Friday May 2nd @ 6 PM- Fish in Film: Celebrating Eastern Sierra Fisheries and Hot Creek!

FRIDAY MAY 2ND AT 6 PM AT MAMMOTH BREWING: 

Join us for Fish in Film, a celebration of trout and Mono County’s very own Hot Creek. 

This FREE event is hosted in coordination between the Crowley Fish Foundation, Cal Trout, No Hot Creek Mine, Friends of the Inyo, Trout Unlimited, and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.  In additon to the screening of  short films all fish and hot creek, there will also be a participation based raffle, with prizes for attendees who submit a public comment requesting that the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board designate Hot Creek as an Outstanding Natural Resource Water.

Hot Creek is a unusually productive stream, ecologically – its distinctive water chemistry and temperature regime influenced by the hydrothermal inputs up and down its length, combine to produce huge volumes of aquatic plant growth and macroinvertebrates, which in turn support one of California’s most famous wild trout fisheries, known for its impressive biomass (number of fish/mile). But Hot Creek is threatened by gold mining. In September of 2021, the Inyo National Forest approved a project that involves “exploratory drilling” for gold near Hot Creek, one of California’s most famous wild trout streams. The drilling site is located about one-third of a mile from the creek, in Mono County. In the wake of widespread public opposition (No Hot Creek Mine) and litigation by Friends of the Inyo, Western Watersheds, the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Sierra Club,  the Forest Service’s approval of the project was overturned in 2024. Yet, the threat of future mining near Hot Creek remains, especially given the federal government’s new emphasis on increasing mineral production on public lands.

A proposal now before the Lahontan Regional Water Board would permanently protect the water quality in Hot Creek from being degraded by mining waste by designating it an Outstanding National Resource Water (ONRW).

We have until May 5th to urge the water board to make this critical designation! Together, we can help to secure permanent protections for Hot Creekand its legendary trout fishery by submitting comments before May 5th to the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control Board to designate Hot Creek as an Outstanding National Resource Water.