ibenick
07-08-2011, 01:41 PM
Just got this email from the BLM about last months permit lottery to The Wave. Looks like they ran the lottery 3 times and I still didn't win it!! Too bad for those that are now getting rejected.
Dear Coyote Buttes lottery applicant:
As you are probably aware, we encountered an error with the October 2011
permit lottery for Coyote Buttes North. By now you should have received
multiple emails either declaring your application a lottery winner, a
lottery loser, or in many cases both. I would like to explain what happened
on July 1, 2011.
In an effort to improve the reliability of our webpages (prevent the system
from "going down" as often), our lottery program was moved to a bigger and
better server. In fact it was moved to multiple servers in order to create
a redundancy that would prevent the system from being unavailable to the
public. An unanticipated result of that move was three times as many
lottery winners were declared, because the lottery ran three times nearly
simultaneously. Consequently, out of the 4700 applicants, approximately 900
received at least one email declaring them a winner. After a meticulous
examination of the time stamps on notification emails the actual 303
winners have been identified.
Those 303 winners should now be able to access the link provided in one of
their emails in order to purchase their hiking permit. Those winners should
also receive a new confirmation email within the next few days.
I realize that for many people this is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity
to visit the Wave and those that were declared, in one of their emails, a
winner are now extremely disappointed. I am very sorry for the stress this
has caused and I assure you we have taken the necessary steps to prevent a
reoccurrence of last weeks events.
Many have asked why we can not make an exception, "this one time" and allow
all of the extra people into the permit area. Regardless of whether the one
time increase in visitors would result in damaging impacts to the
resources, the Wave is in a federally designated wilderness area and we are
also obligated to manage for "outstanding opportunities for solitude or a
primitive and unconfined type of recreation" and therefore cannot triple
the number of people in the area for 30 days. However, it has come to my
attention that some hikers purchased "non-refundable" airline tickets right
after receiving one of the "winning" emails. It is not my intention for
anyone to be financially penalized for a lottery malfunction, so if this is
the case for you, and you can provide a copy of your ticket confirmation
dated prior to this email, contact David Hullum or myself for more
information.
I encourage you to still visit Northern Arizona and the many equally
spectacular areas. If you have any questions please contact David Hullum,
Recreation Technician, at dhullum@blm.gov or 435-688-3331 (tel:435-688-3331).
Sincerely,
Linda Price
Linda Price w Vermilion Cliffs National Monument Manager
Arizona Bureau of Land Management w National Landscape Conservation System
435-688-3241 (tel:435-688-3241) voice w 435-688-3258 (tel:435-688-3258) fax
345 E. Riverside Dr. w St. George, UT 84790
lrprice@blm.gov
David Hullum
Recreation Technician
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Arizona Strip Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
345 East Riverside Drive
St. George, UT 84790
(435) 688 - 3331 (tel:%28435%29%20688%20-%203331)
Dear Coyote Buttes lottery applicant:
As you are probably aware, we encountered an error with the October 2011
permit lottery for Coyote Buttes North. By now you should have received
multiple emails either declaring your application a lottery winner, a
lottery loser, or in many cases both. I would like to explain what happened
on July 1, 2011.
In an effort to improve the reliability of our webpages (prevent the system
from "going down" as often), our lottery program was moved to a bigger and
better server. In fact it was moved to multiple servers in order to create
a redundancy that would prevent the system from being unavailable to the
public. An unanticipated result of that move was three times as many
lottery winners were declared, because the lottery ran three times nearly
simultaneously. Consequently, out of the 4700 applicants, approximately 900
received at least one email declaring them a winner. After a meticulous
examination of the time stamps on notification emails the actual 303
winners have been identified.
Those 303 winners should now be able to access the link provided in one of
their emails in order to purchase their hiking permit. Those winners should
also receive a new confirmation email within the next few days.
I realize that for many people this is a "once in a lifetime" opportunity
to visit the Wave and those that were declared, in one of their emails, a
winner are now extremely disappointed. I am very sorry for the stress this
has caused and I assure you we have taken the necessary steps to prevent a
reoccurrence of last weeks events.
Many have asked why we can not make an exception, "this one time" and allow
all of the extra people into the permit area. Regardless of whether the one
time increase in visitors would result in damaging impacts to the
resources, the Wave is in a federally designated wilderness area and we are
also obligated to manage for "outstanding opportunities for solitude or a
primitive and unconfined type of recreation" and therefore cannot triple
the number of people in the area for 30 days. However, it has come to my
attention that some hikers purchased "non-refundable" airline tickets right
after receiving one of the "winning" emails. It is not my intention for
anyone to be financially penalized for a lottery malfunction, so if this is
the case for you, and you can provide a copy of your ticket confirmation
dated prior to this email, contact David Hullum or myself for more
information.
I encourage you to still visit Northern Arizona and the many equally
spectacular areas. If you have any questions please contact David Hullum,
Recreation Technician, at dhullum@blm.gov or 435-688-3331 (tel:435-688-3331).
Sincerely,
Linda Price
Linda Price w Vermilion Cliffs National Monument Manager
Arizona Bureau of Land Management w National Landscape Conservation System
435-688-3241 (tel:435-688-3241) voice w 435-688-3258 (tel:435-688-3258) fax
345 E. Riverside Dr. w St. George, UT 84790
lrprice@blm.gov
David Hullum
Recreation Technician
Vermilion Cliffs National Monument
Arizona Strip Field Office
Bureau of Land Management
345 East Riverside Drive
St. George, UT 84790
(435) 688 - 3331 (tel:%28435%29%20688%20-%203331)