Join Bi-State Sage-Grouse Coordinator, Tracy Misiewicz, for a rare opportunity of sage-grouse lek viewing in Long Valley. Participants will meet for coffee and pastries in Bishop at 4:30 am (yes, we have to arrive early to get in place before sunrise!), and carpool to Long Valley. There will be two hours of lek viewing with a discussion about biology, natural history, listing statues, and more.

There are a few more spots available! Click below to register.

We have another tracking workshop to offer you! These workshops are hosted in partnership with ESIA and Eastern Sierra Land Trust.

Join professional wildlife tracker and mountain lion researcher Phil Johnston for a day in the desert learning to read the stories of wild animals through tracking. Phil has over a decade of experience teaching tracking and is certified as a Senior Tracker through Tracker Certification North America. Come learn to identify the tracks and signs of the many charismatic creatures living in the Eastern Sierra. 

The location will be in the Bishop area. The exact meeting location will be emailed the Friday before the workshop. This workshop will be from 9 am to 3 pm. You will be on your feet for the entire time, often walking over uneven terrain. There are a few spots left! Click below to register.

For questions, reach out to gena@eslt.org

Join the Bishop Climbing Rangers in a stewardship project managing the spread of Russian thistle in the Happy Boulders! This invasive, non-native plant is a problem we hope to mitigate this spring and summer. With your help, volunteers can remove new thistle sprouts that have already started to grow.

Save the Date!

The Annual Eastern Sierra History Conference seeks to enhance awareness, enrich knowledge, and generate recognition of the diverse and complex heritage of the Eastern Sierra region. More info coming soon.

The Mammoth Lakes Branch Library will the 2024 Mono County Sustainability Fair, where local organizations will share about their Eastern Sierra initiatives. ESIA will be tabling at this event. See you there!

In honor of World Migratory Bird Day, the Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) and Eastern Sierra Audubon Society (ESAS) are organizing a morning of birdwatching at a rare, sparkling wetland in Adobe Valley – ESLT’s Black Lake Preserve. All birding levels are welcome, and kids are encouraged to attend. For more information, click below.

The Mono Basin Visitor Center bookstore is open for the season! Don't forget to stop by as you pass through Lee Vining— meander on the trails overlooking Mono Lake and explore the history, geology, wildlife, and gifts for the family at the wonderful bookstore.

The visitor center's interpretive exhibits and more will open soon. For now, only the bookstore is open.

Bishop Climbing Ranger Season Recap

ESIA manages the Climbing Ranger program in partnership with the BLM - Bishop Field Office, Inyo National Forest, LA Dept of Water and Power, Bishop Area Climbers Coalition, Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce, and Friends of the Inyo. This is in response to the increasingly popular climbing areas around Bishop.

They are finishing up their season. Here is a recap by Casey Fellhoelter, one of the Climbing Rangers, of what they've been up to:

"The 2023/2024 season was one to remember with a record number of outreach programs and stewardship events. We’ve been crunching some numbers for anyone wondering what the two of us have been up to this season. Here’s some of what we have accomplished:"

• 1000+ lbs of trash cleaned up from our climbing and camping areas! (Lots of garbage… lots of poop).
• 1 panel of graffiti removed
• 1700+ ft of trail delineation
• Trails mapped of the Buttermilks and Happy Boulders
• 230+ volunteer hours
• Organized 4 public stewardship events
• 80+lbs of Antelope bitterbrush, sage, winter fat, rabbitbrush, and four-winged saltbush seeds dispersed in our climbing areas.
• 37 native plants planted in the Happy Boulders
• First restoration signage installed in the Buttermilks
• Stone bridge built in Happy Boulders
• Hundreds of square feet of vertical mulching
• 150+ patrols of Bishop’s climbing areas
• 300+ dispersed campsite surveys
• Dog bag dispensers installed at every trailhead in the Owens River Gorge
• Assisted with “Every Kid Outside”, “Snow School”, Round Valley Earth Day EXPO, and LADWP Watershed program for area schools.
• Held 3 Gym-to-Crag events in LA
• Hosted “No Man’s Land” outdoor film festival in Bishop and Mammoth Lakes
• Upcoming: Russian thistle removal from the Happy Boulders: May 4^th and 7th, volunteers needed!
• Upcoming: Graffiti removal in the Buttermilks

Thank you, Kara and Casey, for a wonderful season!

The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

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