Treasures: Finds from the Field

You should probably not work for a land trust monitoring easements, because you won't have any fun and will never see anything worthwhile. You shouldn't visit the Eastern Sierra either. It's definitely not beautiful, and there's nothing there to do. We found this toy camel off of a closed logging road near the Hoover Wilderness. I was monitoring an agricultural easement that had a historic boneyard this summer, and I …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-09-23T16:38:53-07:00September 23rd, 2019|Blog, Featured, On the Wild Side, What's New|

We’re Helping Bi-State Sage-Grouse. Join Us!

Photo by Bob Wick, BLM. Would you like to be a part of our conservation success stories? At the bottom of this article, you can read about an opportunity to volunteer with us next month as we care for Bi-State sage-grouse habitat. Bi-State sage-grouse on the border of California and Nevada are a genetically distinct population of sage-grouse, and are a loved species here in the Eastern Sierra. But due …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-09-19T14:02:22-07:00August 13th, 2019|Blog, Featured, On the Wild Side, Press Releases, SNAP, Volunteer, What's New|

Pronghorn: Superstar of the American West

Twin Pronghorn Fawns, by Tom Koerner, USFWS You're driving east from Bridgeport through the winding Aurora Canyon Road, through high desert gullies and over hills with vast scenic vistas. You're nearing Bodie State Park and suddenly, the muted green hillsides tingle with small movements. You slow to a halt on the side of the road and reach for your binoculars in the back seat. As you dial in the focus, …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-07-23T14:40:08-07:00July 23rd, 2019|Blog, Featured, On the Wild Side|

Come Explore our Oasis in the Desert

The Place: It's summer, and we know you're getting outside to play! Here at ESLT, summer is also stewardship season, and we've already been out caring for our special places. So this season, we would like to encourage everyone to visit one of ESLT's remarkable destinations Black Lake Preserve. Thanks to our incredible volunteer teams and supporters, we've been improving land conditions at the Preserve this year. We've worked together to clear …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-07-02T11:07:05-07:00June 27th, 2019|Blog, Featured, On the Wild Side, Success Stories, Volunteer, What's New|

Helping the Herd

A treacherous corridor. A missing puzzle piece. A shared solution. Mule deer migrate through the Swall Meadows Wildlife Area twice every year. Imagine that the year is 1999, and you just moved to a new home in Swall Meadows. Every day out your window, you begin to see the same thing. Mule deer! A lot of mule deer. This experience led community members to the discovery that homes lay in …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-05-23T16:38:57-07:00May 23rd, 2019|Blog, On the Wild Side, Press Releases, Success Stories, What's New|

Protected Forever: Waterfalls, Canyon Walls, and Bighorn Sheep

Thanks to the help of Mono Lake Committee and The Wilderness Land Trust, together we have permanently protected a critical piece of Lundy Canyon, a special and iconic Eastern Sierra place. Photo of Lundy Canyon, originally posted to Flikr by m01229. Thanks to your support and the support of our community of Eastern Sierra Protectors, we have helped make a dream come true: a critical piece of land in the …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-05-24T11:35:08-07:00May 23rd, 2019|Blog, Featured, On the Wild Side, Press Releases, Success Stories, What's New|

Finding Strength in Nature

Maria Montessori stated in her book Discovery of the Child, "When children come into contact with nature, they reveal their strength." As a requirement of my Montessori-based education, I went away to a nature camp for one to four weeks per year from Kindergarten through eighth grade. By the time we were teenagers, we were spending a month out of the classroom learning about the natural world. I am certain that this …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-03-25T13:35:43-07:00March 25th, 2019|Blog, On the Wild Side, Volunteer|

Discover Incredible Migratory Birds This Spring!

At lakes and rare wetlands throughout the Eastern Sierra, birders have the interesting opportunity to find shorebirds such as Wilson's Phalarope, American Avocet and Black-Necked Stilts in the middle of the desert. Photo by Brady Owens, BLM. As the days get warmer and longer, we are starting to see lots of migrating birds passing through California. Here in the Eastern Sierra, our diverse range of habitat makes birding a particularly …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-04-29T11:55:01-07:00March 25th, 2019|Blog, On the Wild Side|

Journeying with the Round Valley Mule Deer

Each and every year, a mule deer doe teaches her fawns to make the long journey from their winter range on the valley floor to their summer range in the High Sierra meadows and then back again in the cooler season. You might not know that the journey they take each year through the Eastern Sierra is not instinctual. Wildlife biologists' research has documented that migration patterns are learned behavior; the doe …continue reading

Kristen Stipanov2019-03-06T14:49:39-08:00February 19th, 2019|Blog, On the Wild Side|

Scavenger Hunt: Monitoring ESLT Properties

This blog was written by Sara Kokkelenberg, ESLT Stewardship Coordinator Discovery is the constant of my work. "Monitoring" an easement may sound as vague as it does bland. And when I tell people that a large portion of my job is monitoring easements, it usually doesn't pique their interest. However, working outdoors - walking beautiful sections of land that I return to over and over again feels anything but bland. I …continue reading

2018-10-03T15:34:00-07:00August 14th, 2018|Blog, On the Wild Side, Success Stories|