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The mission of INYO350 is to promote environmental protection and social & economic justice.
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Near Haiwee Reservoir, eight parcels totaling 23,085 acres (Ridgecrest Field Office) overlap four Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs) โ€” Ayers Rock, Rose Spring, Mohave Ground Squirrel, and Sierra Canyons โ€” including Rose Springโ€™s significant precontact archaeological site complex in the ancestral homelands of the Shoshone and Paiute peoples, as well as habitat for the federally threatened Mojave desert tortoise and the state-threatened Mohave ground squirrel. The BLM is reviewing this proposal through an Environmental Assessment (EA) and does not include a new public comment period.

In Hammil and Benton Valleys, four parcels totaling 8,614 acres (Bishop Field Office) are proposed through a lighter-weight โ€œDetermination of NEPA Adequacyโ€ (DNA), meaning this proposal will not go through a new public comment period either.  BLMโ€™s own documents note that groundwater beneath the Hammil Valley parcels may be hydraulically connected to Fish Slough, roughly 11 miles south โ€” a spring system supporting the federally endangered Owens pupfish and Owens tui chub, and two federally threatened plants. The Benton parcels lie near Benton Hot Springs and include proposed critical habitat for the Bi-State sage-grouse.

In both cases, BLM notes that lease issuance alone does not authorize any drilling or surface disturbance โ€” that would require a separate, project-specific environmental review. Leases run an initial 10 years and can be extended for decades if a resource is developed.

Friends of the Inyo is continuing to review both proposals, including the protections BLM has built into each lease to safeguard water resources, wildlife habitat, and cultural sites going forward. Community members can review BLMโ€™s documentation for the Haiwee Geothermal Lease Sale (DOI-BLM-CA-D050-2026-0016-EA) and the Bishop Field Officeโ€™s Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DOI-BLM-CA-C070-2026-0021-DNA) through the BLM National NEPA Register.
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Weโ€™re planning a couple of big parades in Payahuunadu- Owens Valley- for this coming spring. The water story of this valley is central to Californiaโ€™s development. Ongoing extraction has been persistent in damaging the ecosystems locally, displacing people, changing migratory bird patterns, and interrupting the water cycle for the entire region, creating a toxic dry lakebed where there was once the massive lake of Patsiata - Owens Lake. 

Giant puppets and parade can bring people together to share stories, hopes and dreams, and build giants with each other. We can build puppets with cardboard and paper mache and give physical body to a future where the water has returned to the valley and we then take them out to the street in a display of togetherness and power. 

Our team of @owens_valley_indian_water @walking_water_collective @revealingpayahuunadu @friendsoftheinyo @crowcamino @lynne_lady 
Will be hosting two sessions this October to talk about what weโ€™ve got in the works and invite story and participation from the wider community. 

October 3rd in Lonepine 
11:00am-4:00pm 
Community Center
885 Esha St

October 10th in Bishop
11am-4pm 
C5 Studios @c5studios_bishop 
210 S Warren St
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Sign up for the October workshops at the link in my bio
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