Many years ago, a concerned citizen of Lee Vining brought up the danger of speeding and reckless driving on Highway 395, the busy highway that passes directly through Lee Vining.

Next, the Mono Basin Regional Planning Advisory Committee (RPAC) took up the cause.

Now, after a joint meeting between members of Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol, the speed limit in Lee Vining has been lowered from 35 to 30 miles per hour. This change, endorsed by the Mono County Supervisors, is due to numerous near-misses, accidents, and incidents of speeding. Additionally, the accident ratio of Lee Vining to the state of California is about 3:1, which clearly demonstrates a need for traffic calming measures.

The California Highway Patrol states that they will be very vigilant and that visitors and citizens alike can expect strict enforcement of the new speed limit.  So, when you are passing through Lee Vining, make sure to tap the brakes and slow down to 30 miles per hour. Drive safely, take your time enjoying the sights, and maybe even pull over to enjoy Mono Lake, the surrounding mountains, or the businesses and services our town has to offer!

Last weekend Lee Vining hosted the 30th Annual Tioga Pass Run, and what an anniversary celebration it was! Over 100 participants raced up Highway 120 west, starting in front of the Mono Lake Committee in Lee Vining, and finishing at the east entrance to Yosemite National Park. That’s 12.4 miles … but only one hill!

And they're off! The Tioga Pass Run participants start the race in front of the Mono Lake Committee in Lee Vining.

The locals once again dominated the run, with 52 participants coming from the Eastern Sierra communities of Bishop, Crowley Lake, Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining, and Bridgeport. But participants also came from (more…)

All of you T-shirt lovers out there—heads up! The Mono Lake Committee will soon be welcoming a new T-shirt design to its collection. Back for another summer at the Committee, I wanted to put my illustration skills to use and design something youthful and hip that would showcase one (or some) of the amazing creatures that live at Mono Lake.

The first step was to come up with a subject, so I whipped out my sketchbook and the brainstorming commenced: “Something about the food chain” I thought, “or about the gulls.” (more…)

Join in on a statewide effort to clean up California on September 25! The Mono Lake Committee and friends will tackle a stretch of Lee Vining Creek as part of the Great Sierra River Cleanup.

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Are you ready for the High Sierra Fall Century and the Tioga Pass Run? These two annual events kick off autumn in the Eastern Sierra, and they’re a perfect way to get outside and enjoy this beautiful area.

Yesterday morning, Mono Works Landscaping planted a row of seedling Jeffrey pines outside the Lee Vining Community Center as part of an effort to decorate this public space with native plants. The young trees will certainly need all the help they can get to survive the hot sun and dense clay soil of the area.

Their most urgent need, according to Mono Works, is shade! A young spruce or aspen sapling planted nearby might prove the deciding factor in the survival struggle of the baby Jeffreys. Unfortunately, the budget of the project is not sufficient to cover the expense of a leafy tree or two in addition to the pines.

Anyone who would be interested in donating a young shade tree to benefit native plant landscaping at the Community Center is encouraged to contact Mono Works at (760) 647-6418 or (760) 937-2944, or the Mono Lake Committee at (760) 647-6595.

Weather stations have been collecting weather data in the Mono Basin since the 1980s, some even as far back as 1931. This long-term data can be helpful in understanding the basin’s present and future climate.

Recently analyzed data, collected between 1986 and 2006 at the Lee Vining Pumice Plant, just a little over a mile from Mono Lake, show that low air temperatures are increasing at a rate of 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit every ten years. Even more interestingly, annual winter air temperatures seem to be moderating, meaning that the extremes between the low and high air temperatures are decreasing. Is this just a fluke of the data, or are there more complex climate variables at play? Perhaps there is a simple explanation for these trends?

A couple possibilities: (more…)

Informational brochures about the Mono Lake Committee, the natural history of the Mono Basin, and the Lee Vining Creek Trail are now available in four languages! Visitors from around the world can find translations into Spanish, French, and Italian both in our bookstore and on our website.

Folletos informativos sobre el Comité del Lago Mono, la historia natural de la Cuenca del Lago Mono, y el riachuelo de Lee Vining están ahora disponibles en cuatros idiomas! Visitantes de todo el mundo pueden obtener traducciones en español, frances, e italiano en nuestra librería o en nuestro sitio web.

Dépliants d’information sur le Comité du Lac Mono, l’histoire naturelle du bassin Mono, et le ruisseau Lee Vining sont maintenant disponibles en quatre langues! Touristes venant du monde entier peuvent trouver traductions en espagnol, français, et italien dans notre librairie ou sur notre site web.

Opuscoli informativi sul Comitato del Lago Mono, la storia naturale del bacino Mono, ed il torrente Lee Vining sono ora disponibili in quattro lingue! Turisti provenienti da tutto il mondo possono trovare traduzioni in spagnolo, francese, ed italiano nella nostra libreria oppure sul nostro sito web.

Long Live Mono Lake!
¡Viva Lago Mono!
Vive le lac Mono!
Viva il lago Mono!