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We are looking forward to another year of working together to protect and care for the lands and waters of the Eastern Sierra. Thank you for your generous support. We are excited to embrace this upcoming year working as a community. 

On Dec 11, 2024 Jaime Lopez Wolters, Desert Lands Organizer with Friends of the Inyo, participated in a field trip to Conglomerate Mesa organized by and for Public Lands Round Table (PLRT) members. The PLRT was formed by people concerned with the management of public lands in the California Mojave Desert and has members whose interests span a multitude of viewpoints.

The trip provided an opportunity to discuss the Conglomerate Mesa gold mining exploration proposal directly with the BLM Ridgecrest Field Manager, Phil DeSenze, and Associate Field Manager, Tom Biskauskas. As it turns out, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invited the mining company to attend, with K2 Gold CEO Anthony Margarit and VP of Exploration Eric Buitenhuis joining the trip. The BLM also invited the members of the Desert Advisory Council to join, and Bob Robinson was able to attend. There was a strong showing of people eager to protect Conglomerate Mesa, with several members of the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe and the incoming Inyo County 5th District Supervisor, Will Wadelton, joining as well. A member of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribal Council even joined in the morning meetup to ask the BLM and K2 Gold questions about the proposed project.

The field trip began with the long and slow drive along the access road, which the mining company would have to “improve” if they were granted permission to explore and bring in their equipment by land rather than air. From the end of the existing road, the group hiked along the proposed new road that K2 Gold would scrape and bulldoze into existence, taking time to discuss several alternate routes the BLM is considering. The participants hiked up to the first proposed drill pads and discussed the pros and cons of allowing the project to proceed using only helicopters to transport equipment and personnel into the field, as was done during the first round of exploration by K2 Gold. 

On the hike back, two US Fish and Wildlife Service staff members joined the group, who will start assessing the petition to protect the Inyo Rock Daisy under the US Endangered Species Act. The Inyo Rock Daisy has already been listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.

All in all, it was a very informative field trip, providing an opportunity to question both the BLM and K2 Gold about the upcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the mining company’s intentions for exploring and exploiting Conglomerate Mesa. We also made clear our opposition to mining this beautiful and wild place in the California desert.

We will keep you informed about new developments and send out an Action Alert when the time comes to provide public comment.

Tickets for this popular event will go on sale next 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 e-mail announcement when ticket sales and sign-ups go live in February. Please e-mail 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!  

Snow School is an outdoor education experience for 5th graders in Bishop and Mammoth. Adult volunteers help docent the kids through this fun experience. No outdoor ed experience is required to volunteer! 

Dates:

Mammoth: February 19 & 21

Cardinal Village: February 25, 26, & 27

Time: 8:30 am - 1:00 pm

Email izzy@friendsoftheinyo.org for more info.

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.

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

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

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