If you read Friends of the Inyo's Juniper E-newsletter regularly, you already know we skipped last month's issue. We try to publish the newsletter within the first 10 days of each month, but alas, in early October I had COVID.

While I had dodged that bullet for more than three years, it got me on a recent advocacy trip to Washington, D.C. during Hispanic Heritage Month with our wonderful partner in Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) issues at the national level, GreenLatinos. 

Thankfully it was a mild case, and I didn't start to get sick until the day I returned to Bishop, so my time advocating on Capitol Hill on behalf of underrepresented communities in our area was productive. I am proud to say that a pin now marks the city of Bishop on the wall map in the office of California's Third Congressional District Representative Kevin Kiley, whose district includes Inyo and Mono Counties. Very grateful to the financial assistance from GreenLatinos that has made it possible for me to travel with them to our nation's capital on their annual advocacy trips the last two years.

This year was GreenLatino's 15th anniversary—their quinceañera! A fun part of the trip was the special anniversary celebration they hosted, for which Fabiola Bedoya, an advocate from Arizona, dressed up as the 15-year-old party mascot! From the selfie above, you can see that she played her role fabulosamente.

Now fully back in the swing of things, I found time to attend the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Assocation's (ESIA) Eastern Sierra History Conference last Friday through Sunday, Oct. 27 - 29, at the Bishop Campus of Cerro Coso Community College. If you have never attended this conference, please make it a point to do so next year. Usually held on the last weekend in October, the ESHC "seeks to enhance awareness, enrich knowledge, and generate recognition of the diverse and complex heritage of the Eastern Sierra region." And it does not disappoint!

One of the highlights of this year's conference for me was an outing on the last day to Deep Springs College in Deep Springs Valley, on the other side of the White Mountains from Big Pine. Founded in 1917 by industrialist, educator and philanthropist L.L. Nunn, the two-year liberal arts college's educational program is built upon three pillars: academics, student self-government, and manual labor—as in ranching and farming. It boasts a high success rate among alumni who have gone on to lead illustrious careers in politics, science, journalism, academics, agriculture, medicine, law, business, and design. And this gem in higher education is right here in our beautiful Eastern Sierra region. Watch a 60 Minutes segment about it here.

A long intro to say that as you read through a combined October/November Juniper, please accept our heartfelt gratitude this Thanksgiving month for your partnership, which, like the support of others highlighted in this issue, is what lightens the load of our work in conservation and environmental protection and actually makes it fun. Happy Thanksgiving!

In Just 24 Hours!

Join Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, Great Basin Water Network, Friends of the Inyo, and Eastern Sierra Land Trust for the 2nd Annual Great Basin Water Justice Summit, this Thursday and Friday, November 2 & 3. We are pleased to once again offer the opportunity for the public to tune in virtually for FREE. Register for one or both of the days and attend as you are able. Unable to attend live? Recordings of the presentations will be made available to the public via the Friends of the Inyo YouTube Channel the following week. Read our flier and use the button below to register.

Bishop Craggin' Classic!

Stewardship Roundup

In a Year of "The Land of Lots of Rain"

This captivating photo of multigenerational and inter-species joy out in nature (in Lundy Canyon for the last interpretive hike of the season with 2023 Trail Ambassador Colt Russell) belies all the hard stewardship work Friends of the Inyo's Trail Ambassadors faithfully struggled through following last winter's snowmelt and this spring and summer's torrential rains, including the tail end of Hurricane Hilary, which arrived in the Eastern Sierra as a tropical storm in late August. 

With lots of trails remaining inaccessible until mid-late July this year, the summer season was most unusual. Once trails were melted out, downed trees rendered them impassible. Mid-season monsoons washed roads away. On the plus side, that much water squelched the danger of wildfires a bit. Phew!

Through it all, Friends of the Inyo's Trail Ambassadors persevered. Our proud Stewardship Director, Lindsay Butcher, called them her "All-Star Crew." Read about their adventures and lessons learned in nature in their farewell "Stewardship Roundup" blogpost, a fun FOI tradition every fall. 

Joshua Tree Survey

Partners from the Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps and the Sierra Club Range of Light Group joined Friends of the Inyo on Oct. 21-23 for a survey of Western Joshua Trees on Conglomerate Mesa.

On June 27, 2023, California lawmakers passed the “Western Joshua Tree Conservation Act,” which bans the removal of Joshua trees without a permit, among other protections.

Armed with this new tool, the Conglomerate Mesa Coalition has set out to document all the Joshua trees in the vicinity of Mojave Precious Metal’s planned road construction and drill sites on Conglomerate Mesa, as laid out in their latest plan of operations. Coalition partners that include Eastern Sierra Conservation Corps, Sierra Club Range of Light Group and Friends of the Inyo were on the mesa for a Western Joshua tree survey Oct. 21-23.   

Friends of the Inyo's Desert Lands Organizer Jaime Lopez Wolters wrote about the experience and the methodology used to survey the Joshua trees. He also captured some of the work done in photos.   

This photo shows a post-survey tag on a Western Joshua Tree along Mojave Precious Metals' proposed mining road at Conglomerate Mesa.

Inyo Rock Daisy

Will the Petal Prove to be Mightier Than the Drill?

Could a frail wildflower's protection mean a strong defense for Conglomerate Mesa? Fingers crossed!

On October 11, the California Fish and Game Commission voted to permanently protect the Inyo Rock Daisy as a threatened species under the California Endangered Species Act.

“This  vote is a huge victory for these special wildflowers,” said botanist Maria Jesus, whose field surveys document the plant’s current range. “With the threat of a massive gold mine looming on the horizon, this rare daisy now has help from the state of California to prevent it from sliding into extinction.”

With the achievement of threatened species status, there are potentially great implications for the protection of the daisy's endemic habitat: Conglomerate Mesa!  

#KeepLongValleyGreen

The Keep Long Valley Green Coalition's newsletter, Every Last Drop, always makes the heart of lovers of Long Valley sing with hope for this beautiful landscape that is worthy of our protection. Please have a read of the last two issues and share them with your family and friends. The October Issue features the colorful story of local quilter Ruby Hoyng, originally from Chile, who has seen and sewn the beauty of Long Valley, and is now using her talents to give back! Enjoy!

Click here to access past issues of Every Last Drop.

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BHCP Newsletter

The Bodie Hills Coalition Partnership's Newsletter's Third Quarter Issue is out and full of color now that the most golden season of the year is in full swing! Get relevant mining updates and other news as well.

Giving Tuesday is a day set aside for giving online to one's favorite charities, which in your case we hope includes Friends of the Inyo! Observed for 24 hours beginning at midnight the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, #GivingTuesday kicks off our year-end fundraising season. Last year, our wonderful supporters helped us raise more than $9,000 on Giving Tuesday, thereby launching us into a successful season of fundraising through year's end.

With inflation continuing, and the climate crisis spurring us on to begin turning our vehicle fleet to hybrid in the coming year, our needs are great! We ask you to #SavetheDate for now (Remember: Nov. 28!) and get ready to give this Giving Tuesday! Announcements will follow closer to the date. 

Happy Thanksgiving!