Suzanne Potter:

Conservation groups are working to raise awareness of the fight to protect a pristine California desert landscape from development near Death Valley National Park and Owens Lake.

Local tribes and outdoor enthusiasts treasure Conglomerate Mesa and Centennial Flats. Still, the area is also in the sights of a Canadian gold-mining company, seeking permission to build roads and drill 30 additional exploration holes for a total of 120.

Wendy Schneider, executive director of Friends of the Inyo, said the area is part of an essential high desert ecosystem.

"This area has a thriving and reproducing population of Joshua trees, at a time when they disappear from Joshua Tree National Park," Schneider explained. "It has a handful of species of other rare desert plants. And it's also essential to the area's two tribes, the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone and the Timbisha Shoshone tribes."

The area is also a draw for tourists to enjoy the solitude, wildlife viewing, and dark desert skies in the eastern Sierras, alongside the Alabama Hills National Scenic Area, Death Valley, and Mount Whitney. The Bureau of Land Management currently manages the land.

The mesa is a haven for eagles, hawks, mountain lions, and deer. Schneider pointed out that it has high ecological, recreational, historical, and cultural values, so her group wants local tribes to have a say in how the land is used and, ideally, protected. 

"They must be able to carry out the activities that they would like to do, like pinion nut gathering, hunting, and ceremonies," Schneider outlined. "On these lands, as they always have."

Friends of the Inyo's main office is in Bishop, but the group has just opened a satellite office in the town of Lone Pine, which Schneider added will serve as a base of operations for the campaign to save Conglomerate Mesa. 

Disclosure: Friends of the Inyo contributes to our fund for reporting on Endangered Species & Wildlife, Environment, Public Lands/Wilderness, and Water.

References:  

Conglomerate Mesa information Friends of the Inyo 2022
Centennial Flats information Calif. Desert National Conservation Lands 2022
Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan BLM 2022