| | Dear Friend, Since our last issue, the Friends of the Inyo Team has been busy with our multi-pronged approach to protecting and caring for the public lands of the Eastern Sierra through stewardship, policy/advocacy and education/outreach. We highlight some of our activities in this issue of the Juniper by introducing you to: - An opportunity to make your voice heard in the struggle to Protect Conglomerate Mesa from foreign mining interests by submitting your public comment to the Bureau of Land Management by the deadline of August 30th;
- The first issue of the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition's new e-mail newsletter, Every Last Drop: Exposés on the L.A./Eastern Sierra Water Wars, which aims to distill the turbulent history and complex issue of water into manageable, drop-sized installments for the benefit of residents of Inyo, Mono and Los Angeles counties;
- Friends of the Inyo's new education/outreach efforts to Inyo and Mono counties' growing Hispanic community (en español) on the ProtectConglomerateMesa.com website, as well as through a new collaboration with the Eastern Sierra's only Spanish-language weekly newspaper, El Sol de la Sierra;
- The continuing stewardship and interpretive work of our Trail Ambassadors;
- And more!
Happy reading—and if you like what you read, happy sharing! |
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| | Upcoming Events All of our events are designed to further our work: To protect and care for the public lands of the Eastern Sierra through conservation, stewardship, exploration and education. We encourage you to engage in these FREE activities. |
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| August Events Volunteer Backcountry Stewardship Week | Cottonwood Creek, 8/6-9/2021
ATTENTION: Two more spots still available!
Sign up today - This opportunity to give back starts Friday! _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Every Saturday in August:
Sign up for a different interpretive hike in a unique part of the Eastern Sierra with Friends of the Inyo’s Trail Ambassadors! August 7, from 10 to 11:30 a.m.:
Geology and Volcanology Interpretive Hike in Mammoth with TA Tess Irving-Ruffing.
Click here for details, required RSVP, and waiver. Space is limited.
(Can't make this August hike? It will be offered again on Friday, Sept. 3rd. See below.) August 14, from 9 a.m. till Noon:
Mammals of the Eastern Sierra at North Lake Interpretive Hike in the Bishop area with TA Lindsay Butcher. Click here for details, required RSVP, and waiver. Space is limited.
(Can't make this August hike? It will be offered again on Saturday, Sept. 11th. See below.) August 21, from 10 a.m. till Noon:
Beavers and Meadows in the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Hike in Bridgeport with TA Lily Emerson. Click here for details, required RSVP, and waiver. Space is limited.
(Can't make this August hike? It will be offered again on Friday, Sept. 17th. See below.) August 28, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.:
Jeffrey Pine Trees Interpretive Hike in Lone Pine with TA Kayla Browne.
Click here for details, required RSVP, and waiver. Space is limited.
(Can't make this August hike? It will be offered again on Friday, Sept. 24th. See below.) Later this Summer/Fall - Geology and Volcanology Interpretive Hike in Mammoth, 9/3/2021, 10 - 11:30 a.m.
- Mammals of the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Hike at North Lake (Bishop), 9/11/2021, 9 a.m. - Noon
- Beavers & Meadows in the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Hike in Bridgeport, 9/17/2021, 10 a.m. - Noon
- Bridgeport Trails Day, 9/18/2021, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.*
- Jeffrey Pine Trees Interpretive Hike in Lone Pine, 9/24/2021, 9 - 10:30 a.m.
- National Public Lands Day with the Bishop Bureau of Land Management at the Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, 9/25/2021, 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.*
- Fall Colors of Bodie Hills, 10/9/2021, Beginning at Noon
* These are both great opportunities to give back by volunteering. You can reap the instant karmic rewards of getting to spend time with other like-minded land stewards while you enjoy light physical work in the fresh air for your health and the health of our public lands. And you might even win an opportunity drawing! Click on the respective event link to sign up. |
| | | | ACTION ALERT: Comment by August 30th to
Protect Conglomerate Mesa from Foreign Drilling! In an official July 30th news release, the Ridgecrest Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced the formal opening of a 30-day public scoping comment period on K2 Gold’s/Mojave Precious Metals, LLC's mining proposal to build 2.6 miles of brand new roads and 1.1 miles of overlanding routes to access 30 different drill sites and drill 120 holes on Conglomerate Mesa. The total impact is estimated to be 12.2 acres, more than 61 times as much as K2 Gold’s previous exploration activities. Make your voice heard and stop permanent harm to these California Desert National Conservation Lands. SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT BEFORE AUGUST 30TH - it only takes a few minutes! Friends of the Inyo and our partners on the Protect Conglomerate Mesa Coalition (ProtectConglomerateMesa.com) have developed materials to make your public commenting easy, efficient and timely, including a comment writing guide ("tip sheet") with important information about the landscape, persuasive arguments against drilling, deadlines to keep in mind, and more. Access everything you need by clicking on the button below. |
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| - Hot off the Press -
The Keep Long Valley Green Coalition Newsletter
Has Officially Launched! Every Last Drop: Exposés on the L.A./Eastern Sierra Water Wars offers readers thoughtful pieces by Eastern Sierra Author and Every Last Drop Writer/Editor Jamie Della. Our aim is that by highlighting relevant news, research and personal interviews, Every Last Drop will strive to bring to the surface accountability and solutions that ultimately will drive the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power to deliver water to the people of Los Angeles at a reasonable price while preserving the ecosystems of the Eastern Sierra for truly fair and sustainable water sharing. Readers are welcome to contact us with stories of their personal experiences with the LADWP over the years. To submit a story or story idea(s), please write to info@friendsoftheinyo.org. Click here to subscribe - It's FREE! Two issues of Every Last Drop will publish each month. |
| | |  | FOI Executive Director
Wendy Schneider's Op Ed piece in the July 17 issue of
The Inyo Register In case you missed it, click on the headline link below to read Wendy's editorial exposing a misinformation campaign launched by those looking to drill for gold in Conglomerate Mesa under the guise of seeking trace minerals found along with it. "Gold mining not necessary for renewable energy future" is a compelling read. Please share it widely with your networks. |
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FOI monthly column
¡En Español! kicks off August 5 in local Spanish weekly, El Sol de la Sierra Thanks to a new collaboration with Payahuunadu's sole Spanish newspaper, El Sol de la Sierra, Communications Director Louis Medina has been invited to submit a regular column that will publish on the first Thursday of each month beginning August 5. Be sure to direct your Spanish-speaking friends to elsoldelasierra.com, as well as numerous businesses throughout Inyo and Mono counties where this free publication is distributed, so they can learn about conservation and environmental justice issues in general, and FOI's work in particular. ¡Muchas gracias! El Sol de la Sierra and publisher Noé Gadea for this great opportunity that is part of FOI's expanding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative and will provide a useful service for Mono and Inyo's growing Hispanic community. |
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| |  | July Stewardship Roundup of our Trail Ambassadors' Work...
And Growth!!! "We’ve hit the halfway mark of our summer season, and my goodness, things have flown by!" says Friends of the Inyo's Stewardship Director Alex Ertaud. Check out his latest blog post about the big difference this year's Trail Ambassadors continue to make on the land and people they touch through their work. More importantly, if what they were up to in July is any indication, their work is having a huge impact on their lives as well. Enjoy this fun read and the photos that go with it. Lots of happy smiles! |
| | |  | ProtectConglomerateMesa.com Now Features a New Page
¡En Español! with a Compelling Interactive Story Map In the July issue of the Juniper, we introduced to you an interactive story map created by Maria Jesus, a graduate student at California Botanic Garden and a Protect Conglomerate Mesa Coalition member, to get an idea of all the treasures that will be lost if open-pit mining is allowed on Conglomerate Mesa. This month, we are proud to introduce you to the translated version of the story map that now resides in a brand-new Spanish-language page on the Protect Conglomerate Mesa website, thanks to the team effort of Maria, translator Blanca Villalobos, and Friends of the Inyo's translation editor Lou Medina and page creator Bryan Hatchell. This was our contribution to Latino Conservation Week, an initiative launched by the Hispanic Access Foundation in 2014 to support the Latino community getting into the outdoors and participating in activities to protect our natural resources. This year, LCW was observed from July 17th through 25th. Click on the button below or the image above to enjoy learning about Conglomerate Mesa ¡En Español! |
| | |  | | |  | Because Our Work of
Protecting and Caring for the Eastern Sierra
Never Stops! In between the monthly issues of the Juniper, we keep our readers updated in real time with time-sensitive blog posts at the bottom of the friendsoftheinyo.org home page, as well as our Stewardship and Policy pages. As the graphic suggests, all you have to do is scroll down to find the latest "news gems" at the bottom of those pages! |
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| Comment on Two Long Overdue
Comprehensive River Management Plans
by Friday, August 6! For example, on July 15, and again on July 28, we posted an Action Alert for the public to comment on the Comprehensive River Management Plan (CRMP) that is being developed with public input by the Inyo National Forest for the Owens River Headwaters (ORHW) and Cottonwood Creek, which were designated Wild and Scenic Rivers (WSR) in 2009. The July 15 Action Alert encouraged everyone to comment by the original public comment deadline of July 23. The July 28 Action Alert let everyone know the deadline had been extended to August 6. As you can see, our blog keeps everyone up to date on our policy and advocacy work. And there is still time to comment! |
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| |  | Want to support Friends of the Inyo? Consider making a donation online today! Thank you for your generous support. |
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| Friends of the Inyo appreciates the following organizations and local businesses for their generous sponsorship of our programs: |
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| | Inyo Mono Alpine County
Cattlemen's Association |
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| | Remember to update the address to our new location: Friends of the Inyo
621 W. Line St., Suite 201
Bishop, CA 93514 FriendsoftheInyo.org |
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