On Wednesday, I climbed aboard a six-seater plane and slipped on a noise-canceling headset in preparation for a half-hour flight out of Lone Pine Airport over the desert, to get an aerial glimpse of Conglomerate Mesa — a parcel of land steeped in controversy, sacred significance and gold.
I boarded the aircraft around 9:15 a.m., the second flight of the day. Inyo County Supervisor Jennifer Roeser squeezed in behind me, followed by Jaime Lopez Wolters, Friends of the Inyo Desert Lands Organizer. Dan Berry, a candidate for Inyo County Supervisor, took the passenger seat.
Gary Kraft was our pilot, and the flight was hosted by EcoFlight, a Colorado-based company specializing in public land advocacy.
The front propeller whirred as we rolled onto the runway. Kraft said the wind was perfect as we advanced towards the hills to observe a Joshua tree forest—a growing rarity in today’s warming world.
In my headset, Wolters’ voice rang loud and somewhat clear, cutting out occasionally. He mentioned that Joshua trees at lower elevations—i.e., Joshua Tree National Park—are struggling to survive in hotter temperatures, making this region vital for the endangered keystone species.
At 9:40 a.m., Wolters announced that Conglomerate Mesa was in view to our left. We turned our heads to catch our first glimpse of the highland. Kraft took a wide turn to circle around it.