Mission

While the BLM completes its EIS statement for the proposed gold project, we flew with Tribal officials, NPCA, and media partners to learn about the mine and its threats to this cultural landscape.

Worth more than gold, this pristine roadless area lies between Death Valley National Park, Malpais Wilderness Area, Cerro Gordo Wilderness Study Area, and Owens Lake. Conglomerate Mesa is rugged country, brimming with rich desert life and cultural history. The area is part of the traditional homeland of the Timbisha-Shoshone and the Paiute-Shoshone people. Despite the many values of Conglomerate Mesa, it is threatened by an open pit cyanide gold mine.

Canadian K2 Gold's proposal includes plans to drill 120 exploratory boreholes and build miles of new roads. The project could impact up to 15 acres of pristine, sacred lands. This would not only destroy valuable habitat for native plants and wildlife, but it would permanently scar a roadless desert landscape.

The Ridgecrest BLM is in the process of producing a draft Environmental Impact Statement for the K2 Gold project. Our partners are working to protect the Mesa from mining and safeguard the people, plants, and wildlife this desert gem supports.

Click for photos from the flights and geo-referenced photos.