Death Valley is sliding back into the spotlight, and you can feel it in the small signals locals trade like currency—photos of fresh blooms tucked into washes, roadside petals cataloged like evidence, and “proof” shots posted the moment something new breaks open. With a superbloom widely anticipated over the next two months due to heavy rains late last year, the basin has taken on that charged, pre-show atmosphere: visitors watching forecasts and planning weekends, residents scanning familiar stretches of dirt for the first splash of color, and everyone quietly measuring this season against the last big one. In the desert, nothing announces itself all at once—until it does.
Salt Creek Boardwalk Reopens After Flood Destruction
With another round of rain forecast for next week, the timing feels almost ominous: Death Valley National Park has reopened the Salt Creek Boardwalk more than three and a half years after flooding destroyed the original boardwalk and related visitor infrastructure.
The park said a flash flood in August 2022 wiped out the boardwalk, interpretive signs, and a vault toilet, and that Hurricane Hilary remnants in August 2023 further damaged the road and parking area. The completed recovery project includes a rebuilt boardwalk, improved trailhead and parking, new vault toilets, debris removal, and new signage—designed with flood resilience in mind.
The trail is wheelchair accessible and provides a key viewing route for the Salt Creek pupfish, one of several pupfish species and subspecies found in the park.
SIFPD Heads to Charleston View for February Meeting
Southern Inyo Fire Protection District’s next public meeting is set for Thursday, Feb. 19, at 6 p.m. at the St. Therese Mission Catholic Church in Charleston View. Organizers say the location was chosen to strengthen direct communication with Charleston View residents—especially as community attention turns to the prospect of utility-scale solar development nearby.
The meeting is also expected to touch on spring fundraising plans, including the idea of a flea-market-style sale, and early talk of a fall “Weird Festival” featuring Ted Faye. Fundraising is poised to be a major theme in 2026 as the district works to close a reported $10,000 gap from its target.
Scanner Traffic: A Busy Saturday on Highway 127
Last Saturday afternoon—clear skies, peak visitor hours, and steady movement through Death Valley and the Amargosa corridor—the emergency radio traffic told a familiar desert story: long distances, rapid pivots, and air-medical coordination when minutes matter. Local EMT Billy was on scene and reporting on the radio.
Incident 1: Motorcycle crash / air medical requested (Feb. 7)
- 12:46 p.m. & 12:54 p.m. — Ambulance sirens heard
- 12:59 p.m. — Billy calls out mile marker 17 on Highway 127
- 1:07 p.m. — Transmission partially lost in static (“airport” heard, unclear)
- 1:11 p.m. — Billy advises: “Control, here on 71 at Ibex… did you copy my request for Mercy Air at Shoshone airstrip?”
- Patient described over the radio as a 56-year-old male motorcyclist, reported to have lost control and complaining of back pain
- 1:34 p.m. — Mercy Air arrives at the Shoshone airport/airstrip
Incident 2: Water rescue / CPR in progress / second air response (Feb. 7)
- 3:51 p.m. — Siren; radio traffic partly unintelligible; a name is spelled out over the air
- 3:53 p.m. — Billy confirms Unit 71 on scene
- 3:55 p.m. — Billy requests Mercy Air to Shoshone airport for an elderly female, with CPR in progress
- 4:05 p.m. — Billy asks for Mercy Air ETA; Unit 71 departing Ibex for Shoshone airstrip
- 4:07 p.m. — Update over the air: unresponsive female, unknown how long in the water; Unit 71 en route to meet air-medical
- 4:13 p.m. — Instruction to have Pahrump meet in Shoshone on 178 at the ramp, then—if Mercy Air is confirmed—cancel Pahrump
- 4:17 p.m. — “Sierra 71 we arrived at Shoshone airport, waiting on Mercy Air.”
In a region where help can be a long drive away, the cadence of the calls—location checks, airstrip coordination, mutual-aid adjustments—underscored how quickly a calm weekend afternoon can turn.
Lawsuit Filed Over Proposed Exploration Drilling Near Ash Meadows
A coalition including the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe and several conservation organizations filed a lawsuit on Feb. 4, 2026, seeking to halt exploratory drilling associated with a zeolite exploration project near Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge.
According to the lawsuit announcement, the plaintiffs allege the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the project without required compliance steps under the Endangered Species Act, including consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding potential impacts to rare plant species in the area.
Project documents cited in the release describe drilling to about 200 feet, with groundwater expected at roughly 100 feet, raising concerns from the plaintiffs about possible hydrologic impacts. The project site is described as being just over the California border in Inyo County, roughly one mile from the refuge.
Volunteers Sought: Mesquite Tree Planting at Timbisha Village
Friends of the Amargosa Basin will partner with the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe on a community planting day to install honey mesquite trees intended to serve as wind and sand breaks. Organizers note mesquite pods are a traditional food source.
- When: Saturday, March 7, 2026, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
- Where: Timbisha Shoshone Indian Village, near Furnace Creek
- Register / meeting location: Contact Christiana Manville at 702-271-6137 or Christiana_Manville@fws.gov
Also on the calendar: keep an eye out for details about Vole Fest on March 21 and Birding with Len Warren set for April 11, 2026, offering a guided outing for locals and visitors to get out in the field, sharpen identification skills, and see what’s moving through the basin as spring migration ramps up.
Inyo Supervisors Weigh Axon Contract Increase for 10 Body Cameras and 10 Tasers
Inyo County’s Feb. 3 Board of Supervisors agenda tucked a familiar marker of modern policing into its budget lines: an amendment to the Sheriff’s contract with Axon Enterprise, Inc., the Scottsdale, Arizona–based public-safety technology company best known for TASER energy weapons and body-worn cameras—and for the digital ecosystem that stores and manages the video, audio, and other case files those devices generate.
The department is seeking approval to add ten body cameras and ten tasers, alongside a mid-year budget adjustment that would increase projected revenue by $18,300—$3,740 in C.O.P.S. funds and $14,560 in federal grant revenue—and match it with an equal increase in professional services appropriations. Because the request amends the current fiscal year budget, it is flagged as a 4/5 vote item, meaning it requires a supermajority—four of the Board’s five votes—rather than a simple majority.
If approved, the Board would authorize Amendment No. 01 and raise the Axon contract to a not-to-exceed total of $805,231, contingent on future budget approvals, with signature authority delegated to the Sheriff or a designee.
BLM Online Corral: Wild Horse Adoption Window Opens
The Bureau of Land Management will offer wild horses for adoption or purchase through its Online Corral from Feb. 9–Feb. 16, 2026, with pickup scheduled for Feb. 26 or Feb. 27 at the Palomino Valley Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Center in northern Nevada. The event uses a fixed-price structure, with a $125 fee for approved adopters/buyers on a first-come, first-served basis.
Source: KOLO-TV
Valentine’s Day Marriage Services in Independence
The Inyo County Clerk-Recorder’s Office will provide Valentine’s Day marriage services on Saturday, Feb. 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Independence. Appointments are required and space is limited. To reserve: 760-878-0224.
Inyo County Reports H5 Bird Flu Presence in Animals, Urges Awareness
Inyo County Public Health says avian influenza A(H5)—commonly known as H5 bird flu—has been detected in local animals in Inyo County, confirming the virus is present in the area while emphasizing there are no known human cases locally at this time. The department says it is coordinating with the California Department of Public Health and the CDC to monitor conditions and share guidance with residents, workers, and healthcare providers, noting that while H5 is widespread in wild birds and has driven outbreaks in poultry and dairy cattle elsewhere in the U.S., human infections remain rare and have largely involved close, prolonged contact with sick animals, leaving the overall risk to the general public currently low.
Key Dates to Know for the June 2, 2026 Statewide Primary (Inyo County)
- May 4, 2026 — Ballots will be mailed to every active registered voter (Election Code § 3000.5). Voters can confirm registration status and mailing address via the California voter status portal: https://VoterStatus.sos.ca.gov/.
- May 18, 2026 — Voter registration deadline to receive a mailed ballot. After this date, eligible voters may register and vote provisionally in person on Election Day in their county of residence.
- May 26, 2026 — Deadline to request a replacement ballot if a mailed ballot is lost or damaged.
- June 2, 2026 (Election Day) — In-person voting locations will be open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting locations may have changed; designated locations appear on the stub attached to the top of the mailed ballot and are also posted at: https://elections.inyocounty.us/voting/voting-locations/.
- June 9, 2026 — Mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day must be received by this date.
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