UPDATE—Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Lebec, Cuddy Valley, Pine Mountain Club, CA (Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016 at 2:30 p.m.)—The location for the Wednesday, Jan. 13, 6:30 p.m. ‘Operation Snow Flake’ community meeting is now confirmed to be the Frazier Mountain Park Community Center on Park Drive. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the meeting will begin promptly at 6:30 p.m. All the community is invited. Please read the note below. This is a time for listening to the plan put together by government agencies to manage snow play visitor traffic. Bring your constructive suggestions please. Leave the complaints at home. The officials are responding so quickly because they are very well aware that our communities suffered great inconvenience and worse over the last weekend.

Do you want to arrive informed with some of the solutions already presented by our community? Here are some hot links to a recent history of problems and opportunities presented by the sudden influx of thousands of snow visitors.
• Snow Bunnies…Love ‘Em Or Hate ‘Em…It Is Their Snow Too

• Six Years Ago: 60,000 Snow Visitors Leave Fun, Litter and Questions Behind–See VIDEO

•Interagency Winter Coordination Group Grapples with Tough Facts

Roads and ‘Snow Biz’ Explored At MAC Meeting

Agencies Coordinate For Winter Safety

Mountain Chamber Meets About Road Closures

Mountain Gains New Allies for Ecotourism Development
Synergy Summit Leads To Specific Next Steps

Use It Or Lose It (a plea for smart economic development)

New supervisor and staff take a whirlwind mountain tour
On the tour we stopped at Mount Piños Ranger District  Chuchupate headquarters, but just behind it is the now-completed Frazier Mountain Trail Head which has restrooms plus parking lot for 100 cars (safe capacity for more adjacent) and expansive snow play area.

Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Lebec, Cuddy Valley, Pine Mountain Club, CA (Monday, Jan. 11, 2016 at 6 p.m.)— A public meeting will be held this Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 6:30 p.m. with representatives from the USFS Mount Piños District of the Los Padres National Forest, Hungry Valley State Park, California Highway Patrol and hopefully representatives from Kern County Sheriff’s Office and the Kern County Fire Department. The location will be published here as soon as it is confirmed. [It is now confirmed as the Frazier Mountain Park Community Center. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and the meeting will start promptly at 6:30 p.m.]

These agencies will be holding a meeting among themselves on Wednesday morning.

Barbara and Jerry Newbold from the Pine Ridge area of Cuddy Valley are coordinating the community meeting at 6:30 p.m. “We want it to be a brainstorm, not a complaint session,” Barbara Newbold said.

Newbold said they wish to create a cordial atmosphere that will be productive  to hear what officials propose to do to mitigate traffic safety concerns when snow play visitors head toward Frazier Park and Mt. Piños. The community will also be invited to share ideas about how residents can be part of a solution.

This is part of the January 8, 2016 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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