Photo by Heather Freeman, ESLT. Heather took this photo in 2019 before the COVID-19 crisis, back when in-person gatherings were safe. We’re in this together! That’s a mantra of our ESLT team right now as we work to keep connecting with each other and with you, each from our own homes. This year has brought many new challenges, and your ongoing support helps us to meet them with grace and ...continue reading
Black Lake Preserve © Randy Keller, ESLT Board of Directors Follow Highway 120 northwest from Benton and you’ll enter Adobe Valley. There, distant mountain peaks frame wide expanses of fragrant, blooming sagebrush. Native Americans once used this valley as a trading and hunting route, traversing vast fields where wildlife like pronghorn, pygmy rabbits, and more abound. Crowds of Bi-State sage-grouse once gathered here in traditional annual mating dances, on dancing ...continue reading
ESLT's office garden in spring. © Kristen Stipanov, ESLT We're proud to announce that this spring, Eastern Sierra Land Trust applied for and successfully received funds through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The recent federal CARES Act created the PPP, which supports small businesses and nonprofits like ESLT in keeping workers on their payroll. Here at ESLT, we've created core values to guide us through decisions and challenges. They include ...continue reading
A mule deer doe dashes across a road. © Joe Riis Stand by Highway 395 today, and two minutes may go by without the roar and burst of breeze from a passing car. California issued stay-at-home orders to stop the spread of coronavirus this spring, during what happened to be peak mule deer migration season. That means that for the first time in decades, the Round Valley mule deer herd ...continue reading
ESLT volunteer couple Roberta Lagomarsini and Pete Pumphrey pose with Smokey the Bear. This month, we're getting to know ESLT volunteer Roberta Lagomarsini. You might recognize Roberta from last Saturday's great Virtual Victory Garden Workshop, where she demonstrated drip irrigation tricks and tactics! Or you might recognize her from her whole host of other involvements with ESLT; Roberta has been a dedicated member of our volunteer team for years. She ...continue reading
ESLT Stewardship Manager Sara hung a message on ESLT’s Giving Tree last week, while Communications Manager Kristen photographed her from six feet away. If you live in the Bishop area, we have just the thing to help get you outside and lift your spirits. If you’ve visited our office at 250 N Fowler Street lately, perhaps you’ve already seen it! Our own Executive Director Kay Ogden started a trend of ...continue reading
Cami Chavez has worked with our team here at ESLT for many years, and now we're excited to welcome her on board as an official member of our staff! We recently spoke with Cami to get to know her a bit better and hear about her life on the Eastside. What are your roots? I was raised in South Lake Tahoe until I was eight, when my family moved to Woodfords, California. ...continue reading
Desert peaches, or prunus andersonii, are in bloom this April in the Eastern Sierra foothills. © ESLT Across California and beyond, the birds are singing and flowers are blooming. As we all continue to #StayHome, we can find grounding and gratitude in the signs of the changing seasons. Are you and your little ones noticing them in the nature near your home? Studies show that nature’s healing power is real, ...continue reading
Pete Pumphrey leads a birding tour of our Black Lake Preserve at one of ESLT's Migratory Bird Day events, alongside his wife Roberta Lagomarsini, and Santiago Escruceria. Pete and Santiago were co-presidents of Eastern Sierra Audubon Society, of which Roberta is also a member. This month, we're getting to know ESLT volunteer Pete Pumphrey. Pete has been deeply involved in ESLT's work for many years. He's been a member of ...continue reading
Our conservation community has something to celebrate! That's because on March 30th this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (“USFWS”) announced it is withdrawing a 2013 proposed rule to list the Bi-State sage-grouse as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. USFWS made this decision after an "extended and comprehensive analysis of the best available science." They concluded that local conservation actions have and will continue to successfully reduce threats to ...continue reading