Was the CPSU study of Sphagnum Bog helpful to make the case for all of it being inside the park?
I didn’t refer to it (39). We talked earlier today about these various land classifications. Planners and park staff probably defined the area of Sphagnum Bog as class four, which has unique natural features. I had the judgment of others to fall back on for that being of value and I knew there was some adjacent to the park. I wanted to get as much as I could for a buffer.
That section east of the Pinnacles is very nice to have.
I went down the canyon as far as I could. That road closure at the East Entrance occurred in about 1972 or 1973. It wasn’t in the master plan, because the 1968 plan still had the four entrances: north, east, south, and west. The East Entrance got very little travel, but there was a question of staffing it when the planning team was considering the one-way rim drive. How would that fit into the scheme of things? Would the people who wanted to go out the East Entrance would have to go all the way around, or could they go across from the south to the East Entrance? We realized why there was so little travel- it was because the state maintained the little spur road for only about four miles. It was a maintenance headache for them. By closing it they could eliminate that road from maintenance, and it was agreeable with us. I don’t know who initiated that idea, but it was a win-win situation for everyone.
Were they also concerned about elk and potential poaching?
It helped our protection program to by not having to worry about that access. It was a good move and we were glad to see it.
Late in your superintendency you wrote a memorandum about two way travel on Grayback if part of the East Rim Drive were closed.
Okay, that rings a bell!
