The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is considering reopening historic sheep allotments near Bridgeport, CA to cattle grazing. The project area covers roughly 20,000 acres of public land in the Cameron Canyon, Jordon Basin, Dunderburg, and Summer Meadows areas, west of highway 395 and south of the community of Bridgeport. Due to the listing of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep in 1999 and the significant threat of disease transmission to wild sheep, domestic sheep grazing permits were cancelled in 2010 and 2014, respectively. After nearly a decade of recovery from grazing these meadows, uplands and riparian systems have been allowed to rest…
Action Alerts
Proposed Lithium Mine in Panamint Valley What’s Happening? The BLM is considering allowing exploratory drilling project for lithium in Panamint Valley. Battery Mineral Resources, headquartered in Toronto, Canada proposes to drill four holes 2,000 feet deep on Panamint Lake just outside of the Surprise Canyon Wilderness. What Is Lithium? Lithium is used in a variety of renewable energy technologies such as the batteries that power electric vehicles. As the country begins to transition towards a more renewable and green economy, we need lithium to power the batteries that power our tech. Currently, the majority of the world’s lithium is produced…
Click here to read about the background of the Inyo national Forest plan. What’s happening? After a 35 day government shutdown, the Forest Service recently rescheduled their critical Objection Resolution meeting for February 19-21 at Cerro Coso Community College in Bishop. These meetings offer our last chance to get critical changes made to the plan regarding wilderness, rivers, wildlife, and recreation. Although the Forest Service recommended some new wilderness in the plan, they didn’t recommend any within Mono County – failing to recognize the Glass Mountains and other special wild places. The plan also falls short on recognizing eligible Wild…
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Support Conglomerate Mesa ***Update 8/2/2018: It seemed when SSR withdrew their application for exploratory drilling that we were in the clear. But the mining claim holders have requested to transfer the approved plan of operation, and BLM granted the claimants 60 days to complete the transfer requirements. The fight continues! Help us protect Conglomerate Mesa by becoming a member today!*** Picture this: a gold mine on Conglomerate Mesa. A dusty cyanide heap-leach mine where there is now a quiet, culturally rich, open space filled with Joshua trees. All on Death Valley’s doorstep. It almost happened. In mid-May, Silver Standard Resources Inc. (SSR)…
The Trump administration announced plans for the largest roll back to the National Environmental Protection Act in its 48 year old history. ***Update: The comment deadline has been extended from July 20 to August 20. Hooray! There’s still time to click here and tell the federal government that you want a say in how your public lands are managed!*** The backbone of NEPA is the public review process allowing scientists, non-governmental organizations like Friends of the Inyo and the public to have a say on federal projects that impact public lands, air, water and wildlife. We know the current administration is…
California’s State Mining and Geology Board (SMGB) is under pressure from the mining industry to weaken regulations that could pave the way to expanded open pit mining—including industrial-scale cyanide heap leach mining at Conglomerate Mesa. Current California mining laws are some of the strongest in the nation and include stringent backfill requirements which result in many mining proposals being economically infeasible. The SMGB (which has no environmental representative), has issued a “Notice of Pre-Rulemaking Workshop and Public Comment period” to “review, and possibly revise, state policy pertaining to Performance Standards for Backfilling Excavations and Recontouring Lands Disturbed by Open Pit Surface Mining…
Exploratory Drilling Approved at Conglomerate Mesa The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced a decision allowing exploration for gold at conglomerate mesa, a remote and wild corner of Inyo county adjacent to Death Valley National Park. This decision endangers the area’s recreation- and tourism-based economy, delicate water supply, and uniquely important ecosystem and cultural resources. Click here to read our .pdf press release or see the text version below, and sign up on our mailing list to receive updates from us on Conglomerate Mesa and the Perdito project as they develop. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2018 Contact: Wendy Schneider, (310)…
Urge your Representative to Oppose the House Farm Bill H.R. 2 The Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R. 2) is brimming with attacks on America’s bedrock environmental laws and our national forests. The House Farm Bill includes numerous Congressional exemptions for up to 6,000-acre forestry projects, including exemptions from public input and other critical environmental review. Such exemptions would prioritize logging over clean water, recreation, and wildlife. Please call your Representative and tell them you oppose H.R. 2 This bill promotes logging over other uses of public lands and creates backward incentives that would shift emphasis and funding from…
Please Attend the State Mining Board’s Workshop on May 9th in Riverside, CA to Support Responsible Mining Practices The State Mining and Geology Board is holding a public hearing on possible revisions to backfill regulations that require companies to backfill their open pit mines once a mine has closed. These regulations ensure companies complete reclamation. California currently has strict mining standards that place the responsibility for effective reclamation where it belongs: on mining companies. The mining industry would like to see these standards weakened or eliminated so it can expand industrial scale, open pit mines across the state, while avoiding expensive reclamation…