Discover bubbling springs, alkali flies, brine shrimp, underwater tufa towers, migrating birds, and crystalline waters. Mono Lake is among North America’s most biologically productive lakes. Guided canoe tours provide a unique look into the ecology and geology of this high-desert lake. No experience is necessary and we provide all the equipment. Our experienced canoe guides can provide you with some of Mono Lake’s unusual natural history as well as the story about efforts to protect this million-year-old lake.

One-hour naturalist-guided canoe tours every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. (7:40), 9:30 a.m. (9:10), and 11 a.m. (10:40) are available to the public from June to September (2008 dates coming soon). $22 for adults and children (Sorry, no kids under 4). Special group tours can be arranged. All participants must wear the life jackets provided and obey safety rules. You must arrive at Navy Beach 20 minutes before departure time (no parking at Navy Beach--park at South Tufa and allow an extra 15 minutes for the walk over). Reservations are strongly recommended for these popular tours: call (760) 647-6595 (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) and ask for canoe reservations.

Click here for more canoe tour photos. Top

Every year from June through October, the Mono Lake Committee offers a Field Seminar series. Birds, geology, wildflowers, photography, Native American culture and basketweaving, California gull research, and even kayaking represent just a few of the weekend seminars that take place within the Mono Basin throughout the summer and fall. Seminars offer the chance for participants to delve beyond the basic understanding of Mono Basin natural history. Field Seminars are a hands-on approach to learning. Native Americans, professionals, and local experts share their knowledge and experience. Field Seminars are open to members and non-members alike. Top

See a list of this summer's Field Seminars!

Learn about our proposed new Outdoor Education Center!

In 1994 the Mono Lake Committee inaugurated an exciting new educational program for young people who are working to conserve water in Los Angeles. As part of the new Outdoor Experiences (OE) program, the Committee hosts teenagers from community and youth groups on tours of Mono Lake designed to connect Los Angeles-based water conservation programs with the natural resource they are helping to protect. Los Angeles community groups have taken the lead in assisting with the implementation of water conservation programs throughout the Southland, creating jobs while reducing by billions of gallons the amount of water the City of Los Angeles needs to import from places like Mono Lake. Top

For more about the OE program, please see the newsletter articles Jeffrey pines, Rush Creek, and the Grand Adventure, Chasing Buckets, and "Mike, I'm Tired". Top

In 1941 the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power completed an aqueduct between the Mono Basin and Los Angeles. Ever since then, the lake and the city have been connected by a need for the same water. Because of this intimate connection, the Mono Lake Committee provides educational programs in Los Angeles. Programs are offered in schools of all grades consisting of a slide show on Mono Lake, a tufa-making science experiment, and other activities tailored to the age group. Students become teachers in a collaboration between the Mono Lake Committee, members of the Los Angeles Water Conservation Council (LAWCC) (a group of community organizations in LA), and the Peer Partners in Environmental Education program of the Center for Environmental Education. High school and middle school students are given a presentation and training on the Mono Basin ecosystem, their watershed and sources of their water, water conservation, and actions they can take to make a difference. They then develop and make presentations in teams of three to nearby elementary school classes, where they are very popular teachers with the younger students. The student-teachers come away having consolidated their learning by teaching others and are inspired to do more. Some do water audits of their school with the help of the DWP or local water agency. Others work with the local member of the Los Angeles Water Conservation Council to organize one-day ultra low flush toilet (ULFT) distributions at their school. These events raise funds for the school or school's ecology club at $5-$15 per toilet distributed, the ULFT distributing community group creates jobs, people in the community get free toilets, more water is conserved, and water conservation and education is fostered in their communities. In many cases, members of LAWCC bring members of their communities to Mono Lake in the summers as part of the Outdoor Experience Program.

For more information about education programs in Los Angeles, or how you can host a program in your school, contact .  Top

The Mono Lake Committee offers educational programs for school visits to Mono Lake and can arrange a variety of tours to fit the needs of your school from first grade through college. In 2005 we reached over 1300 students in this way. Call Bartshe Miller, Education Director at (760) 647-6595 for more information, or E-mail him at . Top