Dear Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer
This letter is seeking your aid to address the overwhelming public concern in regards to the closure of June Mountain, located in Mono County's June Lake, California. June Mountain has been a significant economic factor in Mono County since it's establishment in 1961. Mammoth Mountain Ski Area LLC (MMSA), the current special use permit holder of June Mountain, made the announcement on June 21, 2012 that June Mountain will be closed indefinitely. We understand that Rusty Gregory, CEO of MMSA, is meeting with you to discuss special legislative treatment in regards to a Forest Service to private land exchange that would greatly benefit his corporate enterprise. Please be aware that under the unilateral direction of Mr. Gregory, MMSA closed June Mountain with no warning to the Forest Service, Mono County, or the community of June lake.
The local community, Mono County residents, and a large number of your constituents not living in the local area are asking that you not move forward on any special legislative treatment for MMSA in a land exchange until June Mountain is operated under the terms of its special use permit. How can there be an exchange of federal land to an entity that is in clear violation of a Forest Service special permit, and is clearly a contracting business entity?
We would like to address that this mountain was established by the United States Forest Service, who are to be stewards of public land, as a public ski area for the good of generating tax revenue dollars. The closure of June Mountain will cause a fiscal impact of drastic proportions that directly affects June Lake followed by the County of Mono. MMSA is a private corporation that is operating on public land which directly effects so many communities in numerous aspects.
One immediate repercussion of this closure is the direct loss of work for families. These job losses will result in direct impacts on the school systems, teachers, and educational value that has thus far been developed and awarded for. More than 30% of the Lee Vining Elementary School students have parents already directly affected by June Mountain's closure. The June Lake community is a family oriented area that will no longer be feasible to live in without June Mountain remaining operational as permitted by the Forest Service.
A general public welfare concern is that if the mountain does not remain operational, telecommunication for the town of June Lake is placed at risk. All servicing communication towers are located on top of June Mountain.
Another consequence that will come from the closure of June Mountain is an overall transient occupancy tax loss of $200,000-250,000 for Mono County. June Lake is the largest revenue base during summertime, and second highest during winter. June Mountain has a far reaching impact to the economies throughout Mono County and has operated profitably in the very recent past.
We are seeking our senators' immediate aid to reopen and keep June Mountain operational for the integrity of our beloved community's survival as well as the overall welfare of Mono County. A year without June Mountain could be the end, if immediate action is not taken to implement a solution. These communities were built on the faith that this mountain remains operational and this has been taken away by a private corporation despite the severe effects it will provoke on the public.
Please help us reopen June Mountain immediately.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Contact information for Sen's Feinstien and Boxer is shown below. You are invited to copy the above letter, or write one of your own, and forward it to them. Thank you for your assistance in the effort to sustain June Mountain!)
Contact for Barbara Boxer
Contact for Dianne Feinstein
Make a Call or Write a personal letter to Dianne Feinstein or Tim Vilsack (US Secretary of Agriculture)
United States Senate Feinstein
331 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3841
Office of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
112 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
(202) 224-3553
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W.
Washington, DC 20250
Information Hotline: (202) 720-2791