August 21, 1998
Celebrating Mono Lake
Press Contact:
Kay Ogden, Marketing Director
Mono Lake Committee
(760) 647-6595
For Immediate Release
MONO LAKE… Surviving ice ages, volcanic eruptions, and human disturbance, Mono Lake has persisted for at least 830,000 years. Its rich mineral soup feeds brine shrimp and alkali flies, which in turn become food for millions of migratory birds. Its dense, saline waters mirror the sky with renowned clarity. Diversion of Mono’s tributary streams by the City of Los Angeles gradually lowered the lake 45 vertical feet, doubling its salinity, connecting islands to mainland, exposing lakebed sediments to scouring winds, and threatening to dry up the economy of the Mono Basin as well. Today, the lake is rising once again, thanks to efforts spearheaded by the Mono Lake Committee and joined by many other friends of Mono Lake.
PROTECTING THE RESOURCE… Opposition to the taking of Mono’s water began as early as the 1930s, when LA sought to acquire the water rights from landowners. Ultimately, the City acquired most of the water it sought, and diversions began in 1941. By the 1970s, the lake’s precipitous decline prompted local lakeshore residents to band together as the Friends of Mono Lake to drum up interest in Mono’s plight. At the time, however, most felt the struggle was hopeless.
In 1976, the plight of the lake attracted the interest of undergraduates from U.C. Davis and Stanford. They received a grant to conduct an ecological study of the lake. The information gained in this one-season study -- and the relationships forged -- galvanized the students to establish the Mono Lake Committee in 1978. The Committee instigated an all-out effort to raise public awareness and engage in litigation and negotiation to halt the destruction. Joined by many friends and allies, including the National Audubon Society and California Trout, which initiated the litigation to rewater Mono’s tributary streams, the Committee’s efforts resulted in landmark public trust protection of the lake by the California Supreme Court, establishment of the Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve and the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, modification of LA’s water diversion licenses by the State Water Resources Control Board to protect Mono Lake and its streams, development of replacement water sources for LA, and a State Water Board mandate to restore the damaged resources at Mono Lake.
RESTORING THE LAKE AND STREAMS… Fifty years of diversions significantly damaged Mono’s tributary streams and reduced the lake-fringing, freshwater habitats formerly used by migrating waterfowl. Restoration work on the damaged streams began in the early 1990s under court order and is continuing under the auspices of the State Water Board. Today -- 20 years since the Mono Lake Committee began its effort to protect Mono Lake -- streams are flowing, cottonwoods and willows are taking hold again, and fish are reinhabiting the pools. Mono Lake has risen nearly 10 feet since the State Water Board’s 1994 decision on Mono Lake. Eight more feet to go! Long live Mono Lake!
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For four days this Labor Day weekend, the Mono Lake Committee will be celebrating its 20th anniversary and the long life of Mono Lake. All of Mono Lake’s friends are invited to join in the festivities. Call 760-647-6565 for information on the schedule of events.
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Text of this press release is available for download from www.monolake.org/press
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