Plan reduces camping in the Alabama Hills
By Jon Klusmire
Register Correspondent
The days of rolling up to the Alabama Hills and setting up a campsite just about anywhere amongst the sage and distinctive rock formations are drawing to a close.
Total overnight camping will be curtailed significantly and be allowed only in designated sites with a free permit under the new rules set out in the Bureau of Land Management’s recently completed management plan for the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area. Campers will also be limited to a seven-day stay per month, and only allowed to camp in the hills for 14 days in a calendar year.
In addition, if there are adverse impacts from that reduced level of overnight camping, the BLM could move to ban all overnight camping in National Scenic Area. In general, the BLM left the door open to further restrict most aspects of overnight camping if needed to protect “the resources and values” that make the Alabama Hills unique.
Most of the current other recreational uses and commercial activity in the popular area just west of Lone Pine will not be dramatically impacted by the new management plan. Day uses such as climbing, hiking and motorized and non-motorized travel will only see some additional regulations and monitoring. Movie and television shoots, community events and other large-scale activities will also continue to be allowed although with a bit more documentation and some limitations. The BLM Management Plan and Environmental Assessment address the issues arising from all those uses and also documents the area’s flora, fauna, historic, cultural and tribal resources. (A future article will detail the plan’s impact on those activities.)
But the camping regulations have drawn the most attention from the public and agency officials thanks to a huge increase in visitors and campers in the Alabama Hills. The influx of campers in tents, cars, vans and RVs and camp trailers has drawn extensive community input and, sometimes, outrage during the planning process.
The reductions in overnight camping and the elimination of “dispersed camping,” which allowed camping virtually anywhere in the Alabama Hills, will likely be the most notable and noticed changes to the current public uses of the Alabama Hills.
The Bishop BLM Office has been working to create the management plan since March of 2019 when the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act designated 18,745 acres of the Alabama Hills as a National Scenic Area. That designation came about after years of community activism and input to obtain a higher national designation for the Alabama Hills that would retain the area’s many uses and provide additional resources to manage and maintain the hills for the long term.
The designation added to the area’s popularity and drove a spike in visitors, from 30,000 in 2010 to 60,000 in 2019.
The management plant keeps all of the camping in the Alabama Hills “semi-primitive,” with minimal amenities and improvements.
Initially, there will be 50 designated campsites. Those sites will be chosen from the informal campsites already in use in the area. Those sites are often no more than a level spot of dirt between the sagebrush or on top of flat rock outcrops. The BLM estimated there are about 126 existing “disturbed areas” which are used for campsites.
The initial number of sites, however can be reduced further based on the ability of campers to practice “leave no trace” camping and the BLM to manage such impacts as human waste, trash, and vegetation damage. Plus, the plan notes, “if camping cannot be managed in a manner to minimize impacts” to other aspects of the Alabama Hills experience, overnight camping could be banned in the Alabama Hills.
A free camping permit will be required to use a designated campsite. Again, a paid permit and reservation system could be implemented in the future “if needed to help protect resources and values,” the management plan states.
The management plan also imposes some reductions how long campers can stay in the hills. Camping will be allowed for up to seven days in a 28-day period, and will be limited to 14 total days in a calendar year.
The plan allows campsites that can be used by “a range of vehicle types and group sizes.” However there will only be five group camping sites where groups of three or more vehicles can set up.
All campers will be required to use restrooms or pack out all human waste and toilet paper. Campfires will only be allowed in designated areas, and only with a California Campfire Permit. Seasonal fire restrictions will also apply. Noise levels, from everything from vehicles to generators to “audio devices” should not be “unreasonable” and disturb other visitors.
The accommodate the demand for camping, the nearby BLM Tuttle Creek Campground will get a range of improvements including shade structures, wildlife resistant food lockers and expanding the existing equestrian facilities. The campground could also be renamed “to mirror the name of the Scenic Area,” with one suggestion being the Alabama Hills Campground. The 83-space campground will remain a “first-come first-served” campground.
If demand dictates, a reservation system could be installed for the campground and a future expansion could be considered. A new campground outside the Scenic Area could also be developed after a complete environmental analysis and assessment is completed. Another potential “minimum amenity” campground at the junction of US 395 and Moffat Ranch Road could also be considered, after a complete environmental assessment.
The management plan also calls for the BLM to undertake an extensive, ongoing monitoring and inventory effort to determine the overall impacts of camping and other visitor uses. Traffic counters and on-site patrols will be implemented. Plus, “visitor capacity and experience surveys” will be conducted to determine if the designated campsites create conflicts or health and safety concerns. Again, if those impacts are detected, the number of campsites can be reduced or some campsites abandoned while others are put into use.
The complete Alabama Hills Management Plan and accompanying Environmental Assessment and Record of Decision are available online at https://eplanning.bl...ect/1502669/510. For more information, contact the Bishop BLM office at 760-872-5000.
The 30-day appeal period will end on Feb. 15, at which point the plan could begin to be implemented.
