Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has nominated a new General Manager for the Department of Water & Power, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has selected a Seattle-based energy consultant to run the Department of Water and Power, offering him up as the sixth general manager to lead the agency since he took office.

Ron Nichols, managing director of the energy practice of Navigant Consulting Inc., was making the rounds of City Hall on Tuesday to discuss his nomination with City Council members, who will vote on the mayor’s choice.

Los Angeles Times: Villaraigosa to nominate private energy consultant as his sixth general manager of DWP

There are only three spaces still available in the Winter Photography Field Seminar … snap them up now before someone else does!

A space in the seminar would make a wonderful gift for any photographer this holiday season. Winter at Mono Lake is like nowhere else on earth, and it offers many unique photographic opportunities. With instructor Rick Knepp, a veteran of Mono Basin winters, you’ll have the perfect guide. Sign up now!

Hot … er, cold … on the heels of the rainiest October on record, at our Lee Vining weather station, the Mono Lake Committee measured 21.3 inches of snow—the most snowfall in November since 1994! Almost all the snow fell between the Saturday before and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. This resulted in lots of traffic accidents due to the slippery roads combined with holiday traffic.

The total precipitation for October and November was (more…)

Don’t forget to stop by the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore this Thursday evening to meet and chat with author David Carle.

This informal, friendly event will go from 4:00pm until 6:00pm and will include light refreshments and a chance to purchase MONO, David’s newest book (as well as others in his collection), and get it signed!

The Sacramento Bee editorialized Sunday on the remarkable announcement from NASA and Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon about arsenic-incorporating bacteria found here at Mono Lake.

And their take home point is a great one:

Many news sources around the globe have written about the Mono Lake bacteria discovery by NASA and lead researcher Felisa Wolfe-Simon (read more on the discovery here on the Mono-logue).

The ability of the remarkable GFAJ-1 bacterium to use arsenic instead of phosphorus in its DNA is unmatched by any other known organism and changes the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth.

But why not hear about it directly from her? Here’s an interesting interview with Dr. Wolfe-Simon from National Public Radio. You can listen here directly: NPR Science Friday: Life, But Not As We Know It. Or visit the Science Friday website.

Last week the office buzzed with phone calls and inquiries related to the NASA announcement that bacterium from the bottom of Mono Lake has replaced phosphorus—once believed to be an essential element for life—with arsenic, which has huge implications for our understanding of life on earth and beyond.

For decades, Mono Lake has attracted scientists who have studied almost every aspect about this place. Much of that research was used to inform the 1994 State Water Board decision that “saved” Mono Lake from (more…)

Thanks to the Mono Lake Committee’s efforts to save Mono Lake starting in 1978, the lake still exists today and is available for scientific discoveries such as the incredible finding NASA announced yesterday. Geoff McQuilkin, the Committee’s Executive Director, had a few words to say to our local media about the discovery.

And don’t miss viewing fantastic scenic Mono Lake film footage from the Mono Lake Committee’s film.

The news of NASA’s Mono Lake bacteria discovery is being reported extensively worldwide (read more on the discovery here on the Mono-logue).

The ability of the remarkable GFAJ-1 bacterium to use arsenic instead of phosphorus in its DNA is unmatched by any other known organism and changes the fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. This has been an exciting day here at the Mono Lake Committee–and we’re sure proud that decades of citizen effort to protect Mono Lake have assured a place for this incredible discovery to happen!

Here’s a wrap-up of today’s network news coverage. And don’t miss the fantastic scenic Mono Lake film footage in the promo for the Mono Lake Committee’s film that is in production.

NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams

CNN (includes interview with lead researcher Felisa Wolfe-Simon)
(more…)

With this morning’s press conference concluded, NASA has released a statement on the tremendous findings made by Felisa Wolfe-Simon and her NASA team. Wow—certainly another reason why Mono Lake is worth saving.

Check out the feature on NASA’s website and the statement below.

From NASA

Dec. 02, 2010

RELEASE: 10-320

NASA-FUNDED RESEARCH DISCOVERS LIFE BUILT WITH TOXIC CHEMICAL

WASHINGTON -- NASA-funded astrobiology research has changed the
fundamental knowledge about what comprises all known life on Earth. (more...)