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
Wednesday evening, the ESLT garden hosted the business community for a Bishop Chamber Mixer. The blossoming garden was a great setting to meet some new and old friends. With the 3rd-graders' sunflowers towering above, this mix of for-profit and nonprofit business representatives learned a bit about what ESLT is and how business is an integral part of a conservation easement. There are lots of opportunities to work together for the …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
Trees are budding, birds are returning and filling the air with their melodies, plants are starting to green up, and color is popping up from bulbs in gardens. Spring is being ushered into the Eastern Sierra as the ‚Äòofficial' first day approaches! Here, at ESLT, we are anticipating a great season with lots of activity in our garden and on the land. We'll kick it off with a Garden Fest …continue reading
It's like a garden without any plants, a beehive without any bees, or a crystal-clear stream absent of any fish. Without our members, this important work of preserving land in the Eastern Sierra would not be happening. With the support of our more than 600 members and their families, ESLT has been able to preserve over 6,000 acres of scenic, rural and wildlife-rich lands. Can you imagine a stream with no fish? …continue reading
What fun it is to take a closer look at the bees, butterflies, and birds who are working hard in our flower gardens and flowering native plants! In the ESLT garden, we are enjoying watching the gangs of bees on our sunflower garden - lots of native species but what are they? Check out this website to join the pollinator craze: http://www.greatsunflower.org/ Steve, a nature photographer I know well, is …continue reading
With summer in full swing, our garden at the ESLT office is almost like a jungle. Every morning the sunflowers greet me with their flowers just peaking over the top of our wooden fence. The tomatoes went crazy, growing larger than I could have imagined, and are just now starting to produce bright juicy red tomatoes. Hummingbirds visit our hummingbird feeder, birds and other insects stop in for a drink …continue reading
Last Saturday, May 23, about 20 members and interested folks gathered above Swall Meadows for a hike through the the Wheeler Ridge Round Valley mule deer migration corridor led by our executive director Karen Ferrell-Ingram. We toured around the corridor looking at bugs, plants, wildlife, vistas (and thunderclouds!). The location was particularly good for illustrating what a narrow region the many deer and other wildlife must …continue reading
Sometimes it feels difficult to reconcile my interests in the outdoors and natural history with my more 'techie' interests. Though I most undoubtedly would rather spend my spare time strolling through the hills than squinting into the blue light of the computer, the truth is that I also really enjoy working with the new tools that technology provides. Some tools are more complex while others are quite user friendly. In my professional …continue reading