| | | Trail Ambassador Program Receives National Forest Foundation Grant In March, as spring arrived and the Worm full moon hung large in the sky, Friends of the Inyo received the exciting news that our National Forest Foundation (NFF) grant application to help fund our Trail Ambassador program was successful! This $47,000 grant is a huge boon to our ability to staff the Inyo, Humboldt-Toiyabe, and Sierra National Forest lands in the Eastern Sierra with five Trail Ambassadors this season. In addition to Alex Ertaud and Lindsay Butcher, we are going to be able to hire three additional staff members to provide additional coverage across our working area. Read Alex's full update in our blog. |
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| Press Release in response to the Mojave Precious Metals "Town Hall" Read our full press release for a recap and the reaction of the Coalition. Here are a few highlights: - In the first half of the presentation, the company provided background on their staff and the drilling program at Conglomerate Mesa.
- In the final half of the meeting, the company began to answer questions, which were pre-screened through email submission. No information about submitting questions beforehand was provided in the promotional materials for the Town Hall.
- “I’m not sure how the company can claim they’re bettering our economy by creating jobs when they’re not hiring locally" - Todd Vogel, Co-Owner of Eastside Sports.
- "I think what broke my heart the most about the presentation is that the landscape in question, Conglomerate Mesa, was not mentioned until 41 minutes into the webinar” - Jeremiah Joseph, spokesman for the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe.
- Fifteen minutes after the presentation, the company deleted all records of the Facebook Live video and deleted all of the comments made during the presentation.
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| | |  | Keep Long Valley Green Update LADWP faces no 2021 water shortages, yet refuses to start irrigation in Long and Little Round Valleys The Keep Long Valley Green (KLVG) coalition, made up of ranchers, environmental non-profits, local tribal members, and representatives from a diverse set of recreation interests, continues to seek a long-term commitment from Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) to maintain historic water spreading practices in Little Round and Long Valleys. So far, the recalcitrant agency has steadfastly refused. Indeed in 2021, as reported by the LA Times, LADWP faces no foreseeable water shortages and yet has refused to commit to the spreading of water. Irrigation in April is necessary to maintain critical wildlife habitat, notably for Greater Sage-Grouse, and the two major economic engines in Mono County—recreation tourism and ranching. Both rely on the healthy lush green meadows irrigation creates. See the story coverage as reported by LA Times and CBS. The KLVG campaign’s reasonable and common-sense goal to obtain a commitment from LADWP to spread water every year based on a formula tied to the snowpack has been validated by the Courts. On March 8, 2021, the Alameda Superior Court issued a final ruling in favor of plaintiffs Mono County and the Sierra Club, directing LADWP to comply with CEQA before it would be permitted to make any changes to its historic provision of water in Long Valley. In spite of this ruling, and the fact that Southern California faces no water shortage this year, the agency refuses to agree to enter into such an agreement. The coalition is making a movie to tell our story–look for it to be released this fall! |
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|  | Read the latest Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership Newsletter Our partners at the Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership shared out the Spring 2021 newsletter. You'll be able to read all about a range of topics concerning the Bodies: |
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|  | New Keep Long Valley Green Website! Explore the beautiful new website!
Learn the latest updates, contact the coalition, and make a donation on the new platform. |
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|  | | April 23rd & 24th The 2021 Owens Lake Bird Festival Goes Virtual! Over the past six years, the Owens Lake Bird Festival has grown to become a premier event in Owens Valley for birders and naturalists. The incredible offerings of the Eastern Sierra make for world-class experiences for the thousand-plus attendees who have participated. We look forward to the time when we can once again host these in-person gatherings. But until then, we are excited to bring together our community virtually for the 2021 Owens Lake Bird Festival! We hope you will join us this year for our offering of unique virtual events on Friday and Saturday evenings. One benefit of a virtual event over an in-person event is that our expert presenters can share information via their screens in a way that this event has never offered. Plus, you can join the event from the comfort of your own home. Barriers including traveling, lodging, and access are no longer a hurdle–simply sign up and join us from your device. Plus, you won't miss your favorite event because it's filled up! We hope to see you in April! ______________________________________________________ The Virtual Presentations Owens Lake Habitat Management: It’s for the Birds
Presented by Collette Gaal & Jeff Nordin
Friday, April 23rd at 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Photographing Birds in Inyo County
Presented by Martin Powell
Saturday, April 24th at 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Owens Lake’s Importance in Western Hemisphere Bird Migration
Presented by Mike Prather
Saturday, April 24th at 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm ______________________________________________________
Click the link below to learn more and to purchase tickets |
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|  | Earth Day 2021 Friends of the Inyo will be tabling at the Lone Pine Tribal Earth Day on Saturday, April 17th from 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM. We will be set up at the Tribal Community Center parking lot located at 975 Teya Rd., Lone Pine, CA. Come stop by and say hi! Click the button below to learn about more Earth Day events happening throughout the Eastern Sierra! |
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| Reminder: New Office Location |
|  | I'd like to remind you that we have moved from our previous location on Barlow Lane to a new downtown office on West Line Street. Please also take a moment to update our address in your contact records so that all donations and correspondence will go to the right address. Friends of the Inyo
621 W. Line St., Suite 201
Bishop, CA 93514 |
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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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| | Friends of the Inyo
621 W Line St Suite 201 | Bishop, California 93514
(760) 873-6500 | info@friendsoftheinyo.org |
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