Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board Lone Pine Ranch-LAT

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sierra-land-20100921,0,7605540.story

"It's a terribly frustrating situation," said ...executive director of the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce."...But 100 years from now, I'm guessing we'll look about the same as we do right now."

We said the same thing in the Bitterroot Valley 20 years ago and we were proven wrong.

The only thing constant is change.

Did you say that 100 years after the water was diverted from the Bitterroot Valley?

Dale B. Dalrymple

I was just down in Lone Pine two days ago climbing Mt. Whitney for the second time (1st time in 1978). I noticed the 'average age' of the residents appeared to be getting older. If this trend continues, and if there is little opportunity for the young to make a living, we could be looking at a ghost town in 20-50 years.

Can anyone comment on what percentage of the kids are staying in this area after they become adults? I would love to live down there, but that would require hi-tech opportunities - so I will need to wait on that dream.

I do like the town just the way it is - today. A small hi-tech company (or satellite office) could bring younger folks to the area who share a similar love of the mountains (valley) as the older folks that are there today. Any growth would need to be carefully managed.

If L.A. would walk the "green" talk and allow the Owens Lake to become a natural reality again, Lone Pine would be much more attractive in so many more ways. Not holding my breath, though.

If Owens Lake were returned to it's natural state, Lone Pine could compete with Lee Vining at Mono Lake for "Brine Shrimp Capitol"of California.

Even before LA bought the land in the valley, the level of the brine in the Owens Lake was dropping due to agricultural water diversions within the valley. LA bought the land to acquire the rights to divert the water their direction. LA was eventually held responsible for controlling dust off of the dry lake bed. When they suggested building solar power systems there as part of the development, they were immediately attacked.

The only sure thing to come from the potential sale of land into new use is the entertaining spectacle of battle between the highly charges positions of 1) the development to provide jobs, housing and profits for those in and out of the valley, 2) the protection of the natural values of the land, ans 3) the greenie NIMBYs who want a green future for us all, but Not In My Back Yard.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

I could go for another incarnation of the Whoa Nellie Deli closer to Lone Pine . . .

There was once an attempt to put another trans-Sierra road through as an extension to the Red's Meadows road. Maybe someone would put that through for a good deli at the junction.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

There was once an attempt to put another trans-Sierra road through as an extension to the Red's Meadows road. Maybe someone would put that through for a good deli at the junction.

Dale B. Dalrymple
http://dbdimages.com

What would be so bad about that?Thank god for ladwp's stranglehold on owens valley or the chamber of commerce would turn it into another palmdale or santa clarita valley.