*** Three of the six alternatives are various levels of decreasing visitor access and increasing restrictions. ***
I'm still wading through it. It is kind of a confusing mess. However, a first approximation is that only one of the proposed alternatives truly limits visitor use. As near as I can tell, most of them are some variation on what is currently the status quo.
What bothers me right off (and I'll weigh in with more details as soon as I have some semi-coherent thoughts) is that several of the alternatives propose an equivalency to stock and human use. That is, they allow a maximum number composed of each -- the proportion to be determined by the user. So, say, a maximum of 20 "hearbeats" might be allowed on a trip but it could be 10 stock and 10 people or 19 stock and one person. This is absurd. It seems to say (and I could well be wrong as I gain more understanding) that the ecological impact of a 1,200 lb. metal shod horse is the same as a human and that both impacts are equally acceptable.
In addition, although consideration may be given to an elevation limit to grazing, there seems to be no proposal to protect individual meadows. I'm especially concerned about the iconic Sierra meadows that occupy valley bottoms: Evolution, McClure, Colby, Little Pete, Grouse, Castle Dome etc. Not a single one of these is permanently closed to grazing by stock. These are the types of meadow that take the major impacts from grazing.
I'm going to propose that each alternative have wording that recognizes the aesthetic and ecological importance of such meadows and ensures that at least one in every major watershed is permanently closed to grazing. Meadows are magical places and protection from grazing is long overdue for at least some of them. I'll post what I come up with here in the hope that others join me.
It's also important to note that this is ONLY a request to comment on what the alternatives should be, so this is by no means final. It offers a general outline of proposed alternatives, but everyone should read them and come up with suggestions for better specifics.
George
