Speak Up On How Bureau of Land Management Lands Should Be Managed! – Attend an in-person or online public meeting in early June (two dates to choose from), and offer YOUR public comments on the BLM’s draft Public Lands Rule, a once-in-a-generation change on the Bureau’s land management priorities; and/or – Submit written comments by the June 20th deadline!
Alabama Hills
Please come to an Open House from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, August 19, at our new satellite office space, located at 142 East Bush Street, across from the post office in Lone Pine. There will be free food, drinks, and the opportunity to meet our board and staff, and to mix & mingle with your Eastern Sierra neighbors. No RSVP necessary. Just show up! While Friends of the Inyo has always worked to protect and care for the lands of Southern Inyo County, the opening of our Lone Pine office is an important demonstration of our long-term commitment to…
The aspen leaves are making their annual change from green to orange/yellow/red, electrifying our Eastern Sierra landscape. Sadly, that means the all-important summer stewardship work of our Trail Ambassadors has come to an end. September marked the last month our Trail Ambassadors (TAs) were out and about on the trails of our Eastern Sierra Forest Service lands, from Lone Pine to Bridgeport (a close-to-150-mile stretch of public lands). Here’s just a bit of what they have been up to during the past several weeks: Lily Emerson closed out the season with a super-successful cleanup at the fourth annual Bridgeport Trails…
The Alabama Hills Management Plan Has Been Released The Bureau of Land Management released the comprehensive management plan for the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area on January 15th, 2021. you can read the BLM’s press release and management plan in their entireties online here. “The plan is designed to provide diverse, high-quality recreational opportunities while minimizing user conflicts, addressing human health and safety concerns, reducing recreational impacts, and enhancing other resources, values, and uses.” – Bureau of Land Management Friends of the Inyo has written a memo highlighting the key points from the management plan. Click here to read our…
Friends of the Inyo has long enjoyed serving and recreating in the Alabama Hills. We have seen this area drastically change over the years and are excited about the opportunity that this plan presents for the Alabama Hills. With this plan, we all have the opportunity to promote the long term conservation of this area as a unit in the National Conservation Lands system. We sincerely thank the Bishop BLM for the opportunity to comment on DOI-BLM-CA-C070-2020-0001-EA. Read more…
Management of the Alabama hills is a topic near to our hearts. Join the conversation. Learn more about the proposal and maps here, and submit your comments below by August 7th. The most effective comments include details regarding management and provide rationale for the suggestion or concern: • Where do you have suggestions for change or specific management strategies – and why? • Where do you have concerns about specific resource values, uses or activities – and why? See this resource for more guidance on writing effective comments.
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area Draft Plan Environmental Assessment Make your vision for the future of the Alabama Hills heard! On July 8th the Bishop BLM Field Office released the Alabama Hills Draft Plan Environmental Assessment (EA). We are now in an active 30-day comment period that ends August 8th, 2020. In the month of July, there will be two virtual meetings where those interested can ask questions about the EA and share their insights. The virtual meetings will be held on the following dates. Friends of the Inyo will attend these meetings and work the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group…
Action Alert: Alabama Hills Management Plan Scoping On the heels of the designation of the Alabama Hill National Scenic Area, the BLM will begin building out an Implementation Plan that will guide the future of this beloved piece of public land outside of Lone Pine. As stated in the legislation that designated the National Scenic Area in March of 2019, the BLM must “develop a comprehensive plan for the long-term management of the Scenic Area”. Management plan development under the National Environmental Policy Act begins with a process called “scoping.” Scoping allows the public and all interested parties to provide…
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the 2019 Owens Lake Bird Festival! We hope to see you April 24-26th, 2020. Here are the birds we saw at this year’s festival: American Wigeon Mallard Blue-winged Teal Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Northern Pintail Green-winged Teal Redhead Ring-necked Duck Lesser Scaup Bufflehead Ruddy Duck California Quail Chukar Common Loon Eared Grebe Western Grebe Clark’s Grebe American White Pelican Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-crowned Night-Heron White-faced Ibis Turkey Vulture Northern Harrier Cooper’s Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Virginia Rail American Coot Black-necked Stilt American Avocet Black-bellied Plover Snowy Plover Killdeer Spotted Sandpiper…
Alabama Hills National Scenic Area Becomes Law On March 12th, 2019 the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act was signed into law. Several areas were awarded a congressional designation by this bill. Among them are the Alabama Hills which were designated a National Scenic Area. This is the first instance of a California Desert National Conservation Land being awarded this designation. Click the link below to read the official press release by the Alabama Hills Stewardship Group to learn more. Alabama Hills Stewardship Group – Press Release