The California Fish and Game Commission voted today (Oct. 11, 2023) to permanently protect Inyo rock daisies 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.”
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Wrapping up the 2023 Trail Ambassador Season: Intro by Lindsay Butcher, FOI Stewardship Director Here we are, yet again. Somehow we’ve made it to the end of another trail season, despite this year continuing to pose new and adventurous challenges throughout the passing summer months, which were particularly wet, with trails remaining inaccessible until mid-late July! Once trails were melted out, downed trees rendered them impassible. Mid season monsoons washed roads away. Luckily fires were of little consequence (knock on wood, fingers crossed, hold you breath…. don’t jinx it!) Through it all the Trail Ambassadors persevered. Here’s what the All-Star…
Register today for Friends of the Inyo’s No Hot Creek Mine Trout Trot 5K/10K Fun Run! This is the second annual Trout Trot Charity Fundraiser, which began as a citizen volunteer effort in 2022 to protect Hot Creek from foreign mining interests. Now that No Hot Creek Mine and Friends of the Inyo have joined forces, this event will help raise funds for a campaign to gain PERMANENT PROTECTION for Hot Creek! This event post will take you to the registration page at NoHotCreekMine.com/trout-trot!
We invite you to join Friends of the Inyo and the Conglomerate Mesa Coalition for a FREE virtual evening presentation of Island in the Sky, a short documentary film followed by a panel discussion. This film looks at the impacts of gold mining on Conglomerate Mesa and takes a look at K2 Gold’s most recent proposal. A panel discussion will follow. Our Panelists are: Kathy Jefferson Bancroft, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Tribe Mike Prather, Lone Pine resident. Sierra Club desert activist, Audubon Owens Lake wildlife advocate. Wendy Schneider, Executive Director, Friends of the Inyo Kris Hohag, Organizer,…
In a Sept. 6 News Release, the Inyo National Forest announced the beginning of a 45-day public scoping comment period (through October 20) for an Over Snow Vehicle (OSV) Use Designation Environmental Assessment. Two public meetings are happening: online on Sept. 20, and live at Mammoth Lakes Community Center on Sept. 21. Please attend, comment, and know that comments received by the INF by Oct. 15, will be especially useful in the preparation of the planned environmental assessment.
In honor of National Public Lands Day: come join Friends of the Inyo and the Inyo National Forest for some good ol’ fashioned trail work on the Golden Trout Lakes Trail. Where: We will be meeting at the Onion Valley campground parking lot and working on the Golden Trout Lakes Trail When: Saturday, September 23rd at 9 am till noonish What: We will be performing much needed trail work from the trailhead and beyond! This may include: re-benching trail tread, moving large rocks, clearing drainage, disguising social trails, and much more…. Please bring water, snacks, sun-pro, eye-pro, and durable shoes…
In Honor of National Public Lands Day: Eastern Sierra Land Trust and Friends of the Inyo- in collaboration with the Sierra Nevada Alliance and the California Coastal Commission are hosting a local site for the Great Sierra River Cleanup Where: Bishop Artesian Wells at the Poleta Bridge on the South Side- Click for Directions When: Saturday, September 30th @ 9am What: A morning full of trash grabbin’ and garbage gettin’ Register: bit.ly/OwensCleanup Gloves and grabbers will be provided. Please be sure to have appropriate footwear, eye-pro, sun-pro, and clothes you don’t mind getting dirty Snacks, refreshments, and raffle prizes for…
31 Aug: The September 2023 Issue of Friends of the Inyo’s Juniper E-newsletter is Hot Off the Press!
Hot Creek Defense Victory! Conglomerate Mesa ‘Protect Rally’! Water Justice Organizer Job Opportunity! A Must-See Indigenous Cultural Exhibit! See You on the Trails? You at the Fair? It’s all in the September Juniper from Friends of the Inyo! But if you don’t read it, you’ll never know! Happy reading…And if you like what you read, happy sharing!
With Labor Day Weekend coming up, we know the end of summer is drawing near. Sigh! But it’s been another exciting season in the world of Friends of the Inyo, as you will be able to tell from these narratives submitted by our hard-working Trail Ambassadors. Please enjoy reading about what they have been up to, share with your friends and networks, and, if you see them out on the trails, please say hello to them and thank them for their work. They will still be working with us and leading hikes till the end of September! Smiles all around….