East Brawley Peak -- A Tragedy Unfolding in the Bodie Hills
|
Drilling for gold on East Brawley Peak???? Really? Yes, Hecla Nevada/Klondex even plan to have a drill site at the top of the peak. Their plan of operations places 16 more drill sites in the saddle between West and East Brawley Peaks (see photo above) and more drill pads on the north flank and southeast face. Some drill sites are in the limber pine stand at the top of the peak. They will level a 90'x90' area for each drill pad removing all vegetation for it and will put in a dirt road going to it. The largest stand of limber pines in the Bodie Hills grows on top of that peak. Many will have to be removed for this project, the Polaris Exploration Project. Read more about the Polaris project. If you want to help get the word out, contact us at rangeoflight.sc@gmail.com.
|
Updates on Other Gold Exploration Projects in the Eastern Sierra
|
With the price of gold at over $2,300/oz, the gold rush is on. There are seven gold exploration projects in the Eastern Sierra:
- Conglomerate Mesa--environmental impact statement to be released this fall. We will need you to comment!
- Spring Peak--actively drilling on both Forest Service land and adjacent private land
- Sawtooth Ridge--cleared and drilled at 3 drill sites last year, not sure if they will drill more this fall
- Bald Peak--approved to start drilling, but they haven't yet. No word if they will.
- Polaris--environmental assessment document to be released late fall
- Lodestar--plan of operations submitted to the Forest Service
- Hot Creek/Long Valley--Forest Service approval revoked by an appeals court. No word from KORE Mining
|
Fish Slough--Caught in the Middle and Losing
|
The Northeast Spring in Fish Slough has been the most abundant source of water for the slough, but stopped flowing July-October of 2023, an all-time low. It is flowing now after two good snowfall years in a row, but nothing like how it flowed in the 1940s. How much does groundwater pumping in the Tri-Valley affect the Northeast Spring? A recent paper by the Desert Research Institute addresses this. Read on...
|
|
Desert Spring Systems Presentation
|
|
Thursday September 26
6:30pm - 8:30 pm
White Mountain Research Center
|
|
Join us for a talk on springs in the desert and how they work by Andy Zdon, geologist and hydryologist who has decades of experience studying spring systems in the Owens Valley, the Amargosa Valley and at Ash Meadows NWR.
The talk is put on by the Friends of Fish Slough, a newly formed grass roots group providing stewardship, education, and protection of the slough.
|
|
BLM Large Scale Solar Planning
|
|
The 2024 BLM Solar Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) also known as the Western Solar Project is expected to be released at the end of August. It will define the criteria for where large-scale solar projects can be developed across the west. Five alternatives were proposed in March of this year. The preferred alternative at the time was Alternative 3 which placed solar development within 10 miles of a high-voltage transmission line. Environmental groups, including the Sierra Club advocated for Alternative 5 which further restricted solar development to disturbed lands. When the document is released, we will know which was selected and how much of BLM public land will be available. To see what BLM land can be developed for solar, go to this map. It will display land available under Alternative 1, but you can deselect it and choose any of the five alternatives.The green areas mark where solar can go.
|
|
The New BLM Public Lands Rule
|
|
The BLM's prime directive has been to facilitate grazing and to support mineral, oil, and gas extraction. It has not been the BLM's priority to maintain healthy ecosystems. Now it is with the BLM Public Lands Rule. It makes conservation and ecosystem health just as important of a use of the land as the various extractive uses. Some places can now be left to wildlife, can protect biodiversity, and can provide ecosystem services. Read more...
|
|
Towns to Trails Project -- An OHV 395?
|
The Towns to Trails project team is working on a plan to create a multi-use off-highway route from Olancha to Tahoe. Multi-use means motorized and non-motorized recreational users. But OHVs and dirt bikes are not compatible with other types of recreation. Do we really want the Eastern Sierra to be an OHV or dirt bike mecca? This will be a much larger project than the Adventure Trails program, which sunsets at the end of this year. The Range of Light Group opposed the Adventure Trails program due to the potential for impacts to our public lands from illegal off-road travel. Unfortunately, there were abuses. A group of concerned citizens documented many of the problems and environmental impacts of the Adventure Trails program. The Towns to Trails project could bring similar issues and over a much larger area. Read more...
|
|
A Biomass Facility Outside of Mammoth?
|
The Inyo National Forest will be thinned around the Town of Mamoth Lakes over the next decade as part of several fuels reduction projects. Some smaller projects have been underway and a very large one, the Eastern Sierra Climate and Communities Resilience Project (ESCCRP) (aka. the Donut Project) is in the planning stage. What should the Forest Service do with the logs and slash of the trees that are removed? So far, the logs go to the logging company as payment and often sold for firewood locally and the slash has been piled up and burned. But the ESCCRP is a much bigger project that will last for a decade. More trees will be removed than can be used locally. One solution being floated is to build a biomass facility at the Ormat geothermal plant outside of the Town of Mammoth Lakes and generate 3 megawatts of electricity by burning the logs and slash. Last June, the Range of Light Group hosted a great presentation by Maya Khosla on fuels reduction and biomass facilities. A thoughtful discussion followed. Here are the key points that came out of that discussion...
|
|
Support your local Sierra Club, the Range of Light Group!
We Need A Beyond Gold Campaign -- Let's Start One
 Sierra Club Executive Committee (ExCom) elections are coming up this December where Range of Light Group members will be asked to vote for volunteers to serve on the ExCom. If you would like to serve on the committee, please let us know at rangeoflight.SC@gmail.com. Help keep the Range of Light Group going!
In addition to openings on our executive committee, we also have chair person openings for Program Chair, Outings Chair, and Social Media Chair. There are other ways you can help too. Can you fly a drone? You can help us monitor exploratory drilling projects and mitigation projects.
How about helping us start a campaign to educate the public about how unnecessary and harmful gold exploration and extraction is? The Eastern Sierra and Nevada public lands are being destroyed by a modern-day gold rush. Help us protect special places like the Bodie Hills, Hot Creek, Conglomerate Mesa, and the outskirts of Beatty, NV.
Come help!
Contact rangeoflight.sc@gmail.com to learn more.
|
|
Every Last Drop: Meet the Water Justice Coordinator
|
|
The Range of Light Group is part of the Eastern Sierra Water Alliance working to restore ecosystems in the Owens Valley, to prevent further water exports, water banking in Rose Valley with Owens Valley water, and supports the Tribes in their fight for water rights and land lost in the inequitable 1937 LA City and Department of Interior land exchange. Lauren Kelly, the water alliance lead is featured in the latest edition of Every Last Drop.
To subscribe to Every Last Drop:
https://keeplongvalleygreen.org/join-email/
|
|
If you would like to help us protect the environment, contact us. We'd love to have your help and input! Thank you!
|
Support Local Environmental Activism
Everything you read here requires money to support the activists, staff, and tools that make our work possible every day.
Your support can make a difference!
All funds stay here in Nevada, Lake Tahoe, and the Eastern Sierra
to support local community activists.
Thank you!
|
Join the Sierra Club
Thanks for reading. Become an environmental champion by becoming a member! The Sierra Club is the largest, most enduring grassroots environmental organization in the nation. Your membership makes us stronger!
|
Volunteer Today!
Our success in everything we do depends on volunteers like you. Frustrated with the world? Then #showup and make a difference!
|
|
Serving Inyo and Mono Counties
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
