Before joining LAist in 2023, I covered L.A. politics, the environment, immigration, and South Dakota's 2023 legislative session for the Associated Press.
LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visitIf you're enjoying this article, you'll love our daily morning newsletter, How To LA. Every weekday, you'll get fresh, community-driven stories that catch you up with our independent local news.For decades, conservationists and researchers considered the remote area a “botanical blackhole.
“They have a strong smell and attract all sorts of pollinators,” botanist Maria Jesus said. “They're kind of the only game in town in the summer for important pollinator species.” “They basically get the rocks and soil out, grind them up and then put them on a pile and run cyanide through them,” said Ileene Anderson of the Center for Biological Diversity. “That leaches out the microscopic gold.”But protections from the California Endangered Species Act will now help keep mining interests at bay.