Re: Thank you Viejo Bill

Unless the earth is now rotating around the moon and Spot, the president's dog, is now making all of the important decisions, NO FIRES AT DEEP CREEK was, now, and will be the ongoing rule. Goodness knows the lazy turds that leave trash at the hot springs would burn it up if they could, along with all of the new growth sprouted since the last fire.

I favor a steel sign like the ones on the goat trail and PCT...... almost indestructible. There were homemade signs in several places back in the early days asking all to respect our Mother Earth.... (CSN music begins in background) and I must say the place was cleaner then than it is now.

Another subject we must discuss is the practice of planting non-native trees and shrubs around the springs. This is potentially destructive as any botanist can tell you. Invasive plants can crowd out native species and, as happened in the mountains of South Africa, non-native trees often consume much more underground water than the native trees, even causing streams to stop flowing. The eradication of the non-native species almost always returns the water flow.

I know that a libertarian ethos exists among we desert rats wherein we don't wanna see "no stinkin' badges." "Leave us alone" might well be our motto, but that's not how things happen and won't happen in the case of Deep Creek. The BLM and FS will be part and parcel of every decision affecting DCHS.

There are those who value the rights of a few Arroyo Toads, who may or may not live within the hot springs environment, more than they value our rights to peace and recreation, and there are also those who feel that every inch of the desert should be available to every 4-wheeler, biker, hiker and miner who wants unfettered access. Somewhere between these extremes is a solution to our predicament and with dedication and concentration I feel we can find it.