Environmental & Energy,
Land Use
Jun. 30, 2023
Mineral King: a remote California valley and modern environmentalism
While the Sierra Club lost, two aspects of the Supreme Court’s ruling facilitated the subsequent half century of modern environmental litigation: (1) standing may be based on environmental and other non-economic injury, and (2) an organization has standing to represent its members’ injuries.
John S. Caragozian
Email: caragozian@gmail.com
John is a Los Angeles-based lawyer and sits on the Board of the California Supreme Court Historical Society. He welcomes ideas for future monthly columns on California's legal history at caragozian@gmail.com.
Mineral King is a high glacial valley in California’s Sierra Nevada. It is accessed by one narrow, 25-mile-long road – supposedly with 698 curves – that reaches the 7,800-foot valley floor. From there, trails climb toward alpine lakes, passes, and 12,000-plus-foot peaks.
The valley has a campground and a few old wood cabins. It is deserted during winter, as the road is unplowed and snow depths can exceed ten feet.
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