D.P.S's CONSERVATION EFFORTS The efforts of the Desert Peaks Section in obtaining Wilderness status for the northern half of the White Mountain Range, including Pellisier Flats, Mt. DuBois, Boundary and Montgomery Peak, is moving along well. The proposed Wilderness status for this area was presented to the Board of Directors of the Sierra Club at the January Directors meeting by Bill Henderson. The Board unanimously passed a motion to recommend to the regional Forester of the National Forest Service that the area approximately outlined as boundaries by the Desert Peaks Section be set aside as a wild area, and it was further recommended that enough additional area be added to these boundaries to make a wilderness area (100,000 acres or larger). It is now up to the Forest Service to study the proposal, designate boundaries, and call a public hearing. The Desert Peaks Section shall have a trip to the proposed Wilderness area over Labor Day. More details later. BLACK MOUNTAIN - December 11                      Louise Werner Niles Werner led twenty-one to the top of Black Mountain, northeast of Red Rock Canyon. Although the El Paso Range seemed exceptionally dry, a well was found in a wash not far above where we left the cars, giving water almost immediately one started pumping. It was drinkable, though tasted slightly of minerals. ORD AND RODMAN MOUNTAINS - February 11-12         Louise Werner The dozen Desert Peakers who arrived early enough Saturday to join the climb to the top of the Rodman Range southeast of Barstow, found that a cinder-mining operation had cut a road to within a half-mile of the summit. Even four year old Ginny Bear made the top. That night a visitor from Outer Space awakened some of the campers at the eastern foot of Ord Mountain.* The Crookstons reported that you could have read the paper by the light of the meteor that flashed by, presumably falling on the Mojave to the north. Since leader Bob Bear had promised to wait until 9:00 Sunday morning for assistant Jerry Zagorites and the Hunts to join the party, Walt Heninger led those who wished to start at 7:30. Two parties, totaling about twenty each, made the summit about an hour apart. Weather was agreeably cool and visibility excellent. * This is at least the third time that mysterious happenings have coincided with trips to desert peaks. Wallace (avacado) Smith reported that the night after Bill Henderson's famous death march over the top of the White Mountain Range in July '54, he (Smith) stayed in Fish Lake Valley and slept in his, car. He was awakened by something shaking the car as if a bear were scratching his back against it. Later he learned that there had been an earthquake. From the same general area came the report of the 'flying saucer' episode of last September 10-11, when Pat Meixner and Lee Owings saw a burst of orange light in the form of a crescent coming toward them as they were descending from Boundary Peak after dark. In July '53 we read several entries in the register on the summit of Boundary Peak, dated June 20th to July 3rd., 1950. All had to do with the launching of flying saucers. One said, "We launched three saucers into the air; they fell to the earth, we know not where, we lose more darn saucers that way". The entries were signed with six names.

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