Dark Desert Skies at Conglomerate Mesa Campout,
Saturday & Sunday, November 6 - 7,
On "Daylight Saving Time Ends" Weekend -
For An Extra Hour of Learning, Stargazing and Fun!

The Conglomerate Mesa Dark Desert Skies event is limited to 30 RSVPs and is now FULL. Attendees can expect to hear from our Desert Policy Associate, Bryan Hatchell (bryan@friendsoftheinyo.org) in the coming days with specific logistic details such as caravan meeting points, etc. If you signed up and can no longer attend, please let us know ASAP so we may invite the next person on our stand-by waitlist. If you are on our stand-by list and someone cancels, we will reach out over email (and phone if provided) in the order folks signed up. If you are on the stand-by list and receive an invitation, we require you to respond within 24 hours, otherwise we will move to the next person on the stand-by list. See the full event post here. 

FOI Joins Lawsuit Challenging Gold Drilling in Sage Grouse Habitat in California’s Eastern Sierra (Long Valley)

Last month, conservation groups, including Friends of the Inyo, sued the U.S. Forest Service to stop exploratory drilling by KORE Mining Ltd. in California’s eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains that threatens an endangered fish and a dwindling population of bi-state sage grouse.

“Long Valley is an important place that needs conservation protection, not a gold mine,” said Wendy Schneider, executive director of Friends of the Inyo. “The area provides critical wildlife habitat for struggling species, it is culturally significant to local tribes, and important for the recreational tourism economy in Mammoth. Further, the water in the area is already overcommitted. Drilling activities will add to that burden and introduce the possibility of toxic contamination. The drilling proposal was strongly opposed by a majority in the community. The Forest Service should not have approved this proposal.”

Read the Oct. 21 media release from plaintiffs Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, Friends of the Inyo and the Sierra Club here.

Driving off road is illegal in Death Valley, and Yet...

OHV trespassers leave scars upon hundreds of miles of roadside terrain, Friends of the Inyo's Lead Trail Ambassador Lindsay Butcher tells us. Well, for the second year in a row this fall, Friends of the Inyo and our partners are working to help the desert heal. It's called "track effacement" and is like giving the playas a gentle restoration makeover. 

"It's not a real desert hike unless you get thirsty. Unless your skin gets punctured by an innocent-looking plant. Unless you have a close encounter with a nervous venomous critter. The desert is alive, and it will defend itself," the greeting on the home page of 90MilesfromNeedles.com says. However, the reality check continues, the desert we love "could go away in a heartbeat if we act the wrong way."

More than hosting a web page, 90 Miles from Needles creators Chris Clark and Alicia Pike are aiming to launch a podcast in January of next year (that's just two months away!) and they are inviting members of the public to lend their voices in protection of the desert. 

"You don’t need to live in the desert to do this," Chris wrote in an e-mail. "In fact, it’s important to us to have voices from a range of different places talking about the desert’s value."

To submit a sound bite for possible inclusion in the podcast, please go to 90MilesfromNeedles.com and use the "Send us a voice message" button on the right edge of the screen to record a message using your computer microphone.

To leave a sound bite over the phone:

• Find a relatively quiet place to call from.
• Dial (760) 392-1996. This is a Google Voice number that goes straight to voicemail.
• Wait for the voicemail beep.
• Leave a message identifying yourself and stating where you live, and why protecting the desert is important to you, or why you love the desert. You can choose to mention an affiliation (with a conservation organization, for example) or not. 
• Hang up.

That’s it! 

For more information, visit the website and send a note to Chris or Alicia using the contact button.

FOI En Español

Don't forget to read our monthly column, Amigos de Nuestras Tierras (Friends of Our Lands) on the first Thursday of the month at Mono and Inyo Counties' sole Spanish-language weekly, El Sol de la Sierra. 

This month, you'll learn about a traditional native Peruvian dish called "Pachamanca," which uses heated stones to cook delicious cuts of meat and vegetables. This method of cooking (heating stones and letting them do the work) is also used by other native cultures including Hawaiians and Yokuts. Look for our story in the November 4 issue. Pick up a printed copy FREE in businesses throughout Inyo and Mono counties, or read it online at elsoldelasierra.com. And help us spread the word among your friends and neighbors who are members of Inyo and Mono Counties' growing Spanish-speaking community. 

Collaborative Efforts

By Jora Fogg, Policy Director, Friends of the Inyo

After a three-year hiatus, the Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership (BHCP) reconvened, refreshingly, in person, in mid-October, in the spacious and pleasant backyard of one of our members in Bridgeport (see photos above), to discuss the future of the Partnership and the Bodie Hills. Many volunteers and members of the community, as well as representatives from the partnership’s member organizations met to discuss current issues facing the Bodies, such as:

• Tribal co-management and access;
• Relevant recreation uses;
• Local economic drivers;
• The fate of the bi-state sage grouse and other wildlife;
• Possibilities for improved management;
• Community organizing; and
• Federal designation advocacy to bring economic vitality and increased management to the Bodie Hills. 

The meeting revealed just how committed the BHCP is to supporting the land and water priorities of the Bridgeport Indian Colony, and respecting—and safeguarding—the involvement of tribal members as decision makers in the community.

We are excited to announce that we are recruiting for a local Bodie Hills Conservation Organizer to expand the knowledge of the BHCP locally and gather feedback from the gateway communities of Bridgeport and Lee Vining, as well as from visitors to the Bodie Hills, that will inform our approach toward the permanent protection of the Bodie Hills.  Locals are encouraged to apply. For more details see the job announcements section below. Please help us spread the word. 

Last month, representatives of some of the member organizations that make up the Keep Long Valley Green (KLVG) Coalition—including Friends of the Inyo's Executive Director, Wendy Schneider (left in the photo)—took to the air on an EcoFlight to show visually (through photos and video) why Long Valley should be kept green in the face of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power's backpedaling on historic irrigation practices.

Read all about the Oct. 19 EcoFlight and enjoy a breathtaking slideshow courtesy of EcoFlight, which uses small aircraft to achieve a "bird's eye view" perspective to educate and advocate for the protection of remaining wild lands and wildlife habitat.

The Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership (BHCP) is excited to announce that it is recruiting for a Local Bodie Hills Conservation Organizer to expand the knowledge of the BHCP locally and gather feedback from the gateway communities of Bridgeport and Lee Vining, as well as from visitors to the Bodie Hills, that will inform how our approach toward the permanent protection of the Bodie Hills. Locals to the area are encouraged to apply. Please help us spread the word.