Friday, May 20th, 2011 by Geoff, Executive DirectorcloseAuthor: Geoff, Executive DirectorName: Geoffrey McQuilkin Title: Executive Director About: Geoff's goals for the Committee are: assuring Mono Lake's continuing protection, restoring Mono Lake's tributary streams, developing a permanent education program, and assuring that the strong tradition of scientific research at Mono Lake continues. A graduate of Harvard in the history of science, Geoff has worked for the Committee since 1992 and was an intern and volunteer before that. He's happy to live close to the lake with his wife Sarah and their daughters Caelen and Ellery.See All Posts by Geoffrey (105) Contact Geoffrey
The Mono Lake Reserve is on the list of 70 California State Parks announced for closure on May 13.
It doesn’t make any sense.
Closure of the Mono Lake Reserve will produce no actual dollar savings for the state and will damage the tourism-based economy of Mono County, jeopardize the ecological resources of Mono Lake, and shut down the Reserve’s substantial volunteer and private funding support programs.
Plus, the Reserve is not suitable for closure under legal criteria set forth this year by the legislature.
Wednesday, May 18th, 2011 by Julia, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Julia, Mono Lake InternName: Julia Runcie Title: Mono Lake Intern About: As a native of the diminutive Green Mountains, Julia is completely in awe of the Sierra but has to admit she sometimes misses real maple syrup. After her 2010 summer internship she stayed through the winter as a Project Specialist, and is now a Mono Lake Intern for her second summer. In her free time, Julia loves to hike, cook, write, and uproot invasive weeds.See All Posts by Julia (42) Contact Julia
The historic Mono Inn, closed since 2008, will reopen this Friday. The Inn’s beautiful location overlooking the west shore of Mono Lake, its summer schedule of wine tastings and live music, and its gift shop and restaurant will be sure to draw both locals and tourists throughout the season. Be sure to stop by, say hello, and have a glass of wine while you take in the view! Email the Mono Inn for more details, or call (760) 647-6581 to make a reservation.
The Mono Inn at Mono Lake will open on May 20 for the 2011 season. Photo courtesy of Christopher O'Meally.
Tuesday, May 17th, 2011 by Rosanne, Office DirectorcloseAuthor: Rosanne, Office DirectorName: Rosanne Catron Title: Office Manager About: Originally from Bishop, Rose's easy-going, friendly personality make her perfectly suited for her role as Office Director. Rose creates the complicated bookstore schedule, oversees the intern and volunteer programs, and keeps office relations smooth and happy.See All Posts by Rosanne (34) Contact Rosanne
Are you interested in volunteering at Mono Lake? Volunteers help with a variety of activities, including pulling invasive plants, teaching visitors about the lake, working at special events such as the Tioga Pass Run, and planting and watering trees. Volunteering is also a great opportunity to spend time in the beautiful Mono Basin and meet other volunteers.
With the news about Mono Lake’s state park, volunteers will be even more crucial to providing visitor services and helping with restoration in the Mono Basin.
The 2011 Mono Lake Volunteer training starts on Wednesday, May 25. For more information, please contact the Committee’s Office Manager Rosanne Catron at (760) 647-6595.
Monday, May 16th, 2011 by Geoff, Executive DirectorcloseAuthor: Geoff, Executive DirectorName: Geoffrey McQuilkin Title: Executive Director About: Geoff's goals for the Committee are: assuring Mono Lake's continuing protection, restoring Mono Lake's tributary streams, developing a permanent education program, and assuring that the strong tradition of scientific research at Mono Lake continues. A graduate of Harvard in the history of science, Geoff has worked for the Committee since 1992 and was an intern and volunteer before that. He's happy to live close to the lake with his wife Sarah and their daughters Caelen and Ellery.See All Posts by Geoffrey (105) Contact Geoffrey
Friday’s announcement of the proposed closure of 25% of the California State Park system includes Mono Lake and is raising a lot of concern—and a lot of questions. More news to come soon. For the moment here’s a full list of the parks slated for closure in that announcement:
Park Closure List
Mono Lake Tufa SNR (!!)
Anderson Marsh SHP
Annadel SP
Antelope Valley Indian Museum
Austin Creek SRA
Bale Grist Mill SHP (more…)
Saturday, May 14th, 2011 by Morgan, Policy CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Morgan, Policy CoordinatorName: Morgan Lindsay Title: Project Specialist About: Morgan works to support the protection and restoration of Mono Lake and its tributary streams in the office and out in the field. She loves doing something different every day, from monitoring the lake's rise and groundwater patterns along the creek's bottomlands to researching policy issues. But after three summers sharing Mono Lake with visitors by canoe, Morgan's favorite job will always be making new friends for the lake. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with an Environmental Studies degree in Water Science & Policy, there is nowhere Morgan would rather be than the Mono Basin. If she's not out hiking, skiing, or digging in the dirt with the Sierra Bounty CSA, Morgan's probably at rehearsal for the next Eastern Sierra theatrical adventure—eager for any socially acceptable excuse to sport a goatee.See All Posts by Morgan (33) Contact Morgan
As one of the most popular state services, in recent years California’s state parks have been used as pawns in political budget games, but Friday’s shutdown announcement marks the first time in California’s history that
Mono Lake's state park hosted a NASA and Jet Propulsion Lab team last year for field testing of a Mars rover prototype. Closure of the park would shut down scientific research---and lose permitting fees for the state.
Friday, May 13th, 2011 by Morgan, Policy CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Morgan, Policy CoordinatorName: Morgan Lindsay Title: Project Specialist About: Morgan works to support the protection and restoration of Mono Lake and its tributary streams in the office and out in the field. She loves doing something different every day, from monitoring the lake's rise and groundwater patterns along the creek's bottomlands to researching policy issues. But after three summers sharing Mono Lake with visitors by canoe, Morgan's favorite job will always be making new friends for the lake. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with an Environmental Studies degree in Water Science & Policy, there is nowhere Morgan would rather be than the Mono Basin. If she's not out hiking, skiing, or digging in the dirt with the Sierra Bounty CSA, Morgan's probably at rehearsal for the next Eastern Sierra theatrical adventure—eager for any socially acceptable excuse to sport a goatee.See All Posts by Morgan (33) Contact Morgan
The Sacramento Bee reported this afternoon that Mono Lake’s state park is proposed to be closed along with 25% of the California State Park system. It makes no sense, economic or otherwise, to close the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve and action by Mono Lake friends will be critical to reversing this plan. More details will be posted shortly.
“We regret closing any park,” Ruth Coleman, director of California State Parks, said in a statement. “But with the (more…)
Tuesday, May 10th, 2011 by Julia, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Julia, Mono Lake InternName: Julia Runcie Title: Mono Lake Intern About: As a native of the diminutive Green Mountains, Julia is completely in awe of the Sierra but has to admit she sometimes misses real maple syrup. After her 2010 summer internship she stayed through the winter as a Project Specialist, and is now a Mono Lake Intern for her second summer. In her free time, Julia loves to hike, cook, write, and uproot invasive weeds.See All Posts by Julia (42) Contact Julia
Peak 12,240 as seen from McCoy Station on Mammoth Mountain. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.
Today in Washington, California Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer reintroduced a bill to rename an Eastern Sierra mountain peak after local environmental leader Andrea Lawrence. The bill was first proposed last year by Representative Buck McKeon, but did not become law. Read more about Boxer’s proposal.
Peak 12,240 is located just east of Donohue Peak on the border of Yosemite National Park. We look forward to its renaming as a fitting tribute to Andrea in the heart of the landscape she worked so hard to protect.
Monday, May 9th, 2011 by Greg, Information & Restoration SpecialistcloseAuthor: Greg, Information & Restoration SpecialistName: Greg Reis Title: Information & Restoration Specialist About: Since his Committee internship in 1995, Greg has been involved with Mono Basin stream restoration and with maintaining the Committee's computers, Websites, and Research Library, and researching and compiling information for our programs. His B.S. degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in Forestry and Natural Resources with a concentration in Environmental Management and a Senior Project in Hydrology reflects his interest in natural resources management, administration, planning, environmental analysis, and restoration. He is a member of the California Association of Environmental Professionals and the California Society for Ecological Restoration.See All Posts by Greg (134) Contact Greg
As of Saturday, May 7, Caltrans had plowed as far as Tioga Lake, a little over a mile from the Yosemite National Park entrance at Tioga Pass. Highway 120 remained closed at the winter closure gate four miles from Highway 395. Even the cleared portion of the roadway still had areas that were narrow and need additional snow clearing. From the west, you can track the National Park crew’s progress here.
On Saturday May 7th, a small crew was working on widening the cleared area just above the green bridge. Note the waterfall on the left indicating that Ellery Lake is spilling.
Sunday, May 8th, 2011 by Julia, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Julia, Mono Lake InternName: Julia Runcie Title: Mono Lake Intern About: As a native of the diminutive Green Mountains, Julia is completely in awe of the Sierra but has to admit she sometimes misses real maple syrup. After her 2010 summer internship she stayed through the winter as a Project Specialist, and is now a Mono Lake Intern for her second summer. In her free time, Julia loves to hike, cook, write, and uproot invasive weeds.See All Posts by Julia (42) Contact Julia
The Public Trust Doctrine, a principle of law that requires the government to protect and maintain certain resources for public use, was invoked back in the 1980s during the legal battle to save Mono Lake. Now, a group called Our Children’s Trust is claiming that the earth’s atmosphere constitutes a public trust resource, and has sued the federal government for failing to protect it. Read more here.
Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 by Julia, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Julia, Mono Lake InternName: Julia Runcie Title: Mono Lake Intern About: As a native of the diminutive Green Mountains, Julia is completely in awe of the Sierra but has to admit she sometimes misses real maple syrup. After her 2010 summer internship she stayed through the winter as a Project Specialist, and is now a Mono Lake Intern for her second summer. In her free time, Julia loves to hike, cook, write, and uproot invasive weeds.See All Posts by Julia (42) Contact Julia
The Mono Lake Committee was joined last Friday evening by a wonderful group of Andrea Lawrence’s family, friends, and supporters at the first annual Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner.
The gathering was held at McCoy Station on Mammoth Mountain, where guests had a spectacular sunset view of the landscape Andrea deeply loved. Ron Nichols, new General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power, spoke to a packed house (more…)
It’s time to speak up for Mono Lake! Please write a letter of support for the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve today!
