Sam, there are no existing funds. The Forest Service, like other bureaucracies, has suffered from major cutbacks in funding the last few years. Therefore they apply for any monies they can get their hands on. These ERFO funds will esentially pay for all the storm damage repairs, including our beloved road down the hill to the Calientes. The Forest Service also utilizes an Environmental Streamlining process which is significantly faster than doing a Negative Declaration , Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI), or a full blown EIR.

So yes it's a pain for the public to not have access to our favorite recreational spots, but I'd rather have funds spent to fix the road correctly than get trapped by another landslide.