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Get Involved!
Outings/Events
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Sunday, July 10, 8am-10am
Conway Ranch Stewardship
Help us to remove old fencing and netting around a tufa outcrop, and to pull out Russian thistle and woolly mullein on the dirt roads at Conway Ranch. We will be on the south side of Wilson Creek in the aquaculture area. Meet at the "park and ride" dirt area on Highway 167 across from E. Mono Lake Drive (the turnoff to Mono City) Bring water, snacks, hat, sunscreen, your favorite weeding tool and thick work gloves—Russian thistle is prickly! RSVP: Lynn or sign up on MeetUp.
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ROLG Highway Cleanup
Saturday July 16, 8am-11am
Please join us for our 30th highway cleanup season. The Range of Light Group has a 2-mile section of Highway 395 north of Mammoth Lakes, CA. Meet at the Crestview Rest Area, 5 miles north of Mammoth lakes. Wear closed shoes, hat, and dress in layers. A mask is briefly required in the car when you are shuttled to your starting location. Snacks provided and there is a prize for the most unusual roadside find.
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Photo credit: J. Hihn
No dogs while picking up trash, please. Help keep the tradition going. RSVP: Dick or sign up on MeetUp.
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Field Trip to the Sweetwater Mountains
Saturday July 23, 9am - 2pm
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Sweetwaters Photo Credit: L. Boulton
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Have you been to the Sweetwaters? No? Come join us! It is a very cool place. It is beautiful with a mosaic of forests, grasslands, aspen groves, and streams. This is one of our 30x30 candidates for better protection. Not sure what form of protection, but we want it to stay as wonderful as it is now or better. On this excursion, we will have a stop to see mountain bees, blue birds, what we’ve nicknamed “raptor ridge,” and Lobdell Lake (and cows). Saturday, July 23 from 9am-2pm. Meet at Bridgeport Ranger Station along Highway 395. Bring binoculars and a lunch. RSVP at MeetUp.
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Great Basin Water Justice Summit!
Register here for Day 1
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Bi-State Sage-Grouse Population Declines 40%
The January 2022 USGS Annual Data Summary draft report on the Bi-State sage-grouse population from 2008 to 2021 indicates the population declined 40% since 2008—a drop of 1,539 sage grouse. The median total number of birds is estimated at 2,282. Because there are natural variations in the population size - with more birds in good precipitation years and fewer in low precipitation years - a model was used to determine the overall trend. In the 2018 integrated population modeling update, the model showed that looking back 24 years, the population increased by 57.7 from 1995, but looking back 18 or 11 years, the total population has decreased by 15.7 and 9.6 percent respectively since then. The question is, will the population increase again or will it continue the current downward trend? Read more…
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4 Bi-state Sage Grouse hens Photo credit: L. Boulton
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Gold Fever – 5 Exploratory Drilling Projects Now
There are now 5 gold exploration projects in the Eastern Sierra! Three are in the Bodie Hills at Bald Peak, Sawtooth Ridge behind the Aurora Cemetery, and at Spring Peak. Then there is one at Hot Creek outside of Mammoth Lakes and one at Conglomerate Mesa. These are all areas where ancient hot springs brought microscopic gold to the surface. The purpose of the drilling is to find where the gold came from. So where do they stand? Read on…
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Sawtooth Ridge w/ Beauty Peak in the distance Photo credit: L. Boulton
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Permanent Protection and 30 by 30
The potential for open pit, cyanide heap leach mines in the Eastern Sierra is one of the reasons the Range of Light Group is working hard with our allies to protect Conglomerate Mesa and the Bodie Hills. Both these areas are rich in natural resources (wildflowers, wildlife, geology, and cultural heritage) and they are beautiful with stunning vistas. They are in our list of 30 by 30 (preserving 30% by 2030) candidate lands that need protection. There are so many other beautiful areas in the Eastern Sierra on the Range of Light Group’s 30 by 30 list as well: the Sweetwater Mountains, Amargosa River, Panamint Valley, Long Valley, Fish Slough, and more. We are working to make sure they are just as beautiful 100 years from now. If you are interested in helping, please contact rangeoflight.sc@gmail.com.
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Subscribe to Every Last Drop
 New editions of Every Last Drop are out. Have you been keeping up? This is a great way to find out about LADWP's impact on the Owens Valley!
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If you would like to help us protect the environment, contact us. We'd love to have you help and input! Thank you! You may also join the ROLG Executive Committee meeting on July 25 at 4 pm. Information for how to join will be on MeetUp.
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Serving Inyo and Mono Counties
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