VISITOR’S GUIDE TO IINNYYOOCCOOUUNNTTYY 11 TH EDITION www.TheOtherSideOfCalifornia.com Table of Contents Chamber of Commerce of Inyo County Birds Come Back to Owens Lake Page 4 Bishop Chamber of Commerce & Borax Wagons Find A New Home Page 6 Visitor Center 690 N. Main St. Bishop, CA 93514 Enchanting Fall Colors Page 8 760-873-8405 1-888-395-3952 760-873-6999 Enjoy Bishop’s Big Backyard Page 10 [email protected] www.bishopvisitor.com Appealing Adventures in Lone Pine Page 11 Death Valley Chamber of Commerce 118 Highway 127 Everyone Loves A Parade Page 12 P.O. Box 157 Shoshone, CA 92384 760-852-4524 Historic Independence Page 14 760-852-4144 www.deathvalleychamber.org Direct Results Media, Inc. Direct ResultsLone Media, Pine Inc. Big Pine: An Adventure Hub Page 15 Chamber of Commerce 124 Main St BusinessPO B oCardsx 749 Inyo County Fun Facts Page 16 Lone Pine, CA 93545 Rodney Preul Ph: 760-876-4444 Fx: 760-876-9205 Sales Associate Owens River Links LA And Inyo Page 17 [email protected] https://w3.5x2ww.lonepinechamber.org Inyo Attractions At A Glance Page 19 6000 Bel Aire Way Cell: 760-382-1640 Bakersfield, CA 93301 [email protected] The 2018 Inyo County Visitor Guide is produced by the Lone Pine Chamber of Government Agencies: Commerce and the County of Inyo. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) contents do not necessarily reflect the views 760-872-4881 of the Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce or the County of Inyo. (Except for our view that Inyo County is a spectacular place to visit. County of Inyo We will definitely own that one.) 760-878-0366 The County of Inyo has permission to use all Death Valley National Park the photos in this publication, which Directwas a Results760 -7Media,86-3200 Inc. Direct Results Media, Inc. condition of entering the photos in the Inyo County Photo Shoot Out photo contest, Eastern Sierra Interagency co-sponsored by the Lone Pine Chamber of Visitors Center Commerce and the County of Inyo. Jerry Elford760-876-6222 Robert Asianian Inyo NaDirecttional ResultsForest -Media,Superv Inc.isior Direct Results Media, Inc. Sales Associate760-873-2400 Sales Manager Business Cards Mt. WhitneRodneyy Rang ePreulr Station 760Sales-876- Associate6200 6000 Bel Aire3.5x2 Way Cell: 661-972-3596 Cell: 760-382-1800 6000 BelW hAireit Waye MountainCell: Ra 760-382-1640nger Station 6000 Bel Aire Way Bakersfield, CA 93301 Bakersfield, CA 93301 [email protected]@gmail.com0-873-2500 Bakersfield, CA 93301 [email protected] INYO COUNTY • 11th Edition 3 Direct Results Media, Inc. Direct Results Media, Inc. Jerry Elford Robert Asianian Sales Associate Sales Manager 6000 Bel Aire Way Cell: 661-972-3596 6000 Bel Aire Way Cell: 760-382-1800 Bakersfield, CA 93301 [email protected] Bakersfield, CA 93301 [email protected] Owens Lake Garners International Shorebird Designation Just like the migratory birds, the birders. documenting the lake’s bird accolades just keep coming to the The Shorebird Reserve Network populations for decades and Owens Lake. designation was announced during advocating for the birds and the Earlier this spring, the sprawling the 4th annual Owens Lake Bird habitats that sustain them. Tom and lake was named a prestigious Festival, earlier this spring. The event Jo Heindel, of Big Pine, have been Western Hemisphere Shorebird is sponsored by the Friends of the watching the lake and the birds since Reserve Network site of international Inyo and attracted more than 140 coming to the area in 1972. They are importance. The designation was a birders from around the country to the compiling a survey of every species of confirmation of the stunning Owens Lake and Lone Pine. The bird to visit Inyo County in the last 150 transformation of the once dry and group reported festival goers years. Mike Prather, of Lone Pine, got dusty, 100-square-mile lake south of recorded well over 100 different his first look at the birds on Owens Lone Pine into a man-made haven for species of birds on the lake, ranging Lake in 1985. Since then he has all manner of birds. from falcons to ducks to swallows to researched the bird activity on the There are only 104 Western avocets to grebes. lake and worked with all the groups Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve The new designation does not involved in the lake’s revival, from the Network sites. They stretch from the provide any legally binding State of California to duck hunters to southern tip of South America to protections. The group does the Great Basin Air Pollution District to Alaska. The sites earn the designation coordinate conservation efforts and the Los Angeles Department of Water based on the number of shorebirds publicity as a way to protect declining and Power. they attract and the sites’ value with shorebird habitats before they are In recent years, the West’s saline regard to providing critical habitat to damaged or destroyed. The Audubon lakes, such as Owens Lake and the the many species of migratory Society has also recognized the Great Salt Lake, have become shorebirds. Some of those birds stop importance of Owens Lake to important destinations for migratory off at the Owens Lake to refuel while migrating birds and other wildlife. birds as other lakes and wetlands making mind-numbing, marathon Those designations and recognition have disappeared. The next migrations from South America to the serve as a validation and threatened lake, according to Arctic. Upwards of 100,000 birds can commendation of the work done on conservationists and the Audubon convene on the lake at the peak of the the lake by several local Society, is the rapidly shrinking Salton migration seasons, according to local conservationists, who have been Sea. That huge inland lake has been Continued on page 5 Birders on Owens Lake: Birders using binoculars and long camera lenses while observing birds on the Owens Lake. Photo courtesy Mike Prather 4 INYO COUNTY • 11th Edition Some of the participants on the Owens Lake during the fourth annual Owens Lake Bird Festival earlier this year. Photo courtesy Ben Wickman, Friends of the Inyo. Owens Lake Continued from page 4 the lakebed, or about half of the dry amount of dust coming of the lake had in decline for years and has been lake, had received some sort of dust been reduced by 95 percent. targeted for rehabilitation. The “treatment.” After spending about $2 And the birds have returned. turnaround at the Owens Lake could billion on the dust control project, the provide a template for the Salton Sea and other western lakes, the Audubon noted. Rob Clay, the director of the shorebird reserve network, noted that the years of work to bring bird life back to the lake was an example of how human welfare and conservation can be linked to create positive results for local residents and the environment. Owens Valley residents are familiar with the story of the lake’s new life. The lake dried up in the 1920s because the Owens River, which used to feed the lake, was diverted into the ALL HOMEMADE Los Angeles Aqueduct, leaving the MEATS SIDEKICKS lake to slowly dry up. After a number Brisket Potato Salad Tri Tip Mac N Cheese of lawsuits and a resulting court order, Smokehouse Beans in 2001 the Los Angeles Department Ribs Cornbread of Water and Power began a massive, Pulled Pork Baked Potato landscape-scale project to reduce the Sausage Side Salad billowing dust that came off the lake. SWEET TOOTH That project included planting Country Apple Crisp • Banana Pudding vegetation or covering dust- Get It Until It’s Gone! generating areas with gravel or using shallow flooding to stop the dust. The DINE IN • TAKE OUT • CATERING shallow flooding almost immediately 772 N. Main St., Bishop, CA started attracting birds. Eventually, about 55 square miles of 760-872-4227 www.HolySmokeTexasStyleBBQ.com INYO COUNTY • 11th Edition 5 Bobby Tanner and his crew bring Borax 20-Mule Team Wagons down the Mule Days Parade Route in 2017. After a roundabout trip, the Borax Wagons are Home at Laws The instantly recognizable Borax annual Mule Days Parade. roof send splashes of sunshine on the 20-Mule Team Wagons took a bit of a The local pride came from two wagons. Long, white walls await roundabout route to their new home in sources. First was the familiar face of additional photos and explanatory an impressive, brand new barn at the longtime Eastern Sierra packer and text. Those final touches will be added Laws Railroad Museum and Historic teamster Bobby Tanner who helped as time goes on, thanks to a Village. bring the wagons back to life and collaboration between Laws and the The first leg of that journey involved personally maneuvers the huge Bishop-based American Mule nearly a decade of research and work wagons pulled by 20 mules, working Museum. and fundraising that eventually two abreast, down the parade route. Besides those two local groups, the resulted in the construction of the Second, the 20-Mule Team and Borax non-profit Death Valley Conservancy huge, historically accurate wagons are both local products and local and Rio Tinto Borates (formerly Pacific and the gear needed to hitch 20 legends that contributed mightily to Coast Borax), also played critical mules to the two big freight wagons the notoriety and ongoing mystique of roles in bringing the 20-Mule Team and the water tank rolling behind the Death Valley region, Inyo County’s back home to Inyo County. them. premiere tourist attraction. Tanner addressed the crowd and Once the wagons were ready to roll Finally, after dazzling yet another recalled how, about 10 years ago, he in 2016, they were re-introduced to Mule Days crowd this year, the contacted Howard Holland, the the public by rolling down some pretty wagons headed for their new talented exhibit designer and board impressive boulevards.