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Year-End Fundraising Campaign Thank You |
The Friends of the Inyo staff and board thank everyone for their generous support for our 2024 Year-End Fundraising Campaign. Thanks to you we were able to raise 89,000 dollars! We could not have done it without our wonderful supporters: we can't wait to do more in 2025 thanks to you.
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Owens Lake Bird Festival: April 11-13, 2025 |
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On April 11-13, 2025, Friends of the Inyo will host its annual Owens Lake Bird Festival in the "Little Town with Lots of Charm" that is Lone Pine in Southern Inyo County. This year's tour lineup is more robust than in previous years, with the return of our most popular tours and even some new offerings! |
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Tickets for this popular event will go on sale this month. As is customary, "right of first purchase" will be made available to Friends of the Inyo members before opening up sales to the general public. What does this mean? FOI supporters with active membership (those who donated $35 or more to Friends of the Inyo within the last year) will have the first opportunity to get tickets and sign up for tours. Stay tuned to your inbox for our exclusive members-only email announcement when ticket sales and sign-ups go live in February. Please email any questions about the Owens Lake Bird Festival to kayla@friendsoftheinyo.org. Want to make sure your membership is current and in good standing? Donate a minimum of $35 today by going to FriendsoftheInyo.org/Donate. Thank you!
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Sneak Peak: 2025's Tour Schedule |
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Saturday April 12 Morning Tours: |
Patsiata’s (Owens Lake) Importance to Migrating and Nesting Birds as a Resting and Feeding Stopover each Fall and Spring with Mike Prather. Non-Technical Bird Photography on Owens Lake with Martin Powell Riparian Birding and Ecology with Russell Koxk Geology and Natural History of the Alabama Hills with Dave Kirk Introduction to Birding for Kids in Spainhower Park and Edwards Field, with Maggie Riley Birding on Owens Lake with Ali Sheehey |
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Saturday April 12 Afternoon Tours: |
Patsiata’s (Owens Lake) Importance to Migrating and Nesting Birds as a Resting and Feeding Stopover each Fall and Spring with Mike Prather.
Plein Air Painting Session at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center with Edie Trimmer
Desert Plant Walk in the Alabama Hills with Sierra Forever's Ashley Anderson Beyond the Binoculars, Birding on Owens Lake with Gena Wood from Eastern Sierra Land Trust Birding on Owens Lake with Ali Sheehey |
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Saturday April 12 All-Day Tours: |
Historic Mining Town of Cerro Gordo with Max Rosan
Conglomerate Mesa Hike with Friends of the Inyo's Jaime Lopez Wolters |
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Sunday April 13 Morning Tours: |
Lower Owens River Project with Friends of the Inyo's Wendy Schneider and the Sierra Club's Lynn Boulton Birding at Cartago Springs with California Lands Foundation's Jora Fogg
Plein Air Painting Session Overlooking the Owens River with Edie Trimmer Patsiata’s (Owens Lake) Importance to Migrating and Nesting Birds as a Resting and Feeding Stopover each Fall and Spring with Mike Prather. Birding on Owens Lake with Ali Sheehey |
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Volunteer for Snow School
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Dates:
Mammoth: February 19th & 21st Cardinal Village: February 25th, 26th, & 27th
Time: 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Snow School is an outdoor education experience for 5th graders in Bishop and Mammoth. Adult volunteers help lead the kids through this fun experience. No outdoor ed experience is required to volunteer! The Eastern Sierra’s 5th graders will be attending Snow School on February 19th, 21st,
25th, 26th, and 27th this year. SnowSchool is an outdoor education experience that gets kids to have fun outside and be curious about their natural environment. We’re still looking for volunteers!
What will volunteers be doing? Leading activity stations for up to 10 students at a time and helping with site setup and breakdown.
Who should volunteer? Anyone who enjoys being outside and working with kids. Volunteers do not need any previous outdoor education experience – all lessons and activities will be supplied ahead of time and lessons are not complicated! Volunteers should be comfortable being outside and in the snow for several hours at a time.
How long are volunteers needed? Volunteers are needed from 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM each day. You’re welcome to sign up for any number of days that work for your schedule. Where is SnowSchool happening? Mammoth Lakes Welcome Center on the 2/19 and 2/21 and Cardinal Village Resort on 2/25, 2/26, and 2/27. Why? Because it’s going to be fun!!! Breakfast and coffee will be provided! Email izzy@friendsoftheinyo.org for more information and to sign up. |
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We need your help to restore the Rock Creek Boardwalk! |
The Rock Creek boardwalk has outlived its lifespan and has deteriorated to the point of danger. Since federal budgets have been on a steady decline, the Inyo NF has no funding to dedicate to this project. Due to private member donations and some funds received from the Adopt-A-Trail program, last summer we were able to replace the first dilapidated section with new, heartier materials. This 80-foot section cost approximately $15,000.00 in materials alone! We are running a Gofundme campaign to attempt to address the remaining 200+ feet of hazardous boardwalk.
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15 amazing volunteers moved over 1 ton of rocks in just 1 hour on Sunday, January 19th! |
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The rocks will be used for trail delineation in the Peabody area to protect fragile native plants and prevent erosion. This collaborative effort between Friends of the Inyo, the Bishop Climbing Rangers, the Bishop Area Climbers Coalition, and the Moderate Bishop Bouldering Meetup was hugely successful. We look forward to hosting more stewardship events like this soon! |
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If you want to stay in the loop for future volunteer opportunities, sign up for the Friends of the Inyo Stewardship Volunteer mailing list: |
January 16th, 2025: Pinyon Woodlands in the News |
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Read about the Pinyon Community Climate Action (PiCCA) project – a collaboration involving more than two dozen partners from federal agencies, tribal nations, the University of California Berkeley, Stanford University, and non-governmental organizations, including Friends of the Inyo.
The article focuses on expanding Indigenous stewardship of public lands, understanding how one of the American West’s most drought-resilient forests will respond to climate change, and the importance of collaboration and the co-development of research so that it benefits the communities it is built from. It also features beautiful photos and videos documenting this Project and the ecosystems it focuses on. |
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Photos by Andrew Brodhead |
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Whitney Portal Road Reopens After 17 Months! |
At last! On Saturday January 25th, Whitney Portal Road reopened to the public after a 17-month closure due to damage caused by Hurricane Hillary in August 2023. Locals and visitors alike can rejoice that this major access road for the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area and Whitney Portal is passable again thanks to Inyo County Public Works, Inyo County Road Department, Federal Highway Administration and Central Federal Lands. During the closure period there were 3 detours in place, none of which were well equipped to handle the volume of traffic that this area sees throughout the year. As visitors travelled these alternate routes they also discovered parts of the Alabama Hills that had previously received scant visitation. As a result, the pressures of camping and day use shifted to these areas. The Alabama Hills Stewardship Group along with concerned neighbors, brought these areas to the attention of land managers at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, who responded with increased monitoring and signage.
Now that the Alabama Hills is, once again, easily accessible via Whitney Portal Road, it’s a good time to remind people about the new camping permit requirement. Starting October 1, 2024 camping at designated semi-primitive campsites requires the Alabama Hills free permit. This free permit does not guarantee a campsite, as all sites are still first come first serve. The free permit, which is valid for one year, acknowledges that the visitor knows how and where to camp in the Hills. The Alabama Hills free camping permit can be found online, at the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center in Lone Pine, or issued in person by a BLM park ranger within the Alabama Hills.
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Friends of Fish Slough General Meeting: Stories of Fish Slough
with Steve Parmenter, Joy Fatooh, and Ceal Klingler |
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Come and hear stories of history and humor about stewarding Fish Slough and its myriad of inhabitants from Steve, Joy and Ceal. Stories and conversation from those who are currently stewarding and loving this area are welcome as well. This unique desert ecosystem deserves a panoply of tales to continue to endear this place to locals and visitors alike. Come to learn or to share why you love it. |
| Thursday February 13th 6:30 - 8:00 PM Via Zoom only |
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You must register to attend via Zoom. This can be done any time even up to the time of the meeting. The event is limited to 100 participants, so it is recommended you register as soon as possible. If you are not able to attend, there will be a recording. Questions? Contact betsymcdonald19@gmail.com for more information or to request the recording. |
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Join Sierra Forever for free events all February long with the Alabama Hills Ranger Programs: Saturday Feb 1st 11 AM-12 PM Desert Plant Walk Sunday Feb 2nd 11 AM- 12:30 PM Groundhog Day Nature Walk Saturday Feb 8th 10 AM-12:30 PM The Alabama Hills Backcountry Saturday Feb 15th 1 PM-2PM Geology Walk Saturday Feb 15th 7 PM-8 PM Our Night Sky Saturday Feb 22nd 11 AM-1 PM Nature Journaling Questions? Email ashley@sierraforever.org |
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Adopt a Wild Horse or Burro from the Ridgecrest Bureau of Land Management
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The corral facility is located on 80 acres of withdrawn Navy and BLM lands, four miles east of Ridgecrest on the Randsburg-Wash Road off California Highway 178. It is available for individual and group tours and has a two-track dirt perimeter road that allows visitors to get a quality view of the animals. If driving, a vehicle with high clearance is recommended.
Adoptions are by appointment or during scheduled open house events, typically 7-9 a.m. July-September, and 8 a.m. - 12 p.m. October-June, on the first and third Fridays of each month. Check the event schedule for dates and times, cancellations or postponements of events will be announced on social media.
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| Contact Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Facility for more information about the Wild Horse and Burro program or to make an adoption appointment. Ridgecrest Regional Wild Horse and Burro Facility
3647-A Randsburg Wash Road Trona, CA 93562 Phone: (760) 384 5765 Toll-free: (800)-951-8720 E-mail: blm_ca_ridgecrestcorrals@blm.gov |
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Friends of the Inyo sends our love to our neighbors, friends, and members in Southern California as they recover from the recent devastating wildfires. We applaud the firefighters from across the state who came to assist and the community members who are continuing to show up for each other.
If you would like to help, please see LA Strong for resources. |
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Want to support Friends of the Inyo? Consider making a donation online today! Or help us Grow Our Circle of Friends...of the Inyo! by purchasing a membership for a friend or loved one. Thank you for your generous support. |
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Friends of the Inyo appreciates the following organizations and local businesses for their generous sponsorship of our programs: |
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| | Inyo Mono Alpine County CATTLEMEN'S ASSOCIATION |
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Main Office: 621 W. Line St., Suite 201 Bishop, CA 93514
Satellite Office: 142 E. Bush St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545
Visit us online:
FriendsoftheInyo.org
Write to us:
info@friendsoftheinyo.org
Call us: (760) 873-6500 Like and follow us on social media: |
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