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- ~ News: 12/6/04
- Boycott the Tecopa Public Hot Springs? - ~ -
Inyo County turns over Management to CLM - Locals Call for Boycott
Produced by www.Nicholas-Eaton.com
Tecopa Hot Springs, California
Some
people think that Chief Tecopa of the Pauites would be greatly
displeased at the actions of the State of California. They
say that Chief Tecopa made an agreement with the government,
that the Tecopa "Public" baths, formerly managed by Inyo County,
were to be held sacred and thus remain free for any travelers
of any nationality.
Some people
say that the treaty is a myth. My dad says that it was real;
that he used to talk with some of the children of the Pauites
when they still lived up here, and it was commonly talked about.
He says that the treaty was time limited, but that this fact
did
not
detract
from
the
idea--
the spirit-- of the arrangement.
[ Public Hot Springs, Tecopa, California ]
Other people
say that the change is a good thing; that change is inevitable.
At first I was upset at the idea of having to pay for something
that has always been free. Then my dad asked me: "Who's going
to clean them, to paint them, to take care of them? These
services do cost money."
He has
a point.
[ Inyo County Health Department testing the
water after it exits the "public baths" ]
But, my
dad says, the issues go far deeper than money. He says that
anyone running the public hot springs should know about the
spirit of the land; the benefits of the water... How flow
forms work, where the water comes from... the list goes on.
As a member of the International Hydrology Association, my
dad is always studying and learning more about the nature
of the hot springs.
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Potential Benefits
of Private Management
Able to provide superior customer service.
Able to spend the time and resources to advance knowledge.
Able to offer advanced services.
Able to service the desires of a commercial market.
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"New paint and new signs does not a balneologist make..."
Failure of CLM
Hot Springs Before CLM |
Hot Springs After CLM |
Hot springs open all night.
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Hot springs open from 6:00a - 9:00p.
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| Comfortable atmosphere |
Wrist bands must be worn - visitors are subject to random
spot checks.
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| Water temperature properly and consistantly managed - Hot
pools between 103-106 F |
Water temperature never the same; often too cool. Cooler
water is the result of reduced water flow, which makes the
pools dirtier as well.
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Friendly Inyo County Staff
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Some friendly, and some very rude CLM employees
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| Staff Cared about Locals |
Management concerned with financial issues, insurance issues
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Not obligated or able to provide advanced
services
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Not interested in providing advanced services |
I think that it is ok if people need to get paid
to take care of the hot springs. But we don't go to the public
springs anymore, because the experience is more expensive and
offers far less.
My dad says that he is a believer in the idea
of the free Tecopa hot springs. He says that it is not wise
to resist change, but rather, to respond with greater change.
My dad says that Chief Tecopa was a wise man, and he operated
off of the same principle, and thus became known as the "Peace
Keeper".
He says that there are many people who are
considering alternatives to support free hot springs. He
says the two things that stand
in the way are money and education.
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Alternatives to the Tecopa Public Hot Springs
Delight's Hot Springs Resort - Tecopa, California
Even though dad is closely associated with Delight's,
he says he's always been a big supporter of the free baths, until
the recent changes. Delight's serves a different market than the
public hot springs, and there has always been room for everyone
in Tecopa.
Although a pass to Delight's is $10.00 a day, which
is twice as expensive as the public baths, dad's opinion is that
there is far greater value at Delight's.
The Natural Hot Springs
My dad says that as long as the natural
springs are available, then the original spirit of the Tecopa
hot springs is still
alive.
 However,
a bit of knowledge and care is required when using the natural
hot springs, because of the water mites and parasites.
The parasites, "transplanted" by the birds in the area, live in
the water, "down stream", where the water begins to get cooler.
The red water mites, my dad says, only disturb you
if you disturb the water.
My dad says that we need to shock the water with
something like Tetrasilver Tetraoxide, which is a diamagnetic semiconducting
crystal formulation. He says that enough Ag4O4 would help to restore
an
equilibrium to the balance of nature without hurting
the environment, and then channel the water flow differently.
I asked dad what the tetra thing was, and he said
it's like taking trivalent silver and bonding it with ozone to
create a stable crystal which reactes with oxidative agents. I
know what silver and ozone are, but dad says I have to wait to
start to learn about chemistry until I'm older.
Dad also says that we can't restore the natural spring,
because it's owned by the BLM -- the government, and we don't have
a right to step in.
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This page sponsored by...
Pastels Restaurant
[ Photo by Amy LaVelle, Copyright 2006 ]
It's not just the best place, it's
the only
place to eat at the hot springs in Tecopa, California.
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