District #2 D. "Hap" Hazard

As the Supervisor for District Two I feel honored to be able to tell you a little about this area and the history of Southern Mono County. The people and the land continue to change as time moves forward.

Southern Mono County reaches from the deserts of the California / Nevada border on the east, to the ridgeline of the Sierra Mountains on the west. Mono County District Two shares a common border with Inyo County on the south, while stretching north to the headwaters of the Owens River on the north. Two major mountain ranges run through the district, the White Mountains along the eastside and the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the west. The area is still geologically active with the remains of old volcanoes and earthquake faults. The “Hot Creek” located just east of Mammoth / Yosemite Airport provides a warm water soak for thousands of visitors each year. The elevation varies from the high deserts of Oasis at approximately 3,000’ above sea level to over 12,000’ at Mount Morrison near Crowley Lake. The temperatures vary from below zero (F) during the winters to well over 100° (F) in the summers. The wildlife, as expected, also covers the full spectrum of possibilities. A partial list would include many types of reptiles, raccoons, and a wide variety of birds. Bears, mountain lions, and mountain goats also call district two home.

The people of Southern Mono County are very diverse. The earliest being the people of the Piute Tribe, which dates back several hundred years. Benton Hot Springs was one site of the earliest white man’s arrival in the county having had a population of nearly 10,000 citizens around 1900. The area known as the Tri-Valley includes the communities of Benton, Hammil, and Chalfant. The Tri-Valley communities are mainly agricultural and ranching. This industry has proven to be the second highest revenue source in the county, only surpassed by tourism. Today, the Mammoth Mountain Ski Resort has drawn the population to the Mammoth Lakes and Crowley Lake area. With unsurpassed hunting, fishing, bird watching, hiking, and backpacking along the highway 395 corridor, the communities of Crowley Lake, Tom’s Place, and Rock Creek offer many RV spaces, campsites, and motel rooms.

I invite visitors and locals alike to explore and discover more about the area known as Mono County’s District Two.

ABOUT DUANE “HAP” HAZARD:
After serving in the Air Force from 1968 to 1972, and then being employed as a Paramedic in the beach front City of Santa Monica, “Hap” arrived in Mono County in November of 1976. Starting as a paramedic in Mammoth Lakes he found no hospital in the south end of the county. The closest medical facility was in Bishop, California which is about 45 miles south of Mammoth Lakes. Northern Inyo Hospital had no full time emergency room physicians, and the doctors needed to be “called in” for emergency cases. Hap’s first community service in Mono County came as he joined the working group that planned and provided oversight in the building of Mammoth Hospital.

Leaving the paramedic unit in 1978 to join the Sheriff’s Department, Hap was assigned to the jail/dispatch operations as well as the Coroner’s unit. He was assigned to the patrol division in 1980 and later promoted to the rank of Sergeant. He supervised patrol officers, the boating unit, Off-highway vehicle program, and acted as the Assistant Chief Deputy Coroner. He also sat on many community Service Districts and committees. In late 2004 he retired from the Sheriff’s Department to run for the elected office of Supervisor of Mono County District Two.