Inyo to Coso a newsletter from the conglomerate mesa coalition

A Recap

It’s been over a year since our last Conglomerate Mesa newsletter and we’re thrilled to be back to share some critical updates on the fight to protect the Mesa from industrial scale mining and, ultimately, gain permanent protection for this important landscape. To recap, in August of 2021 the BLM announced the opening of a public scoping comment period for K2 Gold’s (Mojave Precious Minerals) next gold exploration proposal at Conglomerate Mesa. This second phase of exploratory drilling would be even more expansive than the first: K2 Gold proposed several miles of new road construction and 120 drill holes in the heart of the Mesa’s wild and remote lands. In total, the Canadian-based company proposed to impact roughly 12.2 acres of public land that currently provides critical habitat connectivity between two protected wilderness areas and is an area of cultural significance to Paiute and Shoshone people. When compared to the helicopter drilling completed in 2020, which only permitted 0.2 acres of disturbance, this new proposal would increase the impacts 61 times over and fragment the currently intact habitat. The need for a rigorous environmental analysis for this new project is clear.

BLM Requires EIS

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) took public scoping comments on the new proposal over a 30-day period in August of 2021. In March of 2022, the BLM issued a letter to the mining company with its decision to require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to analyze this new project. Among other things, the BLM cited the resource concerns expressed during public comment as one reason for its decision. Other reasons expressed in the letter include:

• The candidacy of the Western Joshua Tree for listing under the California Endangered Species Act,
• The potential for negative impacts to Lands with Wilderness Characteristics, California Desert National Conservation Lands and Areas of Critical Environmental Concern,
• The presence of culturally significant materials uncovered during the first phase of drilling,
• Water use, and
• The occurrence of the largest known population of the Inyo thread plant, a species new to science.

23,000 Comments Made a Difference!

For those who track other mining exploration projects on public lands, you’ll know that for an agency to require an EIS for mineral exploration is a big deal! Your comments made a difference in this decision! Thank you!

The BLM’s pivot to an EIS means the analysis will start at the beginning again with another public scoping comment period. Because this will be a new environmental analysis, past comments submitted during the 2021 scoping period will not be considered part of the record. We anticipate the comment period to begin in late Spring of this year and we are hoping again for your engagement. After the scoping period, the BLM will release a scoping report that summarizes and addresses the comments received along with a draft EIS. This will be followed by another public comment period specific to the contents of that draft EIS.

New Development: The Inyo Rock Daisy

The BLM has new information to incorporate into its analysis since 2021. The Inyo Rock Daisy, a rare plant that exists only in the Inyo Mountains, is now a candidate for listing as a Threatened or Endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is currently undertaking a year-long review of threats to the plant. Undoubtedly the USFWS will consider K2 Gold’s past exploration and current proposal in its review. The unprecedented winter of 2022-23 and its welcome precipitation soaking into the Mojave Desert will hopefully provide us with a pulse on the health of the Inyo Rock Daisy after prolonged drought in the desert.

Permanent Protection

The significance of the Mesa to the members of the local community, its sensitive plants and wildlife and the area’s role in providing climate refugia and connectivity in a warming Mojave Desert cannot be overstated. Our work continues until we can protect the area permanently from development threats like gold mining. The Conglomerate Mesa Coalition remains steadfast in its commitment to honor the area’s Tribal Nations and citizens, and work towards a solution for these lands that will benefit future generations.

We deeply appreciate your interest in these lands and your willingness to work alongside us. Since thousands of public comments were generated during the last round of scoping, let’s keep the momentum up and do it again!

Please stay tuned for our action alert as soon as the scoping period opens.

If you have any questions please write to:

coalition@protectconglomeratemesa.com