Public Invited to Assist with Fish Slough Clean-Up
Bishop, CA – The Bishop Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Friends of the Inyo invite you to help clean-up the Fish Slough Area of Critical Environmental Concern five miles north of Bishop.
Join Friends of the Inyo and BLM staff on March 21 to pick up trash and help restore Fish Slough.
Participants should meet at the junction of Chalk Bluff, Casa Diablo and Fish Slough roads at 9 a.m. Please carpool if possible. Volunteers will help plant and wildlife communities by cleaning up debris and other human-related impacts to restore and preserve the natural beauty of the Fish Slough area. The volunteer work will last approximately three hours and be done by noon. Volunteers are asked to RSVP for the event by emailing Andrew Schurr at andrew@friendsoftheinyo.org.
Volunteers for the event should wear sturdy shoes or boots, long pants and long sleeves, a hat and gloves. Waterproof boots are strongly recommended. Tools and water will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles.
Fish Slough is a lush oasis amid an otherwise arid landscape known as the Volcanic Tableland. It is on the southern edge of the Great Basin High Desert Plateau, at the north end of the Owens Valley about five miles north of Bishop. The slough (wetland) is created by three natural springs flowing to the surface and the water that defines the area is the key to its varied plant and animal life, including several unique and sensitive species.
The slough and surrounding desert totaling 36,000 acres were designated as an Area of Critical Environmental Concern in 1982. The purpose of the designation was to recognize, maintain and enhance the area’s unique resource values. In recent years, recreation activity in Fish Slough has begun to impact the sensitive native plants and animals. Contact the Bishop Field Office if you are interested in becoming a volunteer steward for this area.
For further information about the event contact Becca Brooke at (760) 872-5046 (rbrooke@blm.gov) or Andrew Schurr at (760) 872-6500 (andrew@friendsoftheinyo.org).