The complete list of bird species seen during this year’s Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is now available here.

Chautauqua participants scan for birds in the Bodie Hills. Photo by Elin Ljung.

Chautauqua-goers flocked to the Mono Basin in record numbers this year but not so for the birds. With a late, cold spring the total species tally for Chautauqua week was notably down (166 species compared to 184 seen in 2010). Some species that are usually reliably present were absent and overall numbers of common species were reduced.

But that did nothing to dampen the spirits (more…)

If you had chosen to visit the small town of Lee Vining at 2:30 in the morning on July 12th, you would have found a peculiar sight in the Mono Lake Committee’s Field Station alley: four intrepid souls huddled together under the three-quarter moon armed to the teeth with binoculars. A very peculiar ritual was about to begin wherein four birders attempt to identify as many different species of birds as they can within a defined geographic area in a full 24-hour period. Every second counts and there are no stops for lunch.

Oliver James, Chris McCreedy, and Justin Hite scan the skies.

The birders were none other than Justin Hite (Mono Basin naturalist), Oliver James (Committee Birding Intern), Nora Livingston (PRBO Conservation Science Field Technician), and Chris McCreedy (PRBO Conservation Science biologist). The playing field was Mono County. The existing record was (more…)

The Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Just a few days after we received notice of the new round of budget cuts that have ended the 26-year Mono Lake tradition of interpretive tours at Mono Lake, I took a visit to the Mono Basin National Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center to inquire about the remainder of their interpretive programs. I was surprised to find that another strong tradition has been lost to budget cuts: patio talks, which have gone on since 1992. These short ranger- and volunteer-led talks (more…)

Sweet clover encroaching on the David Gaines boardwalk.

Every Wednesday at 10:00am, Mono Lake Committee interns meet a group of curious visitors on the back patio of the Forest Service Visitor Center. We give a brief presentation on the restoration work that is ongoing in the Mono Basin and introduce the group to some of the challenges we face in bringing our fragile stream and lakeside ecosystems back to a state of health.

After the talk, we invite our listeners to join us in a hands-on stewardship activity. Some weeks we water the (more…)

Phalaropes fly in front of tufa and the Mono Craters. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

Visit the shores of Mono Lake this weekend, and you’ll be in for a treat. Driving north of town along Highway 395, you might see shimmering clouds moving low over the lake in the morning sun. Make your way closer, perhaps down to the South Tufa boardwalk, and you’ll see that these clouds are flocks of tiny birds—phalaropes—that have stopped in at Mono Lake’s All-You-Can-Eat Fly & Shrimp Buffet.

Wilson’s and Red-Necked Phalaropes are here in numbers that have not been seen in many years, and the result is a spectacular (more…)

As the San Francisco Chronicle is reporting, the state’s plan to close the State Park at Mono Lake saves very few dollars.

In fact, based on information the Mono Lake Committee has obtained from the Department of Parks and Recreation under a public records act request, it’s even less than the $111,278 cost assigned to operating the park.

Two points worth noting: (more…)

The Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle just ran a front page feature story on Mono Lake, much to the delight of Mono Lake fans concerned about the future of the state park here.

The story, titled “Mono Lake efforts may be undone by park closures,” focuses on the planned state closure of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve at the end of the year–and the devastating fallout that (more…)

Word is coming in from Mono Lake friends throughout the Bay Area that today’s Sunday edition of the San Francisco Chronicle has a front page feature story on Mono Lake!

The story focuses on the planned closure of the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve at the end of the year–and the devastating fallout that will result.

The online version of the article isn’t available today, so let us know what you think in the comments below if you’re reading the print or iPad versions.

Photos from the article are posted today here: Photos–Mono Lake efforts may be undone by park closures

And here’s the article when available: Mono Lake efforts may be undone by park closures

This week the Inyo National Forest notified us that they are implementing a new round of budget cuts, adding to those announced earlier in the spring.

The budget reductions hit Mono Lake visitors hard. Two Forest Service  staff in the Mono Basin have been laid off, and the federal visitor center may close weeks earlier than usual.

Even more disappointing, the Forest Service has ended their daily 1:00pm ranger-led walking tour of (more…)

The Sierra Club recently released a scorecard comparing the water conservation efforts of cities in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The City of Los Angeles was the only city to meet all 19 criteria and receive a perfect score!

The criteria included (more…)