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An Interview with Frances Spivy-WeberEditor's note: Frances Spivy-Weber took over as the Mono Lake Committee's Executive Director on January 1, 1997. You'll be hearing from Fran in this newsletter, but to introduce her to the Committee supporters, we sat down one day to discuss a few questions Mono Lake Newsletter: Welcome to the Mono Lake Committee! Tell us a little about your background, particularly with the National Audubon Society--what was your role there? Frances: Thank you, I'm excited to be here! When I was at Audubon I was director of the international program and my role was to help local chapters in the U.S. incorporate international issues into their programs--the concept of thinking globally and acting locally. Audubon also has international chapters in Central America, South America, and a few affiliate chapters in other continents. I worked with them as well. The third area I worked on was international treaties. I attended treaty meetings and international gatherings that set international policy on the environment. I served on official U.S. delegations, too. In the past two years you've been working on your Ph.D.--how is that going? Taking this job with the Committee is not good for finishing a Ph.D.! But, that is my plan. I am finishing my dissertation with the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies. The dissertation is about half written and, working on weekends, my plan is to finish it by the end of the year. The subject is the role of non-governmental organizations in influencing the evolution of environmental treaties. It looks at where non-governmental groups like the Mono Lake Committee are most effective and what strategies are most effective in influencing government entities to take action. There's an overlap between my dissertation topic and what the Committee has done in working with, and then being a goad to, some governmental agencies. Playing that double role of being both friend and advocate in a governmental setting is very similar to most effective groups that are active internationally. Leaving the international scene and concentrating on one specific place could be quite a change in focus for you? Not as much as you might think. Mono Lake, as a WHSRN [Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network] site, has shorebirds making the connection between Mono Lake and Argentina each year. I knew about Mono Lake from my international work, so for me it's a very international place. I understand from talking with staff that among German visitors Mono Lake is quite popular, so Mono Lake is very much an international site with people as well. In addition a lot of the work I did with Audubon was with local chapters, trying to translate large policy issues into something that made sense at the local level. The MLC is working on water policy issues which are both statewide, national, and international. We are a physical example of how a policy issue affects a place. My experience so far with the MLC has been an answer to a dream to actually work in a place that is so connected to the outside world and so illustrative of why we need good water policy and sound environmental policy locally and globally. You've come to the Committee at a time when the organization has obtained a reputation for being effective and has built a successful history. What challenges do you see existing today for Mono Lake and for the future of the Committee? Well, the challenges are going to be different but no less intense than the challenges of the past. For example, the restoration of streams and waterfowl habitat in the Mono Basin is not going to be easy. It's going to create opportunities for the community to discuss what they want for the future, and undoubtedly those discussions are going to lead to some disagreements. So there will be a lot of working within the community to devise a plan. That's a challenge--that's a big one. Another challenge will be to see the lake and the Mono Basin restored to a healthy state, and to see that economic development occurring in the basin is environmentally sound development--where local people can make a living year-round in a way that is compatible with maintaining a healthy Mono Basin. We won't be content to see the Mono Basin survive; we want to see it thrive. Third, the challenge of water conservation in California in a time when we have so much water, with all the floods, is large. People will still remember the drought and will know another is coming, but getting people to make decisions now to prepare to live within our means in both southern and northern California is going to be a challenge. I think our programs will be as vigorous, but we'll be focusing on different aspects of issues than in the past, and we're going to need our members to help us. As you suggest, the drought will come someday, and at that time Los Angeles is going to need water and may see Mono Lake as a potential solution. There are some projects underway now that will alleviate that demand during drought years. Coming in with a fresh perspective, how do you evaluate the L.A. Department of Water and Power's progress in water conservation and recycling? I think DWP has made some progress in recognizing that finding an unlimited source of water is not in the cards. What we have tried to do, and I will continue to do, is to work with DWP to help Los Angeles be better able to live within its means, and to plan for those dry years down the road. This is something citizens of the Los Angeles area can contribute to, but this isn't just a Los Angeles problem. It's something L.A. shares with northern California and it's something that has to happen all over the country as well. Clearly you're going to be at Mono Lake as much as possible, but you'll be based out of L.A. What's your plan for the two offices and the Committee structure? I think it's essential to have a strong presence in southern California, and to be a presence in all of California, because Mono Lake will not be protected in the future unless we have the support of a lot of people who don't have the privilege of living in the Mono Lake area. So we will continue to have an office in Los Angeles, and I'll be there. It's critical to have someone in the organization in L.A. able to make decisions on the spur of the moment and to plan with DWP and the various government agencies that are important to the future of Mono Lake. And I do plan to get up to the lake and northern California as often as I can. As you look at the Committee's internal operations, what areas do you anticipate expanding or improving? I think we have a very loyal group of members, and I want our members to know they are our highest priority. They are making it possible for us to do our work. So I'll be focusing a lot on making sure that members are getting the quality of services they expect--and increasing that quality. Second, fundraising is important because, while we've been able to do an enormous amount with the fundraising path we've pursued, it will not be enough for the future. When you see the incredibly cramped offices in Lee Vining you realize it's going to be important to create a larger space for staff to do restoration, education, and promote scientific research. I don't want to see the staff grow too large and ruin the family feeling the we have at the Committee, but in order to do the job that we need to do--because it is at least as big if not bigger than what we've done in the past--we're going to need more flexibility. One funding approach is a planned giving program. We're also going to need to make our programs more visible and accessible to foundations. We have done very little foundation fundraising in the past, and I think foundations will be thrilled to be part of this group. There's nothing quite like investing in a successful program that is able to do even more. So emphasis on membership and development will be high on my list. What were the things that struck you most about the Mono Basin and Mono Lake? Well, my husband was born in southern California and we've just recently moved back--I lived in northern California for ten years in the 1970s. My husband had not been to Mono Lake in 35 years, and I had never been until I came to interview for the job. Within a day, we were stunned--the place is magical, it is inspiring, and it truly gives you grounding to let you know why it is you are working in an environmental organization or why it is you are carrying environmental values into your everyday life. It is the most beautiful place I've seen, and I've traveled all over the world, so it's hard to put it into words how pleased I was to get this job. Every program we have must try to incorporate the spiritual and aesthetic values that Mono Lake inspires. It's one of our strengths, it's what keeps people going, and it's what makes people want to make change, and it's what I think will protect the basin for the future. So, yes, I am extremely impressed with Mono Lake and the Mono Basin, and I'm looking forward to spending more time at the lake in the coming months. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to realize my good fortune is real.
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