KORE Mining is back.

The Canadian gold mining company has resubmitted its proposal for exploratory drilling adjacent to Hot Creek Geologic Site in Long Valley. Four years ago, FOI and our partners took this same project to court and won after the Ninth Circuit ruled the Forest Service had improperly approved it. This time, as we're all well aware, the political landscape is very different.

The Trump administration has gutted the Council on Environmental Quality, the body that oversees NEPA implementation, by roughly 80%, stripping away most of the environmental protections that were previously in place. Under the new rules, the Forest Service is not required to hold a public comment period for this proposal. Mono County's Board of Supervisors and the Mammoth Lakes Town Council haven't been notified, and you guessed it... the public isn't being asked for input.

Hot Creek is undeniably beautiful, but it's more than that.

It's a geothermal wonder, a world-class fishery, a tributary of the Owens River, and an economic powerhouse of southern Mono County's outdoor tourism industry. KORE's exploratory drilling project is explicitly the precursor to something much larger. If exploratory drilling finds sufficient gold, KORE's stated intention is to develop an open-pit, cyanide heap leach gold mine on the plateau above Hot Creek.

The project site sits within proposed critical habitat for the Bi-State Sage Grouse, with breeding areas and leks directly adjacent to the drilling footprint. The area also supports over 30 federal and state special status species, including the federally endangered Owens Tui Chub and Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog. Any disruption to Hot Creek's hydrology could adversely modify designated critical habitat for both.

Mammoth Lakes and Mono County generate over $600 million in direct visitor spending annually, supporting more than 5,300 local jobs. Half of those visitors come specifically for scenic beauty and outdoor recreation. The economy KORE would put at risk is not abstract.

And then there's the water. Hot Creek feeds into the Owens River, and every drop in Long Valley is already allocated to habitat or Los Angeles's drinking supply. KORE's own technical report acknowledges the mine would consume up to 600 gallons per minute, with no identified alternative source.

The Forest Service isn't asking for our input. Let's make sure they hear it anyways.

Click the button below to send a message directly to Mammoth Lakes District Ranger Fred Wong. Tell  him why Hot Creek matters to you. Below is a starting point, but please make it your own. The more personal, the better.

Dear District Ranger Wong,

Hot Creek has meant something to this community for a long time as a fishery, a geothermal marvel, a culturally significant place, and a cornerstone of outdoor recreation in southern Mono County. [Share your connection to the area whether you fish here, hike here, run a business that depends on visitors who come here, or simply believe it should exist for future generations.]

I am writing in opposition to KORE Mining's resubmitted proposal for exploratory drilling adjacent to Hot Creek Geologic Site. This project carries the potential for serious, irreversible harm to the fragile geothermal hydrology of Hot Creek, to Bi-State Sage Grouse nesting habitat, to the endangered Owens Tui Chub, and to a tourism economy built on the integrity of this landscape.

I am also deeply troubled by the removal of a public comment period for this proposal. The communities most affected, residents, business owners, local tribes, and the governing bodies of Mono County and Mammoth Lakes, have not been given the opportunity to weigh in. That is not how stewardship of public land should work.

I urge the Inyo National Forest to require full environmental review of this proposal and to restore a meaningful public comment process before any decision is made.

[Your name]

[Your city/town]