2000 Field Seminars
California Gull Research:
Gull Response to a Rising Lake
Dave Shuford/ Point Reyes Bird
Observatory
May 24–28
$120 per person per day; overnight; meals included
Join a research team directed by the Point Reyes Bird Observatory and Cornell University in collecting data on the gull colony. Gain hands-on experience in field survey techniques while investigating whether the lake’s changing chemistry—due to Mono’s recent lake level increase—is affecting gull reproductive success. Your help is needed in continuing this important research. The rare adventure of visiting Mono Lake’s spectacular Negit Islets and observing at close quarters the second largest California gull rookery in North America is for the stout of body and heart. Please contact the Field Seminar Desk for more information on this unique Mono adventure.
Birds of the Eastern Sierra
Lisa Hug, June 10–11
$95 per person/ $80 for members
The
Eastern Sierra offers a wide variety of breeding habitats for many species
of birds during spring and summer. In this two-day seminar, we will
explore the saline lakeside, desert scrub, riparian canyons, Jeffrey
pines, and lodgepole pine forests to discover the unique blend of birds
that reside in the region. We will focus on sharpening field
identification techniques as well as learning life history strategies of
the common local birds. Lisa Hug is a California naturalist with
experiences in the Eastern Sierra as a Committee intern and as a field
assistant for the Point Reyes Bird Observatory breeding bird study. She
has led many public bird walks through Point Reyes National Seashore. She
currently teaches a shorebird identification course through the community
education department at Santa Rosa Junior College.
The Story Behind the Land:
Geology of the Mono Basin
Tim Tierney, June 17–18
$95 per person/ $80 for members
The Mono Basin is a geological showcase, featuring young volcanoes, glaciated landscapes, stark mountains and weird mineral towers, all set about ancient and saline Mono Lake. Explore this land with geologist Tim Tierney, author of the Committee’s field guide Geology of the Mono Basin, and learn how to recognize the geology, know the reasons behind why things have happened, and what the future may hold. The first day of the seminar will be spent gaining an overview of the area via car and short walks. The second day will focus on thoroughly exploring a few select areas with extended hikes. Tim is an excellent teacher and interpreter of the “hard” languages.
Pigments, Perfumes, and
Poisons
Glenn Keator and Margareta Séquin, June 23–25
$110 per person/ $95 for members
Plants
interact with their environment in a multitude of ways: They attract
pollinators with perfumes and brightly pigmented flowers, yet they repel
other visitors with prickles, thorns, strong odors, sticky resins, and
poisons. In their struggle to compete, grow and reproduce, they carry out
chemical warfare with their neighbors—or elicit their help. Join us as
we investigate plant structures, and the methods plants employ to
pollinate and protect themselves.
Each day of this full three-day seminar will include a half-day field trip to plant habitats in the environs of Mono Lake, where we will study plants and learn about their special chemistry (no previous chemistry knowledge required!). In the hot afternoons we will go inside and spend some time on field trip topics, illustrated by pictures, hands-on demonstrations, and discussions. In the evenings there will be slide shows. Glenn Keator is a Bay Area botanist, teacher, and writer with long experience in California’s native plants. He has taught widely on many botanical subjects for adult education at a number of California campuses. Margareta Séquin is an organic chemist, with an emphasis on natural products. She is a teacher at San Francisco State University, and has also actively participated in chemistry events geared to promote a better understanding of chemistry among the general public.
California Gull Research:
Chick Banding
Dave Shuford/ Point Reyes Bird
Observatory July 1–4
$120 per person per day; overnight; meals included
This seminar will focus on the actual banding of the gull chicks. See description of California Gull Research seminar above.
Paiute Burden Basketry
Lucy Parker, July 14–16
$135 per person/ $115 for members (primitive group campsite included)$50
materials fee
Learn to weave baskets in the tradition of the regional Paiute. Students will prepare and use willow strings and whole shoots for a miniature cone-shaped basket. California red bud will be added for color design. Plain twining will be used for weaving and a stack stitch design will be created. Three-strand weaving will also be incorporated. The cone-shaped basket was traditionally used for gathering pine nuts in the Mono Basin. Lucy Parker is a descendent of the Yosemite Miwok, Mono Lake Kutzadikaa, and Pomo peoples. She learned traditional handiwork from her mother, a master basket weaver, and will pass on some of her knowledge in this special three-day/two-night camping seminar. You do not have to camp to participate, but the evenings will be spent around the campfire with traditional songs and stories. This seminar is designed for those with prior basket-weaving experience.
Mono Basin Wildflowers
Mark Bagley, July 22–23
$95 per person/ $80 for members
From the sagebrush scrub to the aspen forests of Lundy Canyon, from the marshes and meadows along the shore of Mono Lake to the whitebark and lodgepole pine forests of Tioga Pass, the Mono Basin is home to a wide variety of wildflower habitats. This workshop is for beginners, as well as for dedicated wildflower enthusiasts who want to know more about the plant life of the Mono Basin. We will learn to identify many common wildflowers, trees, and shrubs and the plant communities they inhabit. We will also review the names of some basic plant parts, learn how to recognize a few of the most important plant families, and examine the environmental factors which shape the various habitats. Mark Bagley, your instructor, is a full-time consulting botanist in the Eastern Sierra and Mojave Desert. Mark is well-known among past seminar participants for his easy-going pace and engaging teaching style in the field.
Ancient Landscapes of the
Mono Basin
Wally Woolfenden, August 5-6
$95 per person/ $80 Members
Climate and volcanism have been the chief architects of Mono environments during the past several millennia. Vegetation associations, animal populations, lake levels, weathering rates, glaciers and, more recently, human communities all responded to dramatic changes in climate. Occasional eruptions of magma created numerous rhyolite domes and covered the area with pyroclastic flows and ash. Prehistoric people also left their imprint on the landscape. This field seminar will explore geological and archaeological sites throughout the Mono Basin area and discuss the evidence and methods used by scientists to reconstruct past environments and human cultures. Dr. Wally Woolfenden has lived and worked in the Sierra Nevada as an archaeologist and paleoecologist for the Forest Service over the past two decades. He has recently studied vegetation and climate history from pollen deposited in the sediments of Owens Lake and Glass Creek Meadow. This seminar will involve moderately strenuous hiking into unique Eastern Sierra landscapes.
Mono Basin, Bodie, and Full
Moon Photography
Don Jackson, August 11–14
$235 per person/ $195 for members
Join award-winning photographer and 15-year Monophile Don Jackson in exploring and photographing the wonders of the Mono Basin and Bodie State Park during the full-moon weekend and the peak of phalarope visitation. This four-day workshop will be a combination of field sessions and classroom work and will cover the art and technical aspects of creating impactfull images, including composition, perspective, lighting and exposure, the Zone System, new films, and more. Critiques of participants’ work will be an important part of this workshop. Open to all color and black and white photographers that have a fully-adjustable camera (35mm to view camera) and a basic understanding of its operation. To see Don Jackson’s work visit his website at www.donjackson.com.
Fall Bird Migration
Dave Shuford, August 26–27
$95 per person/ $80 for members
The east slope of the Sierra Nevada is a major migration route for birds traveling from northern nesting areas to warm southern habitats. As a result, early autumn is the time of year to see the greatest diversity of landbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds in the Mono Basin and on Crowley Reservoir. Dave Shuford has been a staff biologist at Point Reyes Bird Observatory for twenty years. He has conducted numerous surveys and research projects in the Mono Basin and beyond, and is well acquainted with where to find birds in the Eastern Sierra.
Surviving on the Edge:
Sierra Bighorn Sheep in the Mono Basin
John Wehausen and Karl Chang, September 2–3
$95 per person/ $80 for members
Controversy surrounds the fate of the Sierra bighorn, one of the most recent additions to the federal list of endangered species. This field seminar will involve discussions of the biology and conservation of these animals with attempts to view them. John Wehausen is a research scientist at White Mountain Research Station in Bishop. He has been investigating various aspects of the Sierra bighorn and working for their conservation since 1974. In the late 1970s he initiated the restoration program that brought bighorn back to the Mono Basin. This seminar involves strenuous hiking at the 10,000-foot elevation and above.
Paoha Island Kayak
Stuart Wilkinson and MLC Staff, September 9
$65 per person/ $55 for members
Wind and weather permitting, visit Paoha Island for a picnic lunch! Join Stuart Wilkinson and a Mono Lake Committee staff member for a guided naturalist expedition to Paoha Island. Your leaders are well-versed in Mono Lake geology, ecology, history, and politics, and this natural history kayak tour will cover a wide variety of topics relating to this unique high desert lake. Plan on four to five hours for the tour. Some kayak experience is recommended for this trip to Paoha Island. Kayaks and safety equipment are provided.
Miwok-Paiute Work Basketry
Lucy Parker, September 15–17
$135 per person/ $115 for members (primitive group campsite included)
$50 materials fee
Learn to weave baskets in the tradition of the regional Paiute. Students will prepare and use whole shoots of willow for a bowl-shaped basket. A design of cleaned willow will be incorporated for color, and a close, plain twining will be used. This basket was traditionally used for gathering acorns and berries. Lucy Parker is a descendent of the Yosemite Miwok, Mono Lake Kutzadikaa, and Pomo peoples. She learned traditional handiwork from her mother, a master basket weaver, and will pass on some of her knowledge in this special three-day/two-night camping seminar. You do not have to camp to participate, but the evenings will be spent around the campfire with traditional songs and stories. This seminar is designed for those with little or no experience in basket weaving.
Mono Basin Fall Photography
Richard Knepp, October 6–8
$150 per person/ $125 for members
Autumn in the Mono Basin is one of the greatest photographic experiences in the country. Spectacular foliage and skies combine with exceptional light, presenting ample subject matter for photographers in both color and black and white. Join accomplished photographer Richard Knepp to explore varied shoreline locations at sunrise and sunset, and fall color in nearby canyons. Subjects for discussion include composition, exposure techniques, filtration, basic theory of the Zone System, and developing a personal vision. Photographers of all levels are welcome; a fully adjustable camera of any size or format is suggested.
Registration Information
Call the Mono Lake Committee at
760-647-6595 and ask for the seminar desk to register. A more complete
seminar description is available upon request. Sorry, we cannot accept
registration by mail.
Seminars are limited to fifteen people except where noted. If a seminar
receives less than six participants, the seminar will be cancelled two
weeks in advance and full refunds will be given. If you cancel three weeks
prior to the seminar start date, we will refund your payment (less a $10
processing fee). No refunds after that date, but tuition can be applied to
another class in 2000. We accept VISA, MasterCard, and Discover or
personal checks payable to the Mono Lake Committee. Participants must sign
a liability release form. All seminars operate under permit from the Inyo
National Forest.
Mono Lake Committee members receive discounted seminar prices where noted.
If you are not a current member of the Mono Lake Committee, you may
receive the discount by joining when you register.
Call (760) 647-6595 to register
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