Beginning August 1 boaters can visit Negit Island (pictured), Paoha Island, and Mono Lake’s islets.

The islands are closed to boaters from April 1 to August 1 each year, in order to protect the nesting population of California Gulls. The gulls are nearing the end of their breeding season, so now visitors can take the opportunity to explore Mono Lake’s distinctive islands.

As always, when you boat on Mono Lake, be aware of the weather forecast, take more food and water than you think (more…)

The Mono Fire on Tuesday afternoon. The fire was 70% contained Thursday morning when Hwy 120 reopened. Photo by Greg Reis.

This morning the Mono Fire is 70% contained at 1,200 acres. Highway 120 East reopened as well as South Tufa, Navy Beach, and Panum Crater. All regularly scheduled tours are occurring, including daily South Tufa Tours at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 6:00 pm.

The fire is still burning at the north end of the Mono Craters with little potential for expansion, however Hwy 120 may close again if necessary. Stay clear of fire equipment and use caution – pilot cars may be needed for controlling traffic in some areas.

Re-opening notice

Fire photos

Fire movie

The flames of the Mono Fire. Photo by Rosa Brey.

Due to the continued closure of Highway 120 East caused by the Mono Fire, tonight’s South Tufa tour is canceled. It is likely that the South Tufa Area will be closed for the next few days, but we will put updates here as new information becomes available. In the meantime, there are plenty of other scenic spots to visit around Mono Lake including Old Marina and County Park.  Stop by our Information Center & Bookstore for suggestions of what to do during your stay in the Mono Basin!

On July 24th the Mono Lake Committee and Barefoot Wine & Bubbly held a fashion show fundraiser for the Outdoor Experiences Program. There was a great turnout for a fun show featuring locals strutting down an astroturf runway in the Lee Vining Community Center.

Trail Chic 2010 models.

Trail Chic is a fundraiser for the Outdoor Experiences program, specifically to raise money for the Bus Money Fund, which helps Los Angeles youth with transportation costs of getting to Mono Lake. Quite often we find school groups, youth groups, and community groups that (more…)

Step right up! Step (or drive) right up to the Mono Basin for a morning bird walk sometime soon.

Each Friday at 8:00am, I lead a jaunt through our glorious County Park, on the northwest shore of the lake. The walk rambles through field and wood before ambling down a willow-lined boardwalk for views of tufa and aves. Last Friday was a tad warm, but we saw some stellar birds nonetheless, and healthy looking coyote, to boot.

There were the Lazuli Buntings nesting just off Cemetery Road, for instance. We craned our necks and eyes as a female, with a burly grasshopper in her beak, slowly crept (more…)

As of 5:00pm on Monday July 26th, 2010, a wildland fire was burning north from the West Portal area along the Mono Craters toward the north. Highway 120 East and Panum Crater are in the path of the fire. Highway 120 East of Highway 395 to Benton Crossing Road is currently closed. South Tufa and Panum Crater are closed and today’s tours are canceled.

Check for updates here.

Last week, Mono Lake Committee staff met with architects from Siegel & Strain to brainstorm ideas for remodeling the front of the Information Center & Bookstore. Siegel & Strain have experience with eco-friendly layouts and materials, and focus on using sustainable, local resources in their plans.

They came to us with some rough plans incorporating the suggestions of staff, members, and visitors. These suggestions included tiered steps for sitting and reading, spots for benches, an outdoor retail space, and an educational map of Mono Lake that would be incorporated right into the patio. Other ideas developed during the meeting included a larger awning for shade, a kiosk for information and fliers, a sound screen for (more…)

The Urban Semillas group reaches the top of Lembert Dome. Photo by Michael Clausen.

“Take small steps,” said Santiago Escruceria, the Outdoor Experiences Manager, “that’s the trick to hiking on a steeper slope without losing lots of energy,” and the group took it to heart, suddenly looking like the experienced hikers that we knew they could be.

The group that came to participate in the Mono Lake Committee’s Outdoor Experiences program during the first week of July was composed of high school graduates and kids in their early-20s from Los Angeles. They were all a part of a program called Urban Semillas, a young adult program that teaches students about water and trees, people’s relationship with nature, where their water comes from, and that nature isn’t something that you just see on TV—it’s real—and when they visit places like Yosemite and Mono Lake, it’s ALL around them.

We were hiking to Lembert Dome and Dog Lakes, two places that neither I nor the group had ever been to, so we were all (more…)

I hope you’ll be in Lee Vining this Saturday for the first ever Trail Chic fashion show at the Lee Vining Community Center. It’s a fashion show fundraiser for the Mono Lake Committee’s Outdoor Experiences program.

When: 7:30pm, Saturday, July 24th, 2010
Where: Lee Vining Community Center
What: A fashion show featuring wines & bubbly by Barefoot, a silent auction, and raffle
Admission: Free!

Yes, it’s a fashion show.

There will be … Barefoot wine & bubbly (for a donation) … a silent auction featuring some amazing wines … a wide and wild variety of fun hiker/adventurer styles modeled by local outdoor aficionados. I don’t want to give away all of the surprises in store for the evening, but (more…)

Undaunted by menacing storm clouds, a group of ten volunteers from Patagonia’s Reno store spent Friday afternoon uprooting invasive plants from sites along the Lee Vining Creek Trail. The task seemed pretty hopeless at first, but we removed a whopping sixty-six pounds of bouncing bet and cleared large sections of the trail. Thank you Patagonia!

Bouncing Bet -- before. Photo by Julia Runcie.

Bouncing Bet -- after! Photo by Julia Runcie.

There’s still a lot of work to be done, and we’ll be holding further “pulling parties” on three Wednesday mornings during the summer: July 28th, August 18th, and September 1st. Pulling Party Number 1 will take place from 9am to 12pm on Wednesday, July 28th at the Mill Creek culvert on Cemetery Road. Meet at the Mono Lake Committee at 9am to carpool to Mill Creek, or join us whenever you can at the culvert. Every little bit counts — stay for twenty minutes, an hour, or the whole morning! Email me with any questions. Watch out weeds!

Patagonia volunteers with 66 lbs of uprooted bouncing bet. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.