All of us at ESLT are thrilled to welcome Mini Mantzouranis to our office as our new Membership Development Coordinator. Mini has been living in the Eastern Sierra for just a few months; you may recognize her from the front counter at Bishop's Range and River Books, where she has been working part-time since she moved to the area. We are excited that she was able to jump right in and join …continue reading
As the New Year unfolds, the team at Eastern Sierra Land Trust is already planning some fantastic events and work projects for the months ahead - and we will need your help! Volunteers are the backbone of ESLT's work, and our successes are largely due to your support. Please consider lending a hand in 2015 to help us with: In 2013 we planted 90 bitterbrush shrubs at our Swall Wildlife Preserve. …continue reading
When Michelle Browner first visited the Eastern Sierra, she found a landscape that spoke to her soul. In particular, it was not Mammoth or Mono, but the area around Benton that truly captivated her with its charming, quiet character, spectacular ridges crowned with weathered pinion pine, and the smell of the high desert abloom with sage. The region was a piece of history come alive. Its days absorbed her with their buoyant, …continue reading
Eastern Sierra Land Trust is hiring! We have two opportunities available, and are looking to add enthusiastic new members to our team as soon as possible. The open positions Lands Conservation Program Manager and Membership & Development Coordinator are ideally suited for individuals with a diverse set of skills, a talent for multi-tasking and working independently, and an ability to thrive in ESLT's fast-paced, dynamic office environment here in Bishop, CA. …continue reading
Arriving for the first time at Sherwin Summit and seeing Bishop's tiny lights below in a sea of darkness, I remember thinking "What the heck have I gotten myself into now‚Ķ" Bishop is a small, one-street two-bar kind of town where mules trot by your house, buildings use wood-burning stoves for heat and everyone goes to sleep at 10pm. Yes, this is the metropolis of the Eastside and I'll be darned if …continue reading
Cooperation can feel like a rare event these days. But when the future of one of Mono County's most iconic panoramas was in question, true cross-agency teamwork and innovative thinking led to real action and success. On December 1, the Eastern Sierra witnessed a major conservation victory: the permanent protection of Conway Ranch. Representatives from Mono County, Eastern Sierra Land Trust, Caltrans, California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the National Fish …continue reading
ESLT has been getting some attention from our local media recently! Based out of Mammoth Lakes, The Sheet is a free weekly newspaper that covers news, views, culture, and all things Eastern Sierra. Twice a year they release a special issue - The Green Sheet - that focuses on, "All Things Green in the Eastern Sierra." Their recent Fall/Winter 2014 issue featured ESLT's important conservation work: not only on the front page, …continue reading
On a frozen February morning earlier this year, ESLT Lands Director Aaron Johnson and I took a drive up to Bridgeport, CA to visit with a family that has been ranching in this iconic, high-Sierra valley for generations. They had invited us to come out for a visit, and were interested in conservation options that would allow them to protect their land as a working ranch. So we bundled up, exchanged introductions …continue reading
Our recent Lands & Legacy Celebration was simply amazing filled with inspiration, good food and company, and visions of the preserved open spaces in the Eastern Sierra's future. By the time we returned to the office the following Tuesday, my email in-box and our office voicemail were packed with messages from folks letting us know what a great time they had. Many said it was the "best ESLT event ever," which means …continue reading
1,240 Acres of Ranch Land and Important Wildlife Habitat Preserved Forever! Eastern Sierra Land Trust has achieved another success in its efforts to preserve the Eastern Sierra's cherished landscapes. ESLT is thrilled to announce the permanent protection of Sinnamon Meadows, a stunning expanse of historic ranchland in northern Mono County. The 1,240-acre property's working lands, extensive wetlands, natural springs, and vital animal habitat are now protected forever with an agricultural conservation easement …continue reading