Pine nuts, a high-energy food, helped sustain Native peoples of the Eastern Sierra through the winter. Friends of the Inyo’s annual impact report, which we usually release at mid-year to celebrate the previous year’s accomplishments, is symbolically named thus to acknowledge the support of our donors, funders, and volunteers, whose generosity sustains our work of protecting and caring for the land and water of the Eastern Sierra.
Exploration
By Joseph Miller, Indigenous Community Relations Coordinator Introduction Burners Without Borders is a volunteer organization devoted to providing innovative disaster relief solutions, and supporting underserved communities by participating in service projects that promote resiliency. Since its inception, Burners Without Borders has grown to a worldwide organization and has become a forerunner in creative solutions to bring about positive community change. The 2023 Burners Without Borders Summit was held on May 19th through May 21st on the Burning Man Project owned Fly Ranch, located on the Hualapai Flat near Gerlach, NV. This is what I witnessed and felt as a summit…
If you have not yet made up your mind about joining Friends of the Inyo for our FREE Spring Dark Desert Skies Campout at Conglomerate Mesa this coming weekend, May 19-21, perhaps listening to our Desert Lands Organizer, Jaime Lopez Wolters, talk about the wonders that await will entice you. Listen to his guest appearance on KMMT FM Radio’s Arts, Culture & Entertainment (ACE) Show last Friday, May 12, get to know him a little better, and learn what you will be missing if you don’t join us for what promises to be a wonderful experience under the stars!
Ellen Wehr is General Counsel for the Grassland Water District in Merced County. She has practiced water and land use law in Sacramento since 2007, specializing in Central Valley Project water issues. Besides serving as Secretary on Friends of the Inyo’s Board of Directors, she also serves on the boards of Ducks Unlimited and Los Vaqueros Reservoir Joint Powers Authority. Listen to her talk to Golden State Naturalist Podcast Host Michelle Fullner about the geology, history and hydrology of California’s Central Valley. It’s a fascinating conversation!
For me, Friends of the Inyo’s Dark Desert Skies Campout (May 20-22) was just as much about all we can see under Daytime Desert Skies! By Kayla Browne, Desert Lands Organizer Friends of the Inyo had a wonderful group of friends come out to learn more about dark skies and the beauty of Conglomerate Mesa and Centennial Flat over our three-day Dark Desert Skies Campout event that began with an educational evening at the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine. On Friday evening, May 20, we premiered “Island in the Sky,” a short film produced by Patagonia about…
Friends of the Inyo’s Summer Stewardship Program is Off to a “HOT” Start! By Alex Ertaud, Stewardship Director (Middle-Right in photo) As the days grow longer and the last remaining bits of snow melt away, it can only mean one thing: Friends of the Inyo’s Summer Stewardship Season is upon us! Our Stewardship Team spent the month of May getting ready for the exciting summer season we have ahead of us. We’re thrilled to announce that we are able to staff each Ranger District of the National Forests of the Eastern Sierra with a dedicated Trail Ambassador (TA) this year….
In a recent conversation with “The Oxygen Starved Podcast” hosts Mono County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stacey Adler and Mono County Free Library Director Christopher Platt, Friends of the Inyo’s Executive Director Wendy Schneider talks about public land stewardship and protection, leadership, family and more. Take a listen. Begin at min. 32 of the podcast. Happy listening…And if you like what you hear, happy sharing!
We are excited to share the full slate of our weekly Interpretive Hikes led by our great group of Trail Ambassadors this summer. Check out the offerings below: Mammals of the Eastern Sierra at North Lake (Bishop) with Lindsay Butcher – 7/16, 8/14, 9/11 Beavers and Meadows in the Eastern Sierra in Bridgeport with Lily Emerson – 7/22, 8/21, 9/17 Jeffrey Pine Trees Interpretive Hike in Lone Pine with Kayla Browne – 7/31, 8/28, 9/24 Geology and Volcanology Interpretive Hike in Mammoth with Tess Irving-Ruffing – 8/7, 9/3
Doris the Water Molecule, a free coloring book! In partnership between Friends of the Inyo, Mono County Libraries Makerspace, and the River Network, 2020 Trail Ambassador Julia Tawney created a “do-it-yourself” coloring storybook exploring the Owens River Headwaters. In response to the pandemic, Mono County Libraries Makerspace is offering free maker kits “to-go” at its 6 branches, with take-home art activities for all ages to learn new skills and engage with the natural world. Download the free coloring book by clicking this link.
The ease of simply wandering–walk this way, that way, over here, maybe over there–is one of the main things I love about the Great Basin desert. Largely lacking inpesky thickets of trees or impenetrable swamps, the low sagebrush steppe, clear-edged aspen groves, and open pinyon-juniper woodlands invite you to just wander. You can see where you’re going, you can see where you’ve been, and you can see for hundreds of miles to millions of other places you’ve loved and would love to visit.