-legal, dual-purpose motorcycles. The AMA advocates responsible motorized recreation on public land. We want to ensure that our members and their friends and families will be able to continue to enjoy the American outdoors. Motorized recreation has a substantial and growing economic impact on many small communities in the West. We feel it is important that the management of BLM land be adequately defined and easily enforceable so that we avoid unnecessary restrictions being placed on America’s motorized outdoor recreation.

The AMA strongly encourages everyone who enjoys recreating on our nation’s federal land to provide comments. All comments must be received by Feb. 19 for full consideration. If you want to help protect the off-highway trails that you, your family and your friends enjoy, this is an opportunity you can't afford to miss! According to the Federal Register notice, all comments must be hand-delivered or mailed to the Bakersfield Field Office at the address below. Please print the provided comment letter, or even better, use your own words from personal experience, and send it in. In addition, we encourage you to utilize the automated system and send an email to the address provided.

Contact:
Ryan Cooper
Outdoor Recreation Planner
3801 Pegasus Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93308
Tel: 661-391-6048
Email: racooper@blm.gov
Send written comments to:
Bureau of Land Management
Attention: Ryan Cooper
BLM Bakersfield Field Office
3801 Pegasus Drive
Bakersfield, CA 93308

Provide your comments today. You are encouraged to add personal stories to this prepared comment. Be sure to urge the BLM to keep every responsible user in mind. The AMA has prepared pre-written comments for you to send. You can act today by selecting the “Take Action” option.

Written comments on the interim final supplementary rules should be specific, confined to issues pertinent to the interim final supplementary rules, and explain the reason for any recommended change. Comments requesting changes to decisions in the RMP/ROD would be outside the scope of this rule making.

Where possible, comments should reference a specific provision of these interim final supplementary rules. The BLM need not consider or include in the Administrative Record: (a) Comments that the BLM receives after the close of the comment period Feb. 19, unless they are postmarked or electronically dated before the deadline, or (b) Comments delivered to an address other than one of those listed above.

Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, they cannot guarantee that they will be able to do so.

Please join the AMA to help us fight these efforts to end responsible motorized recreation. More members means more clout against our opponents, and your support will help the AMA fight for your rights – on the road, trail, racetrack, and in the halls of government. To join, go to AmericanMotorcyclist.com/membership/join.