Federal Advocacy Calls for a Dress-up!

I don't get a chance to wear neckties in the Eastern Sierra. I don't think I've had to put one on since moving to Bishop last November. We like our T-shirts, caps and sun hoodies around here, and for more formal occasions, a nice button-up shirt and a pair of jeans will do.

This month, however, I will get to sport ties, jackets, and dress shoes when I join environmental and social justice nonprofit GreenLatinos and other conservation and environmental advocacy organizations for a "Washington D.C. Fly-In" during the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month, which ends Oct. 15.

The visit will include federal advocacy, education, networking, media, hybrid live/virtual events, and other activities designed to address pressing environmental and conservation issues affecting the Hispanic/Latino community. These include the impacts of climate change, lack of access to public lands for low-income communities of color, and something I feel particularly passionate about: more equitable language inclusivity and cultural sensitivity to better accommodate immigrant communities in the National Environmental Policy Act process, which demands transparency and public engagement.

Friends of the Inyo is grateful for this opportunity that GreenLatinos is affording us and other partners in conservation from around the country. Finding ways to better engage communities of color in our mission, To protect and care for the public lands of the Eastern Sierra, is in line with FOI's Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion initiative (JEDI is an easy way to remember it). As our nation's demographics change, and as we see increased visits to public lands year after year from a more diverse general public, it behooves us to engage those voices that have traditionally been underrepresented in our conservation work.

Wish me luck on this exciting adventure. My aim is to learn in earnest and humility, and to represent Friends of the Inyo well in this effort. Visit our social media channels (@FriendsoftheInyo on Facebook and Instagram, and @FriendsofInyo on Twitter) for posts from me the week of October 10.

Ever see a trout trot? Even trout will sprout legs to run or walk for environmental justice in an effort to keep KORE Mining from harming Hot Creek! How about you? Will you run or walk (5K or 10K - it's all OK!) to help raise funds for the No Hot Creek Mine Campaign in their upcoming Trout Trot on Saturday, Oct. 8? Refer to the e-flyer and register today using the button below.

Questions? Write to nohotcreekmine@gmail.com.

“Engagement in civil discourse is the very heart of the democratic process,” said Friends of the Inyo’s Executive Director, Wendy Schneider. “We need voters’ civic engagement now more than ever. Friends of the Inyo is proud to partner with INYO350 to make that possible for folks in District 1.”

Use the button below to let us know if you will be joining us on Oct. 12. It will take you to a Facebook event page where you can RSVP. 

Friends of the Inyo will be providing support for the Bridgeport Indian Colony's Annual Yuvano Fall Gathering on Saturday, October 15. This traditional daylong event embraces family, culture and health, and offers fun activities for all. Please refer to the e-flyer above for details. 

Meanwhile, that same day, in Southern Inyo County...

Friends of the Inyo encourages everyone to attend this special event in Southern Inyo County, where portraits of LIVING LOCAL INDIGENOUS LEADERS will be on display, and some of the subjects of the portraits will be present for the public to meet in person. It will certainly be a history-making event to treasure. Special thanks to our friends at Manzanar National Historic Site and the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association (ESIA) for hosting. 

And...if you are planning to visit Manzanar that day, consider staying in the area through the afternoon/early evening so you can catch another cultural event just six miles north on Highway 395. 

Also on October 15, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the
Eastern California Museum, 155 N. Grant St.,
in Independence

Wild About Marys is a cultural event/fundraiser put on by the Friends of the Eastern California Museum to highlight the contributions of:

• American Nature Writer Mary Hunter Austin, who wrote the classic The Land of Little Rain (1903), describing the fauna, flora, people, mysticism, and spirituality of the region between the High Sierra and the Mojave Desert of Southern California; and
• Botanist Mary DeDecker, a committed conservationist and environmentalist, and the founder of the Bristlecone Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. 

The event will feature a barbecue, drinks, music, "roaming conversations" with an actress who will portray Mary Austin, a tour of the Mary DeDecker Native Plant Society Garden on the museum grounds, a basket-making activity for kids, and more. RSVP by Oct. 12 is encouraged, as there is limited seating. Visit inyocounty.us > Residents > Things to Do > Eastern California Museum.  

And, one week later, on October 22, the museum will host the Grand Opening of a new Smoke Blanchard Exhibit that will run through March 24, 2023:  

FOI in So. Inyo County

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT! Friends of the Inyo is looking to hire a Southern Inyo County Tribal Organizer to work in the communities of Southern Inyo County to gather feedback from the indigenous community and develop support for the permanent protection of the Conglomerate Mesa area, a place of cultural significance to the Shoshone and Paiute People. Learn more and find out how to apply using the button below. 

Conglomerate Mesa

Give to help us protect this desert gem!

We are currently raising funds for the permanent protection of Conglomerate Mesa. Many of you may have received our fundraising appeal in the mail toward the end of September. Scores of our supporters have already donated, and we truly thank each of you for your generous support. If you have not yet donated and would like to do so, please click here to read our appeal, then use the button below to make a donation through our website. Thank you! 

The September issue of the official E-Newsletter of the Keep Long Valley Green Coalition (KLVG), Every Last Drop, came out just last week, with:

• Gorgeous photos;
• A thorough look at flood irrigation and why it is crucial to the health of Long Valley and Little Round Valley;
• An invitation to join us Wednesday, Oct. 5, at at 6:30 p.m., at the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine for a FREE screening of our award-winning short docufilm, Without Water, and a celebration of life for Monty Bengochia, long-time Eastern Sierra water activist and Commissioner for over 30 years on the Owens Valley Indian Water Commission, and who appears in the film (the official poster is also in the Events section above);
• Another invitation to join KLVG for its first ever highway cleanup on October 15;
• A wrap-up of recent happenings regarding KLVG and Without Water's continued success wherever it is shown;
• And more!

But if you don't read Every Last Drop, you'll never know! Smile. 

Stewardship

We'll miss you, Trail Ambassadors!

It is with a heavy heart, yet one that is warmed by many, many wonderful memories, that we bid farewell to our 2022 Trail Ambassadors: Will Young, Jean Redle, Bradley Olson and Cordero Chavez.

These intelligent, eager, personable and kind stewards of nature represented Friends of the Inyo well, and worked extra-hard to protect and maintain our precious Eastern Sierra lands for the enjoyment of  thousands of visitors from near and far. They also educated trail users on how to best recreate responsibly, provided interpretive talks and hikes, and engaged volunteers in important public lands stewardship events.

We wish them the best, and hope our paths will cross again in the interest of public lands protection.  

Following is an end-of-season recap compiled by Stewardship Director Alex Ertaud from the TAs' work notes. Click on the button immediately above the photo to read it on our blog.

Below the photo is a button to access the Events Calendar on our website, so you can "find your passion" and join us for other events we have coming up this fall.