Our 30x30 Priorities

This series will introduce you to Range of Light Group's short list of wild spaces to protect and policy actions we hope to initiate within the Eastern Sierra. The 30x30 Initiative is to protect 30% of wild spaces by 2030. There will be virtual events to introduce you to each location followed by in-person outings to take you to the spaces themselves so you can see their natural wonder firsthand.

  • Introduction to Range of Light Group's 30x30 Priorities
    Virtual Presentation
    **ON-DEMAND RECORDING**

    The first in a series of presentations on 30x30, we'll outline what is currently in the works for Inyo and Mono Counties and what might be possible in the future. We'll offer a brief introduction to 30x30 on the Federal, State, and Local levels, to Local Conservation Priorities currently underway (Conglomerate Mesa, Bodie Hills, Amargosa Basin) and other Local Conservation Priorities we have on our list (Sweetwater Mountains, Long Valley Caldera, Fish Slough, Owens Lake). Finally, we'll seek your input on lands and waters you would like to see protected.

  • The Harms of Exploratory Drilling
    Virtual Presentation
    **ON-DEMAND RECORDING**
    There are five exploratory drilling projects in the Eastern Sierra that could eventually lead to open pit gold mines. Gold is not a critical mineral, but the high price of gold is driving companies to look for gold, even microscopic gold that wasn't worth going after before. While mining has a huge impact on the environment, exploratory drilling impacts the environment too. Clearly, on a much smaller scale, but it has its harms. Join us and find out about three exploratory drilling projects in the Bodie Hills and the impacts that they will have.

  • California Gold Cyanidation Ban
    Virtual Presentation
    **ON-DEMAND RECORDING**
    Range of Light Group has been looking for ways to discourage exploratory drilling for gold in the Eastern Sierra. One possible way would be a statewide ban on the use of cyanide in the extraction of gold from ore. In this presentation we will learn why we don’t really need gold, we just think we do, and we will explore the harms gold mines inflict on landscapes, water supplies, biodiversity, and the carbon footprint - all for very little reason. A California Gold Cyanidation Ban is just a hope in our collective green hearts, but we ask you to join us in investigating this possibility.

Future virtual and in-person events to be scheduled:

  • 30x30 Priority: Long Valley
    In-Person Site Visit

  • 30x30 Priority: Amargosa Basin
    Virtual Presentation and In-Person Site Visit

  • 30x30 Priority: Bodie Hills
    Virtual Presentation and In-Person Site Visit

  • 30x30 Priority: Sweetwater Mountains
    Virtual Presentation and In-Person Site Visit

  • 30x30 Priority: Conglomerate Mesa
    Virtual Presentation and In-Person Site Visit