August 19th, 2019 by Ellie, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Ellie, Mono Lake InternName: Ellie Neifeld Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Ellie grew up in Oakland, but spent most of her summers exploring the Sierra Nevada and falling in love with the Mono Basin at a young age. Her first rock climbing trip to Yosemite in 2011 kindled her passion for climbing, which has kept her returning to the Sierra year after year. She recently completed a degree in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College and is excited to immerse herself in the natural history of Mono Lake. When not geologizing or climbing, Ellie can be found lying on granite slabs, painting, and dancing.See All Posts by Ellie (10) Contact Ellie
August 18th, 2019 by Rose, Education DirectorcloseAuthor: Rose, Education DirectorName: Rose Nelson Title: Education Director About: After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz in 2012, Rose worked as a botany research assistant at UC Berkeley, a Research Assistant for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife monitoring riparian plant species on rivers throughout California, and as a California State Parks interpreter. In 2017 she was here at Mono Lake as an Outdoor Education Instructor, and has now returned to oversee the Committee's education programs.See All Posts by Rose (5) Contact Rose
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Too often phenomenal women can be lost in the history books, but not in the Mono Basin.
The 16th annual Ghosts of the Sagebrush event, hosted by the Mono Basin Historical Society, is celebrating amazing women who had a hand in shaping the Mono Basin between 1900 and 1950. Over the two-day event, attendees will hear stories about Paiute women who “became known for their exceedingly fine, visually stunning, and complex polychrome baskets,” as well as fearless first female guides and ranchers. … more »
August 17th, 2019 by Ellie, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Ellie, Mono Lake InternName: Ellie Neifeld Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Ellie grew up in Oakland, but spent most of her summers exploring the Sierra Nevada and falling in love with the Mono Basin at a young age. Her first rock climbing trip to Yosemite in 2011 kindled her passion for climbing, which has kept her returning to the Sierra year after year. She recently completed a degree in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College and is excited to immerse herself in the natural history of Mono Lake. When not geologizing or climbing, Ellie can be found lying on granite slabs, painting, and dancing.See All Posts by Ellie (10) Contact Ellie
A flock of phalaropes on Mono Lake. Photo courtesy of Marie Read.
Phalaropes are tiny shorebirds that make impressive migrations between North and South America. Mono and other saline lakes—which are nearly universally threatened by climate change and water diversions—are critical migratory refueling stops … more »
August 15th, 2019 by Bartshé, Eastern Sierra Policy DirectorcloseAuthor: Bartshé, Eastern Sierra Policy DirectorName: Bartshé Miller Title: Education Director About: Bartshé works on Mono Basin policy issues such as protecting the integrity of the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, coordinating with regional agency staff, and working with the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and scientists on the ongoing restoration of Mono Lake and its tributary streams. He has been an Eastern Sierra resident since 1993.See All Posts by Bartshé (70) Contact Bartshé
The Mono Lake Committee is encouraging people who value the Mono Basin to submit a comment letter regarding the Draft SEIR for the Tioga Inn, which has “6 significant unavoidable adverse impacts”* from the proposed major addition to the gas station and restaurant known as the Mobil Mart.
The Draft SEIR for the Tioga Inn is a significant addition to the current development known as the Mobil Mart.
The Draft Subsequent Environmental Impact Report (SEIR) and Specific Plan for the Tioga Inn Project has studied a developer proposal to expand the approved site footprint onto a tall bluff that overlooks Highway 395 and Mono Lake. The proposed multi-unit, two-story construction of a 100-unit/150-bedroom Workforce Housing Village will, if approved as is, fundamentally change the experience of wild natural beauty of Mono Lake and the Mono Basin. Mono Lake, Mono County, and the scenic highway and gateway to Yosemite National Park deserve better.
As currently proposed, the project will be highly visible … more »
August 14th, 2019 by Meghan, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Meghan, Mono Lake InternName: Meghan Cihasky Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Originally from Chippewa Falls, WI, Meghan moved to Monterey, CA to seek new adventures. She quickly became enthralled with the Sierra after a few backpacking trips spent among spectacular trees, alpine lakes, and peaks. She attended the University of Minnesota at Duluth to pursue Environmental Science, then spent a semester abroad in New Zealand, traveling and studying the diverse culture and environment. Now, she is looking forward to spending her summer in the Mono Basin, trail running, backpacking and sharing her passion for the outdoors.See All Posts by Meghan (1) Contact Meghan
Looking for a fun and easy way to give back to this place we all know and love so much? Come join us this Saturday, August 17 from 8:30am to 12:30pm for the 11th annual Great Sierra River Cleanup! We will spend our morning picking up any and all trash that has accumulated around Lee Vining Creek.
If you are free this Saturday, get your family and friends together and meet us outside the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore in Lee Vining. From there we will carpool to the DWP diversion site on Lee Vining Creek. Make sure to bring sturdy footwear, a water bottle, and sun protection. Our goal this year is to use as little single-use plastic as possible for the cleanup, so if you have your own gloves and buckets for trash, bring them along! We’ll provide work gloves where necessary as well as … more »
August 13th, 2019 by Geoff, Executive DirectorcloseAuthor: Geoff, Executive DirectorName: Geoffrey McQuilkin Title: Executive Director About: Geoff's goals for the Committee are: ensuring Mono Lake's continuing protection, restoring Mono Lake's tributary streams, developing a permanent education program, and ensuring that the strong tradition of scientific research at Mono Lake continues. A graduate of Harvard in the history of science, Geoff has worked for the Committee since 1992 and was an intern and volunteer before that. He's happy to live close to the lake with his wife Sarah and their daughters Caelen, Ellery, and Cassia.See All Posts by Geoffrey (153) Contact Geoffrey
Judge Edward Denton, April 24, 1926–July 12, 2019. Photo courtesy of the Reno Record-Courier.
During a heat wave in May of 1986 the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP) was forced to release water down the previously-dry Lee Vining Creek—water that brought trout with it. The Mono Lake Committee quickly went to court to keep water flowing in the creek for the trout, and it was Mono County Superior Court Judge Denton who granted the temporary restraining order that forced DWP to release enough water to keep the fish alive until the case could be tried. While it was just ten cubic feet per second of water, it was a significant decision to the Mono Lake Committee.
In a recent issue of the local paper, The Sheet, retired Judge Stan Eller recounted his memory of … more »
August 12th, 2019 by AnnaLisa, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: AnnaLisa, Mono Lake InternName: AnnaLisa Mayer Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Raised amid Barred Owl voices and whispering beech leaves in Vermont's Green Mountains, AnnaLisa first came to the Mono Basin in 2016. Falling in love with the expansiveness of the West, she has since spent nearly 200 days immersed in California and Arizona's diverse backcountry. A naturalist at heart, AnnaLisa studied Ecology and Environmental Humanities at Sterling College in Craftsbury Common, VT. When not poking around in the depths of tiny flowers, she can be found making things with her hands, chasing crescent moons, and playing fiddle for the clouds.See All Posts by AnnaLisa (2) Contact AnnaLisa
A highly popular field seminar offering, Geology of the Mono Basin: Land of Fire & Ice focuses on the diverse and spectacular geology of Mono Lake, the Mono Craters, Black Point, Lee Vining Canyon, Tioga Pass and more.
Mono Basin Geology: Land of Fire & Ice • August 16–18 and September 20–22 • $182 per person/$167 for members
Spaces are open in this year’s Mono Basin Geology field seminars, led by Yosemite National Park geologist Greg Stock. Photo by Robbie Di Paolo.
Greg Stock leads, presenting accessible and engaging insight into the processes which formed these landscapes as they appear today. Yosemite National Park’s first-ever … more »
August 10th, 2019 by Ellie, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Ellie, Mono Lake InternName: Ellie Neifeld Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Ellie grew up in Oakland, but spent most of her summers exploring the Sierra Nevada and falling in love with the Mono Basin at a young age. Her first rock climbing trip to Yosemite in 2011 kindled her passion for climbing, which has kept her returning to the Sierra year after year. She recently completed a degree in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College and is excited to immerse herself in the natural history of Mono Lake. When not geologizing or climbing, Ellie can be found lying on granite slabs, painting, and dancing.See All Posts by Ellie (10) Contact Ellie
A debris flow across Tioga Pass Road on June 17, 2019. Photo courtesy of Sue Burak.
Recent avalanches in the Sierra have been unusual. Avalanche activity in 2019 began in early January and continued through June when a wet slab avalanche released above Tioga Pass Road and deposited mud and rocks onto … more »
August 8th, 2019 by Miranda, Outdoor Education InstructorcloseAuthor: Miranda, Outdoor Education InstructorName: Miranda Norlin Title: Outdoor Education Instructor About: Homeschooled from birth to college, Miranda grew up playing with goats and dreaming of being a vet. After four cold, indoor years studying biology at Brown University she bought a one-way ticket to Alaska to work on a musk ox farm. Since then she has moved around the country for seasonal jobs, learning about different ecosystems and discovering a love of outdoor education and interpretation. She looks forward to exploring Mono Lake this summer and getting to meet the plants, people, and critters of the area.See All Posts by Miranda (1) Contact Miranda
The Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC) staff have been busy this season with a different group every week. Students of all ages, often from Los Angeles, spend five days with us, camping, hiking, and canoeing. They learn about the Mono Basin, where their water comes from, and how to cherish and preserve natural spaces and resources.
OEC students from Modesto’s Camp Cricket hiked up Bennettville Dome in boots generously donated by members. Photo by Miranda Norlin.
Each group brings new and wonderful adventures, but it takes hard work and support from many people to make sure students are prepared and to—literally—get boots on the ground. Most participants don’t have all the equipment needed to hike and recreate outdoors, so we turn to the OEC closet to find what they need.
We put out a call for gently used boots in the most recent Mono Lake Newsletter and received an awesome response! … more »
August 6th, 2019 by Caroline BottegacloseAuthor: Caroline BottegaName: Caroline Bottega Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Coming all the way from New Jersey, Caroline is fulfilling her dream of living where her love for the outdoors and Sierra Nevada began. She received her BS in Environmental Science/Restoration Ecology and Geology minor from Lafayette College. Upon graduating in May 2019, she left the next day to drive across the country to begin her position at Mono Lake. Caroline enjoys research and teaching others about the wonders of the natural world. She can often be found hiking or writing, and is looking forward to taking in everything the Sierra has to offer!See All Posts by Caroline (3) Contact Caroline
Intern Caroline Bottega recording groundwater levels on Rush Creek tributary. Photo by Robbie Di Paolo.
“I can really count this as work?” I thought, while wading knee-deep in the cool, swift water of Rush Creek. Robbie Di Paolo, the Mono Lake Committee’s Restoration Field Technician, was a few paces ahead and leading the way to our next monitoring well. It felt like a scavenger hunt, as we navigated from well to well between the stream channels and sagebrush until another tall, white PVC pipe would finally appear among the vegetation.
Part of the mission of the Mono Lake Committee is to restore the important habitats of the Mono Basin, which include the habitats of the freshwater tributaries that feed Mono Lake. As one of my intern projects for the summer, I have been tasked with collecting groundwater measurements along both Lee Vining Creek and Rush Creek each week. Through my weekly well readings, I have had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Committee’s restoration efforts and dive deeper into the complex relationships that exist between the important habitats of the Mono Basin. … more »
Looking for a fun and easy way to give back to this place we all know and love so much? Come join us this Saturday, August 17 from 8:30am to 12:30pm for the 11th annual Great Sierra River Cleanup! We will spend our morning picking up any and all trash that has accumulated around Lee Vining Creek.
