Recent Events: Conglomerate Mesa Field Trip
On Dec 11, 2024 Jaime Lopez Wolters, Desert Lands Organizer with Friends of the Inyo, participated in a field trip to Conglomerate Mesa organized by and for Public Lands Round Table (PLRT) members. The PLRT was formed by people concerned with the management of public lands in the California Mojave Desert and has members whose interests span a multitude of viewpoints.
The trip provided an opportunity to discuss the Conglomerate Mesa gold mining exploration proposal directly with the BLM Ridgecrest Field Manager, Phil DeSenze, and Associate Field Manager, Tom Biskauskas. As it turns out, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) invited the mining company to attend, with K2 Gold CEO Anthony Margarit and VP of Exploration Eric Buitenhuis joining the trip. The BLM also invited the members of the Desert Advisory Council to join, and Bob Robinson was able to attend. There was a strong showing of people eager to protect Conglomerate Mesa, with several members of the Lone Pine Paiute Shoshone Tribe and the incoming Inyo County 5th District Supervisor, Will Wadelton, joining as well. A member of the Timbisha Shoshone Tribal Council even joined in the morning meetup to ask the BLM and K2 Gold questions about the proposed project.
The field trip began with the long and slow drive along the access road, which the mining company would have to “improve” if they were granted permission to explore and bring in their equipment by land rather than air. From the end of the existing road, the group hiked along the proposed new road that K2 Gold would scrape and bulldoze into existence, taking time to discuss several alternate routes the BLM is considering. The participants hiked up to the first proposed drill pads and discussed the pros and cons of allowing the project to proceed using only helicopters to transport equipment and personnel into the field, as was done during the first round of exploration by K2 Gold.
On the hike back, two US Fish and Wildlife Service staff members joined the group, who will start assessing the petition to protect the Inyo Rock Daisy under the US Endangered Species Act. The Inyo Rock Daisy has already been listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act.
All in all, it was a very informative field trip, providing an opportunity to question both the BLM and K2 Gold about the upcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement and the mining company’s intentions for exploring and exploiting Conglomerate Mesa. We also made clear our opposition to mining this beautiful and wild place in the California desert.
We will keep you informed about new developments and send out an Action Alert when the time comes to provide public comment.
— Friends of the Inyo
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