Tioga overlook parking lot, Memorial Day 2011.

It was a cold and blustery Memorial Day at Tioga Pass, but that didn’t stop adventure- and photo-seekers from filling the Saddlebag Lake Road and Tioga overlook parking areas. About two inches of new snow sat on top of the older snowpack, with deeper drifts in places. Evidence of numerous recent wet avalanches was visible as cornices failed under the intense late-May sun. Gaylor Bowl was (more…)

Lee Vining Canyon looking toward Tioga Pass. Photo by Elin Ljung.

As of this morning, Highways 108, 89, and 4 are all open, providing access to Mono Lake from the west side of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We have some more weather coming our way this week, which can close these roads at any time. Be sure to check the latest news from CalTrans before planning your trip.

Although Highway 120 west (Tioga Pass) remains closed and unlikely to open for several more weeks, the lower gate has been opened and it is now possible to drive 12 miles up to the Tioga Pass entrance station. The gate at Tioga Pass is closed. Please drive with extreme care as small rockfalls are still common along this road.

NASA’s controversial research about arsenic-metabolizing bacteria in Mono Lake continues to stir up debate. On Friday the journal Science published several articles contesting the validity of the findings, but Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon and her colleagues stand behind their work. Read more here.

NASA researchers on Mono Lake in November 2010. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Mono Lake’s state park remains on the closure list. We need your help to tell decision-makers in Sacramento that Mono Lake should remain open to public access. Speak up for Mono Lake today!

If Mono Lake's state park is closed, visitors may no longer be able to enjoy the boardwalk at Old Marina. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

You can also take action with our friends at the California State Parks Foundation to share a picture or story of your favorite trip to Mono Lake to make sure that Mono Lake’s state park and the 69 other parks on the closure list don’t become just a memory.

Photo courtesy of Jonah Matthewson, www.bristleconemedia.com.

It seems that the Summer 2011 Mono Lake Newsletter is arriving before summer actually hits here at Mono Lake. The current weather forecast includes “strong and damaging winds” which is certainly what we are experiencing here today. But what better day to curl up with the digital full-color version of the Newsletter? You can use our nifty reader, or look at the PDF to see the latest on what this big winter means for flows in the creeks, good news for Mill Creek, as well as updates on the storefront, the film, and much more. Enjoy!

Don’t miss the tenth annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua coming up this June 17–19.

Male Yellow-headed Blackbird. Photo courtesy of Ted Beedy.

The weekend kicks off with two free stewardship events on Thursday to give back to the land with Friends of the Inyo. With ten new presenters added this year there are plenty of engaging bird walks and talks still available, especially on Saturday morning with stellar leaders John Sterling, Karyn O’Hearn, and Ali Sheehey. The Chautauqua is great for all ages—we have two special events with popular children’s book author Michael Ross.

The Chautauqua picnic on Sunday is open to the public with free live music from Keith Greeninger with Dayan Kai. You can find all the information you need to sign up at the Chautauqua website.

Plowing continues on Highway 120 as crews work to get the road through Yosemite National Park open. Rumor has it that plows working on the eastern entrance to Yosemite have reached Tuolumne Meadows by now, working to remove between three and four feet of snow off the road. The plows also typically encounter downed trees, boulders in the road, and avalanche conditions.

Tuolumne Meadows on Friday, May 20. Photo courtesy of Mono County Public Works.

Here at the Mono Lake Committee we have heard that Tioga Pass will probably not be open until the end of June, so be sure to check road conditions before you drive across the Sierra Nevada this spring. You can see progress here at the park’s plowing update page.

Paddling through the stillness of the waters on a Mono Lake guided canoe tour is one of the best ways to experience all that the lake has to offer. You’ll learn some local and natural history from a knowledgeable guide, examine the brine shrimp and alkali flies up close, all while moving among the mysterious formations known as tufa towers.

Gliding past submerged calcium-carbonate tufa towers.

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The Mono Lake Committee will be closed all day for spring cleaning tomorrow, May 26. We apologize for any inconvenience. When you come back in on Friday the store will be clean and sparkling!

The Information Center & Bookstore will be open 8:00am to 6:00pm for Memorial Day weekend, and then will resume 9:00am to 5:00pm hours until the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua in mid-June.

CalTrans has begun road work on Highway 270 to Bodie State Historic Park, removing the old paved surface and repaving. The work entails closing one land of the road at a time, and there will be delays of no longer than 20 minutes. Work will take place every week day, but on weekends and on the Friday before and the Tuesday after Memorial Day weekend (5/27 and 5/31) the road will be open with no construction work or delays. The barrier at the beginning of the dirt section of the road has been removed, but conditions in the town itself remain muddy and snowy.