Our goal is to make the most useful visitors center possible. The Bob Powers Gateway is the perfect location for any visitor to find. Please help us make this happen we need your help. Below are forms to fill out and turn into the chamber. One is a petition, and the other is a letter to the Army Corp and Forestry. Please fill them out and send 2 copies into the Chamber office. We will make sure they get mailed off.

 

 

    PETITION             LETTER

 

 

       DOABLE...It has been done before....

 

• It is doable because such visitor centers exist in Lone Pine (Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor Center  <http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recarea/?recid=20698> - 5 out of 5 stars Yelp rating - <http://www.yelp.com/biz/eastern-sierra-interagency-visitor-center-lone-pine-2> and at Mono Lake (Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center - <http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/inyo/recreation/recarea/?recid=20620&actid=120> - 4.5 out of 5 stars tripadvisor rating). These two visitor centers are relatively close by allowing discovering what works, what doesn't work, how financed, etc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  VALID...It is needed in the KRV

 

• It is valid to seek and realize a world class visitor center because the Kern River Valley serves a huge population, is accessible year round, has numerous recognized world class recreation activities, and is a full-service community for visitors.

 

     SERVES A HUGE POPULATION

 

• The Kern River Valley is surrounded by the Sequoia National Forest which is the southernmost national forest in the Sierra Nevada and the closest to the twenty-three million residents in southern California including under served communities. Sequoia NF has been reported to be the highest or one of the highest visited national forests in the Sierra Nevada.

 

        IS HIGHLY ACCESSIBLE YEAR ROUND (especially when compared with other national forests in the Sierra   Nevada)

 

• The Kern River Valley (KRV) is highly accessible via CA Hwy 14 (from the Los Angeles basin) and US Hwy 395 (from Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties ) to CA Hwy 178 on the east and via Bakersfield and CA Hwy 178 on the southwest. The KRV is also accessible via CA Hwy 155 from the west, the Giant Sequoia National Monument on the north (except winter snow closure), and Caliente-Bodfish Rd on the southwest.

• Unlike virtually every pass over the Sierra Nevada to the north, 5230' Walker Pass into the Kern River Valley is OPEN YEAR ROUND with many recreational activities on the Kern River Valley floor and surrounding foothills available year round.