Latest Articles - TecopaCabana

Heard Around Town: Best in Show

After a week of relentless desert wind that sent dust across the valley floor and rattled every loose screen door in Tecopa, the Amargosa Basin is sliding into the familiar…
Still Here, Still Home: Timbisha Shoshone Mark 25 Years of the Homeland Act in Death Valley

On a clear late-January morning at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park, the visitor center felt less like a museum lobby than a civic hall. The packed auditorium seating,…
New Report Tracks Amargosa Springs and Groundwater

On a recent Zoom briefing hosted by the Amargosa Conservancy, hydrologist Andy Zdon and project staff presented new monitoring results that show a mixed trajectory for the Amargosa Basin: some…
Southern Inyo Fire Board Weighs Cell Tower Deal, Reggae Fest, and the True Cost of “Free” Land

The Southern Inyo Fire Protection District’s February 19 board meeting gave a few headlines among the slow work of keeping a rural district stitched together: a proposed cell tower above…
Cerro Gordo Owner Brent Underwood Details Ghost Town Revival at Shoshone Museum Talk

If you’re wondering—are there any ghosts in the ghost town Cerro Gordo?—Brent Underwood was on hand in Shoshone recently to answer those questions. “We have a guy named Craig, he’s…
Sagebrush Sally: Stay Kind Without Getting Caught in the Drama

Dear Sagebrush Sally, I have a question that feels a little delicate. I have a neighbor here in Tecopa whose behavior has me genuinely concerned and a bit worn out.…
Heard Around Town: Chasing Dreams

Wind and rain have tormented the region since Monday, shaking up travel plans just as Death Valley edges toward peak season. Southern California Edison has, in recent months, scheduled—and then…
Heard Around Town: Rain and Flowers on the Horizon

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…
At the Crowbar in Shoshone, Inyo County’s judge race comes into view

“Can I do this?” Civil Deputy Robin Henry said, taking the petition for Inyo County Superior Court Judge into his hands as he glanced over at his boss, Inyo County…
Death Valley Park: No Exhibit Removals Planned by Friday Ahead of Timbisha Shoshone Homeland Act March

Death Valley National Park officials say the Timbisha Shoshone exhibit at the Furnace Creek Visitor Center is not being removed or altered by Friday, as the Timbisha Shoshone Tribe promotes…
TecopaCabana: Year in Review 2025

Dear TecopaCabana readers, As we close out our first year of reporting, I keep coming back to the same thought: in a place as small and far-flung as the Amargosa…
Sagebrush Sally: Calling a Truce

Dear Sagebrush Sally, After the last couple of years in Tecopa, I feel like I’m living in the aftermath of several small wars. There’ve been public feuds, private fallouts, social…
Sagebrush Sally: Talk Like You’ll See Them Tomorrow

Dear Sagebrush Sally, I’m struggling with the gap between how people in Tecopa act online and how they act in person. On the internet, a simple comment can turn into…
Heard Around Town: Seasonal Traditions

Free holiday dinner doubles as fundraiser as SIFPD brings Amargosa Basin communities together in Shoshone A winter evening at the Flower Building in Shoshone became something more than a seasonal…
Food Commodity Distributions to Resume in Southeast Inyo After Federal Cuts

Food commodity distributions will resume in Southeast Inyo County on Jan. 15, restoring a critical source of supplemental groceries for residents in Shoshone, Tecopa, and Charleston View after federal funding cutbacks forced Inyo-Mono…
Sagebrush Sally: A Good Neighbor Knows When to Rest

Dear Sagebrush Sally, I care a lot about Tecopa, maybe too much for my own good. I’ve gone to meetings, spoken up, helped with projects, and tried to support neighbors…
What Six Years of Cannabis Tax Data Tell Us About Inyo County’s Legal Market

For all the mystique that still clings to California’s cannabis economy, the financial reality inside Inyo County’s ledgers is far more modest — steady, predictable, and revealing in the spaces…
Sagebrush Sally: Don’t Get Drafted Into Someone Else’s Desert Drama

Dear Sagebrush Sally, It feels like no matter what happens in Tecopa, someone expects you to pick a side. Even when you don’t want to be involved in a feud,…
Fire Protection District Presses for Millions in Safety Funding as Solar Project Nears Approval

In Southern Inyo County, California, even the most basic lifeline of emergency response has begun to fray. For months, the district’s radios—its only reliable way to summon volunteer firefighters and…
Study Finds No Evidence of Hantavirus in Tecopa and Shoshone Rodents, Despite High Rates in Nearby Death Valley

A 2019 peer-reviewed study examining rodent populations in the Amargosa River valley found virtually no evidence of hantavirus circulation in Tecopa Hot Springs and Shoshone — a surprising result given that the same virus…
Sagebrush Sally: Stewardship Isn’t Ownership—Especially at the Springs

Dear Sagebrush Sally, The new stewards of the Tecopa Hot Springs Pools and Campground have barely settled in, but a lot of us are already uneasy. Not only did they…
Wisdom from the Desert: Corbin Harney and the Western Shoshone Vision for Harmony

In The Nature Way: Wisdom from a Western Shoshone Elder, Corbin Harney—spiritual leader, activist, and member of the Western Shoshone Nation—shares a lifetime of teachings rooted in respect for the earth…
Sagebrush Sally: The Desert Doesn’t Need a Guest List

Dear Sagebrush Sally, I keep hearing certain folks in town complain about “too many newcomers,” but it seems like what really bothers them isn’t that new people are arriving—it’s that…
Heard Around Town: Make it Rain

After a big weekend of music, art, and community at Tecopa Takeover — plus a successful SIFPD fundraiser that brought in $5,500 — the desert wasted no time shifting gears. The celebrations faded straight into four…
Full Hookups or Half Truths? New Concessionaire Faces Scrutiny Over Amenities and Accuracy

“We don’t know what we don’t know,” Lance Hamrick told county supervisors last week about the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground and Pools. But some things he does know: the water’s…
Sagebrush Sally: The Desert Doesn’t Need More Hot Air

Dear Sagebrush Sally, I’ve noticed that in Tecopa, the way people act online and the way they act face-to-face can feel like two completely different worlds. On social media, folks…
Tecopa’s Endangered Voles Tell a Water Story Written in DNA

A University of California research team found in 2016 that Tecopa’s California vole—Microtus californicus scirpensis—is one of the most genetically unique animals in the Mojave Desert, and that its survival depends on…
New Concessionaire Addresses (Some) Community Questions on Tecopa Hot Springs

“Yes, we will be open for the takeover God willing and creek don’t rise,” wrote new Tecopa Hot Springs concessionaire Lance Hamrick — a line equal parts relief and rallying…
UNLV Study Puts Tecopa on the Map for Desert Sustainability

A 2022 doctoral study from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has highlighted Tecopa as part of a groundbreaking look at how desert communities can better manage their most limited resources — water,…
Locals Crowd Tecopa Community Center as County Weighs Rates, Solar, and Monument Support

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors convened at the Tecopa Community Center Tuesday afternoon, bringing County government to the far southern edge of the county for a standing-room-only meeting that…
A Fair Soak at What Cost? Inside the Flippin-Hamrick Proposal for Tecopa Hot Springs

When the Inyo County Board of Supervisors meets in Tecopa on November 4, one agenda item will rise above the rest: how much locals and visitors will soon pay to soak in the…
Riparian Forests Along the Amargosa River Show Signs of Climate-Driven Collapse, UNLV Study Finds

A doctoral dissertation out of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas reports clear evidence that the riparian woodlands along the Amargosa River—spanning Ash Meadows, Shoshone, and Tecopa—are undergoing significant climate-driven decline.…
Tecopa Hot Springs Rates Still Under Negotiation Ahead of Nov. 4 County Meeting

When the Inyo County Board of Supervisors rolls into Tecopa next week, they can expect a full house — and perhaps a few raised voices — as locals prepare to…
Paper Trails: The Bureaucratic Glow-Up of Tecopa’s Community Center

“It gets very dark here in the winter,” wrote Aaron Holmberg, Inyo County’s Assistant Director of Risk Management, in his 2024 safety report on the Tecopa Community Center. “The exit…
How the Desert Was Fed: Tecopa’s Farming Roots in the Mining Frontier

In the late 19th century, when settlers first began to cultivate the Amargosa Basin and the valleys surrounding Tecopa, they were not starting from scratch. The land had already been…
Tecopa Town Hall Unites Residents to Tackle Food Insecurity After Federal Cuts

“You guys are tough people out there,” said Jessica from the Inyo-Mono Advocates for Community Action (IMACA), nodding from her Zoom screen toward the handful of desert residents gathered inside…
Flippin-Hamrick Crew Officially Takes Keys to Tecopa Hot Springs & Campground

A new era has officially begun at the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground. On Wednesday, the Flippin-Hamrick crew announced they have “received the keys” to the county-owned facility, marking the formal…
Sagebrush Sally: Between Memory and Imagination Lies Community

Dear Sagebrush Sally, As the season picks up, I can feel the energy shifting in town. New faces are arriving, old friends are returning, and everyone seems to have a…
Heard Around Town: Desert Mornings and Mountain Snow

Autumn has arrived in the Amargosa Basin, bringing crisp mornings, clear skies, and — for the first time this season — snow on Telescope Peak. On October 14, residents spotted…
County Orders Airbnb Operator to Cease Unpermitted Rentals at Lake Tecopa

The Inyo County Planning Department has issued a formal notice ordering the operator of the Lake Tecopa Airbnb to stop all short-term rental activity, citing violations of county code that…
Inyo County Rewrites the Rules at Tecopa Hot Springs

The Inyo County Board of Supervisors is set to approve a new ten-year agreement at their October 21 meeting, granting Flippin Happy Campers & Lance Hamrick LLC the right to…
House Mice Bring Hidden Parasite Threat to Endangered Amargosa Voles in Tecopa

Welcome to our new science section — a weekly dive into the research shaping our understanding of the Amargosa Basin and the desert communities that call it home. Every Friday we will…
Sagebrush Sally: Service Without Spotlight

Dear Sagebrush Sally, After the recent fire, I’ve been thinking a lot about how best to support the people in our community who lost their homes and belongings. I keep…
Optimism Grows as Tecopa Hot Springs Concession Contract Nears Finalization

After months of uncertainty, momentum is building toward a finalized agreement for the Tecopa Hot Springs Campground & Pools concession. Both county officials and the incoming operators say they’re close…
Rep. Kevin Kiley Urges House to Return to Session, Breaks with Speaker Over Shutdown Strategy

As the federal government shutdown entered its twelfth day, Tecopa’s elected congressman, Rep. Kevin Kiley (R), said Sunday on CNN that the House should return to work instead of remaining closed under Speaker Mike…
Heard Around Town: Rain, Renewal, and Resilience

It’s been a dramatic start to October in Tecopa, where the desert sky has delivered both a rare soaking and an early taste of winter. On October 9, residents watched…
Heard Around Town: Desert Winds and Civic Sparks

Autumn is settling into the desert, and with it comes a sense of motion — the wind picking up, the air sharpening, and the land itself waking after months of…
Sagebrush Sally: Sharing the Desert—Engines, Echoes, and a Little Etiquette

Dear Sagebrush Sally, With the new off-road season gearing up at Dumont Dunes, a lot of us in Tecopa are feeling the ripple effects—some good, some not so good. The…
Dumont Dunes Ramps Up for the 2025 OHV Season

As the summer heat fades and the desert winds begin to cool, the familiar sound of engines returns to Dumont Dunes. Riders from across the Southwest are tuning up for another…
Sagebrush Sally: Brace Yourselves—High Season Is Coming

Dear Sagebrush Sally, High season is almost here, and you can feel the shift already. Trailers and vans will soon roll into town, bathhouses will fill up again, and businesses…