Sage Grouse Conservation project in the Eastern Sierras

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Last week I was able to spend several days with other students in the Eastern Sierras learning about the local ecology, going on a few hikes and adventures and working on sage grouse related habitat projects. What a beautiful place to be! We camped just outside of Bridgeport, CA which is close to Yosemite, Mammoth Lake, June Lake, Mono Lake, Twin Lakes and so much beauty my brain is filled nearly to capacity with sights of lush green meadows (Tuoloumne), beautiful wooded areas (everywhere) and a green sagebrush steppe as this is on the Western side of the Great Basin (and also thanks to the recent rains).

The program was put on by the Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership and I feel lucky to have been able to join them. We pulled invasive weeds, learned about stream ecology, took down old fence and built an exclosure for local sheep, hiked through the mountains, had basic GPS and compassing/bearing courses and learned about stream ecology from a couple UCLA professors who work in Yosemite.

There is so much to see and do in the area, I can't wait to return. We camped out and were required to use bear boxes, and believe me we were meticulous in using those boxes as a bear was sighted just a couple camp spaces away from us on the first night. No major sightings from then on though, so we were fine. There were a couple of people in the group who were excellent birders so it was great to learn from them about local birds and our leader - Jeff- was well versed in the local ecology and taught us just so much about the local area.



I actually posted comments on the pictures this time, hope your summer is great.

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Photos

Typical Sagebrush steppe
We cleared invasive weeds (lambsquarter) from this recently fire ravaged place.
Fire is good! Except when not part of a coordinated national effort to ensure invasive weeds don't take over and various species dependent on the area are threatened.

Mono Lake
Those pillars are called tufas (sp). They are limestone pillars (calcium carbonate) and are a result of the incredibly salty water that fills the lake. Typically these features are only found underwater but now show as a result of LA diverting the local water source for their own use back in the 40s. The water is apparently 3x saltier than the ocean and the area sees nearly 85% of the California gull population breeding here.

Half Dome in the distance
We witnessed a rock slide as so much dust kicked up we saw it from Olmstead lookout.

Very cool tree
Growing out of the granite in Yosemite.

Half Dome
Yosemite.

What a catch!
Actually I didn't catch anything, though I did try.

Twin Lakes
We showered just up the road in the RV park, twice a week. California does have good water conservation practices in place - 3$ for a 5 minute shower. I felt it was reasonable given the drought conditions.

Removing barbed wire on Conway Ranch.
Conway Ranch is still home to grazing sheep even though technically under the joint ownership of the BLM and Mono County. We built an exclosure fence to keep the sheep out of the headwaters.

Tearing down fence...
and looking good while I'm at it! These old fences litter the West and are dangerous for wildlife. We did our best to take down as much as possible in this area where it is no longer usefu..

Beautiful lake in Mammoth
I forget the name, but what beauty!

Old mine site in Mammoth
I was ahuffin and apuffin to get above the 9,000 feet altitude, but it was worth it. We found this old gold mine site just a bit off trail.