It’s been a busy and rewarding few months at Whitebark, and we’re excited about the meaningful strides being made to increase wildfire resilience across our region. Community engagement continues to play a vital role—complementing larger, landscape-scale projects with local, on-the-ground impact.
We’re especially grateful to the volunteers who joined us, Friends of the Inyo, the Town of Mammoth Lakes, Mono County Recreation, and the Inyo National Forest for our first volunteer stewardship event, focused on reducing the risk of accidental wildfire ignitions near Mammoth! We got our hands dirty, moved a LOT of ash and rocks, and had a great time while doing it!
What We Accomplished:
This event targeted dispersed camping areas along the Scenic Loop, where we worked to:
- Remove campfire rings located too close to vegetation
- Reduce the size of oversized or unsafe fire rings
- Improve well-placed rings to encourage their continued use
Thanks to our volunteers, we:
- Reduced the size of 10 fire rings
- Removed 13 hazardous or inappropriate rings
- Relocated 1 ring to a safer location
- Extinguished 1 actively smoldering fire left unattended
These efforts are especially timely. Multiple wildfires have already ignited this spring—including one just days before our event, caused by an escaped campfire south of Mammoth. Fortunately, a rapid response prevented further spread.
The Eastern Sierra’s abundant dispersed camping opportunities are part of what makes this place so special. But with that privilege comes responsibility: visitor education and ongoing stewardship are essential to keeping the use of these public lands sustainable.
Wildfire Resilience is a Local Priority
Mammoth Lakes PD is launching drone surveys to gather key data on campfire use—tracking when and where campfires are occurring, both during and outside of fire restrictions. This information will be crucial in identifying high-use zones and informing future mitigation strategies.
We’re excited to build on this momentum and hope to offer more volunteer opportunities soon. Stay tuned for upcoming events!
