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Protect wilderness from mining impacts

 

Tell the Bureau of Land Management to require environmental review before mining exploration begins​

Take Action!​

Tell the BLM that mining exploration in wilderness should be subject to environmental review BEFORE exploration begins.

Conglomerate Mesa -- un-roaded, un-mined and un-grazed -- lies between California's Inyo Mountains and Malpais Mesa Wilderness areas.

Timberline Resources wants to explore for gold there. They have claimed over ten square miles of the area, and talk about a multi- million ounce deposit of 'Carlin-type' gold bearing rock.

The project could lead to a massive open-pit cyanide heap-leach mine. All this on the western slope of the Inyo Mountains, across Owens Valley from the Sierra Nevada and Mt. Whitney.

TAKE ACTION

Tell the BLM an Environmental Impact Statement is needed before any exploration can occur. Use the sample letter below to tell them the importance of the de-facto wilderness quality of the land, and that the EIS should describe the kinds of impacts that would occur should exploration lead to a gold mine.

MORE INFORMATION:

Conglomerate Mesa is de-facto wilderness. Few know of it, though it is within sight of Mt. Whitney and the southern Sierra Nevada. It has seen several small abandoned explorations attempts. Now Timberline Resources, from Coeur d’Alene Idaho, wants to explore again by re-opening previous roads that have been rehabbed and are recovering nicely.

Potential
Timberline Resources has mining claims on over ten square miles of the area. Their website talks of ‘a multi-million ounce deposit. The ultimate conclusion to these explorations could be a massive open-pit cyanide heap-leach gold mine, completely destroying the area and impacting the pristine mountain views from Owens Valley immediately to the west, Death Valley National Park to the east.

Conglomerate Mesa
This is the very western edge of Basin and Range country. Upper elevations (highpoint is 7800’) have scattered Piñons, with typical smaller plant cover for the area. Lower elevations support a spectacular Joshua Tree ‘forest’. It has no water! No springs or streams, and lakes are out of the question. A coarse conglomerate rock is evident at higher elevation. It has no road access from the west, south or north. From the east, one two-track extends to 6,000’, following an historic donkey and mule freighting trail between Keeler on the west and Death Valley 35 miles to the east. It is a gap in the designated wildernesses in the Inyo Mountains - the Inyo Mountains Wilderness to the north, Malpai Mesa Wilderness to the south. Being waterless and remote, it has never seen a lot of activity.

TAKE ACTION!
Send a letter to the BLM, telling them the importance of the de-facto wilderness quality of the land, and that an environmental impact statement should describe the kinds of impacts that would occur should exploration lead to a gold mine.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Read the sample letter and modify if you wish. Personalized letter text and/or subject headers will increase the impact of your letter.

Clicking "Send My Message" will send your letter via email to Hector Villalobos, Ridgecrest BLM Field Manager, 300 S Richmond Road, Ridgecrest, CA 93555

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