For their end-of-season wrap-up report, Sierra Forever’s Bishop Climbing Rangers, Casey Fellhoelter and Kara Flowers, who work from October through May, presented an impressive accounting of the program’s accomplishments on Thursday, May 15, to a dozen representatives from the Bishop Paiute Tribe, County of Inyo, Inyo National Forest, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, Bishop Area Climbers Coalition, Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Inyo, and fellow Sierra Forever staff.
Both Kara and Casey are two-season veterans of the program, having started with Sierra Forever in 2023. Here is a by-the-numbers snapshot of what they did for much loved climbing areas in public lands around Bishop in 2024/2025:
- Led 10 volunteer projects that engaged 230 volunteers who donated 517 volunteer hours that are valued at close to $21,000. (According to Independent Sector, a coalition of nonprofits, foundations and corporate giving programs in the United States that assigns a value to volunteer time, in California, a volunteer hour in 2024 was worth $40.14. Multiplied by 517, that equals $20,752.38.)
- Planted more than 300 native plants.
- Removed more than 900 lbs. of trash.
- Conducted more than 300 dispersed camping patrols in 17 locations.
- Made more than 2,300 contacts with climbers in the field, as well as more than 150 contacts with non-climbers (anglers, hikers, etc.).
- And so much more!