Mission

In the weeks after this flight over the Bodie Hills with Tribal leaders, conservationists, Mineral and Mono County officials, the Bodie Hills moved one step closer to protection.

The Mineral County Board of County Commissioners voted 2-0 to support the resolution. With Mineral Country on board, we are one step closer to permanent protection for the Bodie Hills.

Soaring above the Bodie Hills, the beauty of the range is clear. Beloved for its rich wildlife and recreational opportunities, the Bodie Hills are located between Bridgeport, a small ranching community in eastern California, and the Great Basin in western Nevada. It is the homeland of Indigenous peoples including the Bridgeport Indian Colony, and serves as a transitional zone between the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin, providing unique habitat and rich biodiversity. The Bodie Hills contain small wetland meadows, aspen groves, alpine lakes, ephemeral wetlands, and rounded volcanic mountains. Tuvogatudu, is a high volcanic plateau at the north end of the Bodie Hills, and has long provided refuge to Native peoples, a water source and an abundance of plant and animal life.

Hard-rock mining continues to greatly threaten the Bodie Hills. It’s estimated that over 200 active mining claims remain and in the recent years, proposals for large-scale gold mining and exploration. The four tribes that surround the Bodie Hills are petitioning the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture for permanent protection of the 16,000 acre Tuvogatudu, and for a joint management agreement with the tribes.

This is a cultural landscape of great significance to the Bridgeport Indian Colony and Paiute Tribe, a critical refuge for the bi-state sage grouse and the migration route for the isolated pronghorn herd and two mule deer herds. This proposed Four Tribes Resolution will provide protection for this remote area while ensuring that Tribal voices have a seat at the table. In the weeks after this flight, the Mineral County Board of County Commissioners voted 2-0 to support the resolution. With Mineral Country on board, we are one step closer to permanent protection for the Bodie Hills.

Thank you to our partners for their collective action that is critical to protect the Bodie Hills's remote, wild character and its many sacred, scenic, recreational, and ecological values.

Click for photos from the flight and geo-referenced photos (download and open in Google Earth).