Kicking Off Summer in the Eastern Sierra

Hello Eastern Sierra,

Happy Pollinator Week! It’s a time to celebrate the bees, butterflies, birds, and other essential pollinators that keep our wildlands beautiful and our food systems thriving.

From this past weekend’s BioBlitz at our Swall Meadows conservation easements to our Pollinator Garden Inspiration Tour, we’ve been busy appreciating (and supporting!) our small but mighty pollinator friends.

And to celebrate more, you’re invited to our Pollinator Mixer on Wednesday, June 18th from 4:00 to 6:00 PM in our backyard. It’ll be a relaxed evening of good company, pollinator-friendly drinks (a prize may be in store if you can guess why), and great conversation about how we can all support native habitats in the Eastern Sierra.

Whether you’re a longtime supporter or just curious about what we do, we’d love to see you there.

A warm welcome to ESLT’s summer interns, Sienna and Chris! Already hard at work this past weekend’s BioBlitz in Swall Meadows. Photo courtesy of ESLT Staff.

We’re also excited to introduce our two summer interns, Sienna and Chris! They’ll be jumping into conservation and outreach projects with us over the next few months, and we’re so glad to have their energy and passion on board. Be sure to say hello at the Pollinator Mixer or any upcoming events.

Speaking of which—if you’re looking to roll up your sleeves and get involved, it’s about time for our annual Stewardship Days. Join us on July 16th and 30th at Conway Ranch as we remove invasive weeds to help restore native plant communities and improve habitat for a wide array of wildlife.

A tour of inspiration! Photo by ESLT Staff.

Thanks for being part of this community and for all you do to help protect this incredible region. Here’s to a summer season full of blooming wildflowers, buzzing bees, and meaningful connections.

Warmly,

Mark, Amy, Darlene, Emmie, Gena, Noah, Siobhan, Ziani, Sarah, Katie, Carly, Sienna, Chris, and our Board of Directors

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Photo by Roman Synkevych.

Dig Into Soil Health and Testing Workshop

Ever wondered what nutrients are in your soil? Why your vegetable growth is stunted? Or what worms are even good for?

Come get your hands dirty with our local NRCS and and UC Cooperative Extension partners to receive hands on training in agricultural soil sampling.

When: Wednesday, June 18th 9:00-11:00am

Where: Blue Heron Farm, 475 Sierra Grande St, Wilkerson, CA

Learn more

Pollinator-Approved Refreshments

We’ll be serving the “Not-a-Margarita” at this week’s Pollinator Mixer, a refreshing rum-based twist on the classic cocktail—originally crafted by Owen Valley Distillery and recreated especially for this event.

Why rum instead of tequila? Here’s the buzz: most large-scale agave farms harvest before the plants flower—leaving no nectar for migrating bats who rely on agave blooms during their journey. By choosing sustainable options (or rum!), we can help support these important nighttime pollinators.

Bring up this fun fact at the mixer and win a small prize!

Pollinator Mixer Info