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Conglomerate Mesa Campaign Update | May 2021 The season of visiting Conglomerate Mesa is on its way out as desert temperatures quickly rise into uncomfortable ranges and folks from across the west are getting in their final trips. As people trend away from their desert trips in Saline Valley and the Southern Inyo Mountains, Conglomerate Mesa remains in limbo from mining threats that would forever alter these landscapes where people from across the globe come to explore and recreate. K2 Gold and Mojave Precious Metals are ramping up for their much more destructive second phase of exploration at Conglomerate Mesa….
LADWP will provide minimal amount of water In late April, DWP indicated by correspondence that it will provide a minimal amount of water for irrigation in Long Valley this year. In early April, the KLVG coalition submitted official comments on DWP’s Urban Water Management Plan pointing out that the data provided by DWP in its draft plan indicates that it is possible for the agency to meet the water demands of its ratepayers and drastically reduce, or even eliminate, reliance on water exported from the Eastern Sierra over the next 25 years. In spite of this, the agency’s draft plan…
Earth Day Clean-Up Event with Inyo350 a Success On Saturday, April 24th, over 50 volunteers came together in Bishop to celebrate Earth Day, give back, and pick up trash. Inyo350, the Sierra Trash Eliminators, Eastern Sierra Land Trust, Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association, and Friends of the Inyo joined forces to provide trash-grabbers, trash bags, gloves, safety vests, and plenty of good cheer to make sure the volunteers who joined the fun were fully equipped and ready to go. After a safety talk and last grab of coffee and pastries, folks geared up and headed out to locations across Bishop to…
Action Alert: Mining Exploration Threatens Long Valley *Updated 5/10: Comment period extended to May 13, 2021 What’s happening? Kore Mining proposes to construct a total of fourteen drilling pads, measuring 30 feet by 50 feet each. Access to these drill pads will require re-opening roughly a third of a mile of road for the duration of the project. Impacts of this proposed project include local quality of life, tourism, air quality, noise pollution, decimated habitat of local flora and fauna (including the at-risk sage grouse and local mule deer). The impacts of the exploration might be only the beginning, however. If…
What’s happening? In October 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom issued Executive Order N-82-20 committing the state to conserve at least 30% of its land and coastal waters by 2030. To help achieve this goal, the order created the California Biodiversity Collaborative, comprised of state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, sovereign Tribal nations, academics, recreational users, and others. By February 1st, 2022, the relevant state agencies, in consultation with the Collaborative, must develop and report strategies to the governor of how to achieve the 30×30 target. What can I do?
Christopher Leonard’s piece highlights the issues and concisely explains Kore Mining’s proposal to mine gold from the perspective of a local fly-fishing guide. This article was featured on the front page of the annual Green Sheet or page 9 of the .pdf.
In this issue, you’ll also find a press release in response to the Mojave Precious Metals & K2 Gold virtual “town hall,” an update on the Keep Long Valley Green Campaign, the opportunity to read the latest Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership newsletter, and an invitation to explore the new Keep Long Valley Green coalition website. We hope you enjoy this month’s issue of the Juniper!
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…
Press Release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 4/5/2021 Contact: Kris Hohag, (760) 920-3389, kris.hohag@sierraclub.org Bryan Hatchell, (336) 307-6745, bryan@friendsoftheinyo.org Mining Project Proponents Block Meaningful Public Participation at Town Hall Local businesses, Indigenous leaders, and environmental groups were unable to provide comment and ask questions during the event LONE PINE, CA – On Wednesday, March 24th, Mojave Precious Metals and K2 Gold hosted a virtual “Community Town Hall” about their upcoming road construction and exploratory drilling at National Conservation Lands site Conglomerate Mesa. With roughly 200 people in attendance, community members were eager to share their perspectives and ask company representatives questions…
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 myself and Lindsay Butcher, we are going to be able to hire three additional staff members to provide…
LADWP is attempting to increase its extraction of water supplies from the Owens Valley by developing a program of consumptive groundwater use from the Owens Lakebed. We are not in agreement that groundwater pumping from beneath Owens Lake can be done in an environmentally sustainable manner, even for a limited period of time. LADWP has improperly piecemealed review of the incremental steps it is taking to achieve increased water withdrawals from the Owens Valley. It has done so without adequate disclosure or analysis of the cumulative and adverse impacts, both past and future, of LADWP’s extractions, the interactive role of…
Show your support with Conglomerate Mesa virtual Backgrounds You can show your support for Conglomerate Mesa with these Virtual backgrounds. And you can change your profile photo so that when your camera is off, everyone can still see that you support the protection of Conglomerate Mesa. Right-click and select, “Save image as,” to download the background or profile photo. Virtual backgrounds: Applying your virtual background Profile Photos: