In case you missed it this morning, listen to KMMT-FM Host John DeMaria (left) talk with Friends of the Inyo’s Communications and Philanthropy Director Lou Medina (right) about #GivingTuesday, why it’s important, and why your donation to #FriendsoftheInyo can make a big difference in the protection of Eastern Sierra lands and in helping us move forward toward a greener future. AND because of a robust matching gift of $45,500 from FOI’s generous Board of Directors, your gift will be DOUBLED! Listen, then click here to give!
Stories
It’s #GivingTuesday! You can help Friends of the Inyo raise up to $91,000 thanks to a $45,500 matching gift from our generous Board of Directors that includes THE FIRST HYBRID VEHICLE IN OUR FLEET! Look at the custom license plate in the photo below and ask yourself, “What will I give “4FOI24” (i.e., to take FOI into 2024)? Then scroll down to give! Your gift will be DOUBLED. Thank you!
A quinceañera, a mild case of COVID, Friends of the Inyo’s partnerships and more! We have lots to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! Read all about it in the combined October/November Issue of The Juniper.
Conglomerate Mesa Western Joshua Tree Survey, October 21-23, 2023 Blogpost and Photos By Jaime Lopez-Wolters, Friends of the Inyo Desert Lands Organizer Conglomerate Mesa has been under threat from mining companies looking to extract gold from its soil since the 1970s. The latest company to try its luck is Canadian firm K2 Gold, through its local subsidiary, Mojave Precious Metals (MPM). Defenders of the land have always known that the area is special, not in the least because of the thriving high-elevation Western Joshua Tree forest that it harbors. Until recently, the value of these fragile, otherworldly desert plants was…
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…
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.
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….
Conglomerate Mesa needs our protection! Canadian company K2 Gold’s “modified” mining proposal could impact up to 15 acres of pristine lands that are sacred to Paiute-Shoshone and Timbisha-Shoshone peoples in Southern Inyo County, and a haven for thriving Joshua Trees and other threatened plants and animals. Join us Labor Day for a “Protect Rally” at Spainhower Park in Lone Pine, as we tell K2 Gold we want them to go home! Click on the image at left to download our flier. Help us share this information with others! Want to help us make posters for the rally? Come to Friends…
Read some exciting progress notes from our Trail Ambassadors, with an introduction and post-note from Stewardship Director Lindsay Butcher. It is hard to believe, but here we are- already halfway through the Trail Ambassador season! My how time zips by… Despite the multiple false starts of summer and the ongoing damage control from winter, our TAs have been up to some awesome work alongside our Forest Service partners. Here are some highlights from their last month of work. From Logan, TA on the Mt. Whitney Ranger District of the Inyo National Forest: My Favorite day this month- Overnight in the Eastern…
Emily Markstein, co-founder of NoHotCreekMine.com, has been hired on a temporary basis by Friends of the Inyo as our Campaign Manager, No Hot Creek Mine. Emily will play a key role in organizing volunteers to monitor KORE Mining’s operations at Hot Creek, which could start as early as September 1 of this year, to make sure the company stays within the bounds of its approved projects. She is also working on developing a number of outreach and educational activities for the coming months. Read our full media release, which also gives the background of the KORE Mining saga, and has…