SURVEYING THE MESA
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.
Conglomerate Mesa, named for its rock formation (conglomerate) and topography (mesa), holds a rich history for several tribes.
“There’s definitely something up there, there’s a frequency to it. It’s a real mysticism,” said Jeremiah Joseph, Big Pine Paiute Tribe member, who came to the tarmac on Tuesday but didn’t fly.
But the land also has a long history of mining operations.
Modern exploration of the area began in 1984 with the discovery of gold by Mobil. Since then, several companies, including Newmont and BHP, have explored the mesa.
Canadian company K2 Gold, along with its subsidiary, Mojave Precious Metals, began exploratory digging on the land in 2020. K2’s recent comprehensive work is the most extensive since 1997, expanding the number of exploration areas on the property from three to twelve, according to K2’s website.
They have submitted an expanded proposal requesting miles of new road be constructed to access the Mesa, as well as 30 additional drill sites, totaling 120 drill holes, according to the Friends of the Inyo website.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Ridgecrest Office, which manages the land, plans to produce an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in March to determine whether K2 can move forward with its plans. During the initial public scoping period for K2’s exploration, the BLM received 23,800 comments.
After the EIS is complete, the BLM will open another public comment period. Local groups hope to use this time to rally against it.
“We will generate a tremendous amount of public opposition to the project: we will organize a protest or two, put letters to the editor in papers, appear at the annual county supervisors’ meetings, and submit a 30-40 page technical comment letter,” said Wendy Schneider, Executive Director of Friends of the Inyo.
The 1872 mining law, passed during the gold rush era, designates mining as the highest and best use of public land, Schneider noted. However, the State Mining and Reclamation Act (SMRA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) impose restrictions on this law, requiring the BLM to consider alternatives, including a “no action alternative.”
Once the public comment period ends, the BLM will count and code the comments for relevance, DeSenze explained. “Sometimes, people send comments about future possibilities, like an open mining operation. Well, that’s not what we’re analyzing here, and that would be a lot of conjecture.”
That is an important distinction—K2 is not currently seeking a permit to begin mining the gold, but some believe the expansion indicates that mining may be on the horizon.
If K2 were to eventually mine the mesa, they would do so through cyanide heap leaching, Schneider said.
In cyanide heap leaching, the ore is crushed into small pieces and piled into heaps, and a dilute cyanide solution is sprayed onto the heaps, allowing the cyanide to separate the gold as it percolates through the ore.
This can be extremely degrading to the environment and would require a massive dig of the mesa. Wolters described the idea as, “turning the mountain upside down.”
Given the mesa’s long history of drilling, Friends of the Inyo and their partners are also interested in pursuing permanent protection for the mesa through a National Monument campaign but have not yet pursued that option.
