Inyo National Forest: Shady Rest OHV/OSV Staging Area

Project Description: On March 26, 2014, culminating a planning process originally initiated in 2011, Mammoth Lakes District Ranger Jon Regelbrugge made the following decision: "Based upon my review of the Shady Rest Over Snow Vehicle/Off Highway Vehicle (OSV/OHV) Staging Area Project Environmental Assessment (EA), I have decided to implement Alternative 3: Staging Area Development minus Ride-Back Trail & OSV Parking. This alternative authorizes the design and construction of an OSV/OHV staging area along Sawmill Cut-Off Road in the Shady Rest Area. The development consists of two components, 1) the staging area development, and 2) the widening of Sawmill Cut-Off Road."

Preliminary Planning Efforts: In January of 2011, the US Forest Service announced that it had received an OHV grant from the State of California to support recreation planning efforts for the Shady Rest area within the Town of Mammoth Lakes. The planning process was designed to address year round motorized use while considering the needs of non-motorized users in the immediate and surrounding area and the potential impact of proposed geothermal development. The desired outcome of the planning process was to design, review, and approve the development of a new motorized staging area. From the Inyo National Forest Press Release: "The planning process will begin with a series of public meetings to discuss current and future recreation uses and review site development options. Information from the public meetings will be used to help develop a proposed action released to the public and subject to the National Environmental Policy Act and the California Environmental Quality Act." The schedule as announced for the public meetings was as follows:

• Meeting #1: Thursday, February 10, 2011: "Existing Condition, Current Uses and Needs Assessment" - Mammoth Lakes Ranger Station Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Meeting #2: Thursday, February 17, 2011: "Multiple Uses, Recreation Development Options" - Mammoth Lakes Ranger Station Auditorium, 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Meeting #3 was cancelled.

This page last updated: February 21, 2016