What a year it’s been! 2018 saw our Stewardship program tally some impressive numbers: We put on over 20 different volunteer events, which allowed us to engage over 400 volunteers for a whopping 1,919 hours of volunteer work! Through those volunteer events, our Trail Ambassadors, and Stewardship Crews, we picked up over 2,000 pounds of trash from our public lands front and backcountries, monitored 518.5 miles of trails, and removed 105 logs from said trails. Numbers are great, but why tell you what we did when we can show you? Here are some photos highlighting Friends of the Inyo stewarding…
Stewardship
by Melissa Petrich, Friends of the Inyo Trail Ambassador. As I patrolled the Horton Creek Trail I was reminded of a statement a friend made a few years back: “Environmentalists are the most selfish people.” At the time, this statement took me aback. Confused, I decided not to think about it too much, but here I am years later with that comment still in the back of my mind. His statement was quickly followed with, “Environmentalists are not trying to conserve the earth for the earth’s sake, but for the sake of humans. We are conserving it for ourselves and…
After three pleasant days floating the future Owens River Water Trail with volunteer groups this summer, we’ve opened up 3,070 feet of navigable river channel! It’s exciting to see this project take shape. Stay tuned for future opportunities to join us on the river.
What a blissful five days of restoring our treasured alpine landscape with the Sierra National Forest and funding from the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance! Stay tuned for stories from the trip. For now, enjoy these incredible photos by volunteer Ken Miller. Thanks to our stalwart volunteers, to the Sierra National Forest staff who helped lead the trip, and to a generous grant from the National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance that made this project possible. If you’d like to join next year’s wilderness volunteer work week, email info@friendsoftheinyo.org.
by Zak Keene, Friends of the Inyo Stewardship Crew Member On the last day in July, Friends of the Inyo’s Stewardship Crew and Trail Ambassadors headed out to Piute Pass, where a recent landslide had covered sections of the trail with debris. The overcast weather, while pleasant for working conditions, caused some trepidation among the crew as to what the rest of the day would look like. Nevertheless, there was work to be done, so we set about leveling the trail tread and moving rocks to prepare for building steps and check dams. After breaking for lunch, we began working…
Thanks to YOU, we reached our fundraising goal this spring and were able to fully staff our 2018 Trail Ambassador Program with four incredibly talented individuals: David, Melissa, Lauren, and Robin. Their beat extends from Cottonwood Pass to Lundy Canyon, and since June 12 they’ve been hard at work maintaining trails throughout the Inyo National Forest. The Trail Ambassadors also lead regular service projects for volunteers and teach interpretive programs on topics ranging from alpine lake ecology to mushroom ID. We’re blown away by everything the Trail Ambassadors have accomplished so far this summer: 1202 visitor contacts 736 hours of volunteer time…
Major storms in July devastated Eastern Sierra roads and trails. A 40-foot-high mudslide across 168 West stranded hikers in the Sabrina Basin, and severe washouts made the Pine Creek Pass and Piute Pass Trails nearly impassable. Another mudslide closed the Lundy Canyon Road and destroyed a portion of the trail reroute our Stewardship Crew spent three weeks building in June. Luckily, Friends of the Inyo’s Trail Ambassadors are poised to address exactly this type of emergency. With extensive experience, flexible schedules, and great attitudes, they can act as first responders for trail crises throughout the region. On short notice, we…
Thanks to volunteer Wendy Marcus for sharing this brief piece about her experience at Bridgeport Trails Day… “We’ve had a house at Twin Lakes for three years, but this is the first time I’ve had the pleasure of helping out Friends of the Inyo with Bridgeport Trails Day (June 30, 2018). I brought along my friend Beth, and we got to work with Astra Lincoln and Dylan Welcome (and Dylan’s mom’s dog, Lady Jane!) and three other volunteers on the Upper Twin Lake Trail, clearing trees from the path as we came across them, improving creek crossings, and trimming brush…
Every year, June Lake Trails Day gets better and better! We love the fun atmosphere of the event, with prize donations from local businesses, a delicious free lunch, and a huge group of volunteers of all ages and walks of life. In 2018 our 44 volunteers did a dazzling job of clearing heavy brush from the Parker Bench and Yost Lake Trails, and showed off their crosscut saw skills by removing seven downed logs. Thanks to our partners, Mono County, June Lake Trails Committee, and the Inyo National Forest, and to all our wonderful volunteers for their hard work!
Last month, High Country News published an article that posited an interesting thesis; that there might not be a link between outdoor recreation and conservation. Or, as the author titled it “Your stoke won’t save us”. The piece has created some waves in our little world at the intersect of environmental conservation and public lands, as well as the outdoor industry as a whole. The article landed in my e-mail inbox a total of six times, made the rounds of social media, and even prompted a dissenting follow up letter published in this month’s HCN. These pieces come at a time when our public…