I have just returned from the National Land Conservation Conference in Hartford, Connecticut. The conference was inspiring, rewarding, and eye-opening. As a bonus, I was able to experience the turning of the fall foliage on the East Coast, something everyone should experience at least once in their lives. I was one of the youngest people in attendance at the conference, if not the youngest. People around the country …continue reading
For four years now, ESLT has maintained a successful and ever-growing relationship with the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership (SNAP). The SNAP program places twenty-seven AmeriCorps members at different conservation agencies and organizations throughout the Sierra Nevada to conduct watershed restoration and monitoring, watershed education, and volunteer recruitment and support. ESLT has had the opportunity to work with four talented young women, who have served the Eastern Sierra community through educational …continue reading
We are thrilled to present this beautiful show featuring the incredible Oak Group, conservation painters from the Santa Barbara area, in addition to several Eastern Sierra artists. Their work fills the Faulkner Gallery in downtown Santa Barbara with all our favorite vistas, from southern Owens Valley to Bridgeport - valleys to peaks, flowers to granite spires, and more. I hope you'll get the opportunity to visit this amazing display of beauty and …continue reading
This past Saturday, ESLT hosted a GPS (Global Positioning System) Field Workshop in conjunction with the owners of Snowcreek Resort in Mammoth Lakes. The second annual event took place in Snowcreek Meadow, taking advantage of the beautiful paths and views the property has to offer. Check out some photos from the day: After the lecture, we broke into two small groups, and were set out into the meadow on what …continue reading
ESLT's last round of summer site visits were a bit more adventurous than those previously undertaken this year. For starters, the property we monitored was Crowley Hilltop Preserve, which overlooks Crowley Lake and the adjacent community from the south. This property is the most demanding to monitor: the Lands Program Coordinator and I had to vertically climb over 300 feet to the top hill, then scramble around the steep and sandy property …continue reading
Aaron Johnson, our Lands Program Coordinator, and myself, have been escaping the Bishop heat for cooler ground up in Mono County. We have begun the annual monitoring process of ESLT's conservation easements. Each easement has its own monitoring plan, to be carried out according to the values for which it was preserved. All easements, however, must be monitored annually with the same degree of specificity and detail. We always schedule these visits …continue reading
Believe it or not, I once had a job that required me sitting for hours amongst the flowers, notepad in hand, counting the number and type of pollinators making visits to a specific plant. I found it quite meditative, though it probably sounds more romantic than it really was once you factor in the summer heat and note that the sea of flowers were the spiny heads of the invasive …continue reading
ESLT celebrated youth in the garden this past week with a Sunflower Party for local third grade classes that participated in ESLT's Sunflower Project, which is in its second year. The program consists of educating youth about planting, the life cycle, and offering children the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in the garden. ESLT worked with two classes from Elm Street Elementary School: Sara Steck and Victoria Hamilton's third grade classes. Every …continue reading
Supporters braved the elements this past weekend to celebrate ESLT's community at Benton Hot Springs Ranch. The wind was howling and snow fell, but all in attendance banded together and enjoyed the opportunity to spent time with one another on a beautiful piece of preserved land. Participants enjoyed a wide range of activities. On Saturday afternoon, around 40 people headed down through the canyon trail on the conservation easement to view birds, …continue reading
I hope you all are planning to come to our members celebration at Benton Hot Springs the weekend of May 22-23! One of the great activities we will be hosting is a bike ride in the Adobe Valley on Sunday morning. This remote stretch of HWY 120 connects Benton and HWY 395 just south of Lee Vining. Check the route out online in Google maps/earth We are planning to meet …continue reading