Mono County Recreation Access Tool (MCRAT)

Project Description: Modeled after MLTPA's 2006 GIS Inventory Contract with the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Phase 1 of MCRAT was initiated by MLTPA and Friends of the Inyo (FOI) in 2009 and contracted with Mono County in January 2010 to create a comprehensive inventory of outdoor-recreation access points within the county boundaries. By August 2010, 643 individual points accessing one or more of 71 different winter and summer recreation activities had been identified by MLTPA and FOI through published sources such as guidebooks and developed into a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database.

Phase 2 of MCRAT sought to expand on the work done in Phase 1 through field verification of all the points identified and developed in Phase 1 and by augmenting that dataset with high-quality, original images gathered during the field-verification process. A total of 6,960 high-resolution photos of MCRAT access points have been delivered to Mono County and are tagged to represent site documentation, signage, facilities present at each site, and each site's aesthetic highlights. From this collection, four different photos of each site have been included in Mono County's MCRAT GIS dataset and 451 have been specially prepared for incorporation into Mono County Tourism's website to help visitors plan their trips here and to display the vast wealth of recreation opportunities Mono County offers.

A rich and verified dataset such as the one developed for MCRAT phases 1 and 2 represents an enormously valuable tool that the county may use as they consider possible opportunities and constraints for a variety of future projects. This data can be used by the county's GIS department to assist with planning efforts and in evaluating potential development projects, among other applications, and is the first of its kind in Mono County's history.

Presentation to Mono County Board of Supervisors (August 2010)

MCRAT "Existing Conditions Inventory: Final Draft" presentation given on August 18, 2010, including Guiding Principles, History, Work Program, Dataset Review, Planning for Local, State, and Federal Projects, and Project Applications.

Mammoth Times 12/18/09

"Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access and Friends of the Inyo got a promised $15,000 boost from the Mono County Board of Supervisors Dec. 15.to gather the data that they feel is critical to establishing a comprehensive recreation plan and database of information for the Eastern Sierra."

Mammoth Times 03/19/10

"Mono County is looking at getting the highway a National Scenic Byway designation to add to the one that the state has already assigned to the portion of the highway that runs through Mono County."

The Sheet 05/16/09

"On May 5, MLTPA Exec. Director John Wentworth and Paul McFarland from Friends of the Inyo briefed the Board of Supervisors on the Mono County Recreation Access Tool (MCRAT), designed to take the first steps in developing a comprehensive inventory of the points of access to recreation amenities."

Mammoth Times 03/19/09

"Mammoth Lakes Trails and Public Access (MLTPA) and Friends of the Inyo have developed a proposal for Mono County to take first steps in developing a comprehensive inventory of recreational points of access."

Mammoth Times 10/30/08

"Mono County Board wants more involvement with MLTPA: Supervisor Hap Hazard opined that the county should have a bigger role in the trails planning process."

Last updated February 27, 2024