On #GivingTuesday, you helped us kick off a strong Year-End Fundraising Campaign with more than $17,000 raised!
And we are now at more than $39,500!

Thanks to a matching gift of $45,500 from our generous Board of Directors, which includes THE FIRST HYBRID VEHICLE IN OUR FLEET, and through your heartfelt giving on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, you set us well on our way toward reaching our goal of $91,000. Thank you!

Right around this time, many of you should be receiving (or should have already received) in the mail our 2023 Year-End Fundraising Appeal, which details our campaign. It lists our many accomplishments in a year that was challenged by weather, ongoing inflation, and continuing threats to Eastern Sierra lands and waters from mining and extraction. It is the response to this appeal that has kept our fundraising strong, bringing us to 43% of our goal as of this writing. Thank you!  Have a read of our fundraising appeal here.  

If you have not yet given to our Year-End Fundraising Campaign, you can do so by simply using the button below, or the donation card and return envelope included with our mailer when you receive it. Thank you ahead of time as we look forward to advancing toward a greener future together in 2024 — an election year that is sure to have its own set of unique challenges.  

FOI on the Air on 12/15!

On Friday, December 15, at 9:15 a.m., be sure to tune in to KMMT-FM (106.5 in Mammoth Lakes; 104.9 in Bishop; 105.5 in Big Pine; 107.7 in June Lake; and streaming live online at kmmtradio.com). ACE Show Host John DeMaria will talk with Friends of the Inyo's Executive Director, Wendy Schneider, about what is coming up for Friends of the Inyo in the New Year, especially with regard to our Eastern Sierra land and water defense work. Mark your calendars! 

FOI is Bringing Back the Backcountry Film Festival in January: Proceeds Will Help Fund Our SnowSchool Program for Local Fifth Graders!

Every winter, the Backcountry Film Festival, presented by Winter Wildlands Alliance, tours 100+ cities and is hosted by local retailers, grassroots groups, outdoor affinity groups, and many more community organizations. In Bishop and Mammoth this coming January, the host will be Friends of the Inyo! 

Funds raised stay in the local community to support human-powered recreation and conservation efforts, winter education and avalanche/safety programs and to raise awareness of winter management issues.

In our case, all proceeds from screenings will help fund the SnowSchool Program we host each winter for local elementary schools. Screening dates and times are as follows:

• In Bishop, at the Bishop Twin Theater, 5 - 9 p.m. Friday, January 26, and
• In Mammoth, at the U.S. Forest Service Welcome Center, 5 - 9 p.m. Saturday, January 27. 

This year's festival features documentaries and ski movies about athletic pursuit in the mountains, artistic vision, friendship, and how the snowsports community is adapting to a changing environment.

Save the dates and come join us!

Want to Get Involved in this Effort in a More Personal, and Meaningful Way?

Friends of the Inyo is asking local businesses, artists, and community members for in-kind donations of items for our opportunity drawings to help sweeten the pot of raffle prizes for the Backcountry Film Festival. The BCFF is our number-one way to raise funds for SnowSchool, and the raffle is a sure-fire way to keep the stoke high and sell more tickets. If you would like to donate gift certificates, vouchers, products, art, experiences, and more, please contact FOI's Stewardship Director, Lindsay Butcher, at Lindsay@friendsoftheinyo.org. We are hoping to have all raffle donations by Friday, January 19, 2024, one week before the festival.

Details about ticket sales and anything else related to the film festival will follow in the coming weeks on our website, FriendsoftheInyo.org, our social media channels, and in the January 2024 issue of The Juniper. Stay tuned. In the meantime, please direct any questions to Lindsay using the email address above.

SnowSchool is Coming!

Help FOI Prepare Fifth Graders for SnowSchool this Winter: We're Seeking In-Kind Donations of Gear!

Picture this:

“A bright yellow school bus pulls up to a frozen parking lot in the middle of winter. The doors open. Out come dozens of fifth-graders in puffy jackets, mittens, and hats. Today, these students are going to strap on snowshoes, romp around the snow, dig pits, study snow crystals, and learn about their watershed. Welcome to SnowSchool.”

That’s how Winter Wildlands Alliance, the developer of the SnowSchool curriculum, describes the winter wonderland experience, to which local fifth graders from Inyo and Mono Counties are exposed thanks to a partnership involving Friends of the Inyo, the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association and local school districts. Our kids are among the 35,000 nationwide who are introduced to the science and magic of snow in this way.  

Friends of the Inyo is actively seeking donations for kids' winter gear: jackets, hats, gloves, boots, pants, goggles…whatever is appropriate for playing in the snow. Many SnowSchool attendees do not own recreational snow gear and we want to make sure the kiddos stay warm and dry to maximize outdoor enjoyment! Please drop off or mail donations by Friday, January 19, to: Friends of the Inyo, 621 W Line St, Suite 201, Bishop, CA 93514. If there should be no one in the office, it is perfectly safe to leave donations outside our door.

For questions, please contact Friends of the Inyo’s Stewardship Director, Lindsay Butcher, at Lindsay@friendsoftheinyo.org. 

Help us make winter magical for Eastern Sierra fifth graders! Thank you! 

Winter Data Collection