Page 8 - winter 2015 magazine

Bodie Hills — Photo by Drew Foster By Laura Beardsley

This article is the sixth in a series highlighting the accomplishments of other Friends and Partner groups
associated with the National Conservation Lands. There are over 60 nonprofit organizations, very similar to
Friends of Red Rock Canyon, who preserve and protect their own special places. They educate and advocate
to ensure that the lands will remain as pristine as possible for our future generations to love and enjoy.

California’s Eastern Sierra region is a wild, rugged compelling story, but it’s far more powerful to be part
landscape spanning from of that story. To discover a colorful display of wild-
the snow-capped peaks flowers off the beaten
of California’s Eastern path or to help rebuild a
Sierra to the desert low- damaged trail connects
lands of Death Valley. a person to a place in a

It’s a beautiful place, meaningful, memorable
home to vast sagebrush way.
steppes, a towering gran-
Each year, Friends of
ite skyline, unique desert
the Inyo offers a suite
Friends of the Inyo help protect wetlands and gnarled
the range of the Eastern Sierra ancient forests. of unique outings and A wildflower outing in McGee
volunteer opportunities Creek Canyon
Inspired by the need to conserve this precious land- to help care for the Photo by Maggie Wolfe Riley
scape, Friends of the Inyo was formed in 1986 in re- Eastern Sierra and cultivate a commitment to its lon-

sponse to the planning efforts on the Inyo National For- gevity as the home of both a healthy, resilient habitat
est. Since then, we have advocated for the creation of and exceptional recreation opportunities. At the same
more than 428,000 acres of new wilderness and three time, we are working with
new wild and scenic rivers, were a strong local voice the U.S. Forest Service and
in the completion of the Inyo National Forest’s Travel the Bureau of Land Man-
Management Plan and helped stop renewed gold ex- agement to steward these

ploration in the Bodie Hills. lands, which include more
Over the years, Friends of the Inyo has built a ro- than 30 National Conserva-

bust constituency for the care and preservation of tion Lands, as federal budg-
public lands in the Eastern Sierra by working hard to ets for their management
connect people with the wonders of this place. It’s Rebuilding the trail near Convict continue to shrink. We help
one thing to see a pretty picture or read a Lake rebuild trails and restore
Photo by Laura Beardsley
Page 8 (Continued on page 15)