May 23, 2000
Mono Lake Committee Launches a Third Website—reports deer and no-see-ums rare, ducks and bloodworms common
Press
Contact:
Greg
Reis, Information Specialist
Mono
Lake Committee
(760)
647-6595
www.monolake.org
For Immediate Release
On Monday the Mono Lake Committee launched a new Website, www.monobasinresearch.org, which joins the award-winning Mono Lake Website (www.monolake.org) and the International Living Lakes Partnership Website (www.livinglakes.org), both of which the nonprofit group has already created for the World Wide Web. The new Website, called the Mono Basin Clearinghouse, is intended to be a one-stop comprehensive source of scientific information on the Mono Basin.
“The Mono Lake Committee already performs the role of being involved with or aware of scientific studies in the Mono Basin, and being a reliable source for this type of information. The logical next step is to disseminate this information on the Internet,” said Geoff McQuilkin, Executive Director of Operations. “This will not only be of use to the general public, but also to scientists, researchers, and land managers.”
The initial version of the Website features historical interviews with long-time residents of the Mono Basin. In these interviews the residents discuss what life was like here before water diversions and other human activities changed the landscape. Recollections of traditional Paiute ways, wildlife, irrigation, grazing, and terrain fill the interviews. For example, according to the interviews, deer and no-see-ums were rare in the early 1900s, ducks and fish were abundant, and a bloodworm was common in the mud of Mono Lake’s bottom. These interviews were conducted in 1991 for use in establishing historical conditions in the Water Board proceedings, which resulted in restrictions on water diversions and more water for Mono Lake and its tributaries.
The Website will expand over time, and include a database of studies and reports, some of which will be available online. The first report, which will be available soon, is the Mono Basin Environmental Impact Report, a comprehensive study of the Mono Basin conducted in 1993 for the Water Board proceedings. Other additions to the Website will include legal documents, links to other information sources such as real-time hydrologic data, and hopefully someday an online Geographic Information System. Anyone interested in receiving periodic e-mail notices about additions to the Website should e-mail updates@monobasinresearch.org and request to be added to the list.
“We are really excited about making useful information available on the Mono Basin Clearinghouse Website,” said Greg Reis, Mono Lake Committee Information Specialist and Webmaster. “It has taken shape more slowly than the other two Websites, since we’ve had less staff to work on it, but since many scientists and researchers are potential contributors, that should change as the word about it spreads. Eventually I can see this becoming the most comprehensive source for scientific information on the Mono Basin.”
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The text of this press release may be downloaded from www.monolake.org/press
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