Mono County Supervisors to vote on Bodie Hills legislation

A decision from the Mono County Board of Supervisors today will help decide whether the Bodie Hills Wilderness Study Area, which surrounds Bodie State Historic Park, will be released from protected status. (Photo: Kirkner)

The Mono County Board of Supervisors will vote today on a resolution that would support Congressman Buck McKeon’s proposed legislation to release the Bodie Hills Wilderness Study Area from protected status. This study area is comprised of lands around Bodie State Historic Park. According the Friends of the Inyo, McKeon is supporting the release so that “a mining company can more easily conduct exploration.”

FOI has stated that Wilderness Study Area release is unnecessary for mining exploration, but could harm wildlife and tourism in the area.

According to an e-mail from FOI, “Such action would alter the state park’s Wild West backdrop through road development and other infrastructure, threaten the area’s extensive cultural resources, as well as sage grouse and antelope habitat.”

The Mono County Board of Supervisors meets today at the County Courthouse in Bridgeport. The resolution is the last item on the agenda and is expected to be discussed this afternoon.