Support for California’s state parks can be found everywhere: in thousands of petition signatures and letters, at the shore of Mono Lake, and all over the internet. Check out these two short videos from Folk4Parks, a web-based grassroots movement dedicated to showing people what’s at stake if 70 parks across the state were to be closed.

In Part 1, Folk4Parks explores a question many people have been asking: “What does it mean to ‘close’ a California State Park?” Watch for the familiar faces of the Mono Lake (more…)

Bob Madgic will make a special presentation drawn from his book Shattered Air at 5:00pm, Monday, September 5th (Labor Day) at the Mono Lake Committee Theater & Gallery.

Shattered Air is about lightning in Yosemite National Park, wilderness, and the hikers who found themselves caught up in both.

Bob’s “Strike at Half Dome” slideshow has been a featured presentation in Yosemite Valley.

Signed copies of Shattered Air will be available at the presentation.

Dr. Tom Stephenson, head of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Recovery Program, will give a lecture at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore this Wednesday, August 31, at 4:00pm.

Bighorn sheep are an endangered species in the Sierra, and Tom’s work has focused on rehabilitating threatened populations of sheep in the Wheeler Ridge, the Mt. Langley area, and the Mono Basin’s own Lundy Canyon. Come by our Theater & Gallery on Wednesday for this next installment of our summer lecture series, “Refreshments with Refreshing ‘Ologists.” Contact Julia with any questions at (760) 647-6595.

Summer is truly winding down for many feathered friends here in the Mono Basin.

Red-necked Phalarope. Photo courtesy of Stiver Photos.

The songbird symphony that follows any hiker around the basin from April through mid-August is now merely a murmur. Many of the colorful summer vacationers to the Eastern Sierra (e.g. buntings, orioles, grosbeaks) are still present in the basin, but (more…)

The Mono Lake Committee is proud to present High Lonesome, a photography exhibit by Lloyd R. Baggs, starting Tuesday, August 30th in the Mono Lake Committee Theater & Gallery.

"Mono Shore" courtesy of Lloyd Baggs.

Lloyd’s black-and-white photography captures cloud-strewn skies, arid landscapes, and historic landmarks of Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra. A self-proclaimed storm chaser, Lloyd offers a glance at the characteristic severe weather rolling over the Sierra’s crest. For a preview of his photographs, visit Lloyd’s website.

Please join us for the artist’s reception, Friday, September 2nd at 5:00pm in the Mono Lake Committee Theater & Gallery. Meet Lloyd and enjoy his spectacular photography of the Mono Basin! Light refreshments will be served.

The Mill Creek WebCam is back in action, and it’s better than ever! It had been down since 5:55pm on Monday, July 4th, after lightning fried the Ethernet port and the router that connected it to the Internet. During the downtime we found a good deal on webcams, so last weekend Geoff was able to install a brand-new camera to keep us updated on Mill Creek. Check out the great image quality of the new cam!

The brand-new Mill Creek WebCam's view south toward Mono Lake.

The other new webcam we bought will be installed at the Scenic Area Visitor Center in the next few months, which will offer a view without pink light streaks, dramatically improving this stunning view of Mono Lake.

Many visitors to the Eastern Sierra are familiar with the breathtaking journey from Lee Vining up Tioga Pass to Yosemite National Park by car, but here is your once-a-year chance to experience Tioga Pass on foot. Join other high elevation athletes for the 31st Annual Tioga Pass Run on Sunday September 11, 2011. All proceeds from the run benefit the Mono Lake Committee.

On your mark, get set, and go! More than 100 athletes crossed the starting line during last year's run.

What could be better than (more…)

Starting Sunday, August 28th, the Information Center & Bookstore will be open from 9:00am–7:00pm, seven days a week. Come in with your questions about birding, hiking, camping, or hotels and restaurants in the area. And while you are here, browse our excellent selection of books, maps, T-shirts, and other gift items!

Starting Sunday, August 28th the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore will be open from 9:00am to 7:00pm daily.

…then come to a lecture this Wednesday, August 24 at 4:00pm at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore! In the third installment of our summer lecture series, “Refreshments with Refreshing ‘Ologists,” biologist Sarah Dalrymple of UC Davis will give a presentation on her research in our local Jeffrey pine forest. Sarah studies how prescribed burns and ants cause clearings around Jeffrey pines that can reduce future damage from wildfires. This topic is extremely relevant  as it’s now the height of the summer wildfire season. Following the talk there will be a chance for questions, comments, and … refreshments! Please join us on Wednesday at 4:00pm!

Photo courtesy of Sarah Dalrymple.

Mono Lake’s state park is still listed as one of 70 state parks in California scheduled to close this fall. This fact continues to raise more questions than it answers. What does closure mean for Mono Lake, a park covering over seventy square miles of sovereign California state lands?

As Mono Lake rises, already over two feet this year, the water floods vegetation like this salt grass where black alkali flies forage for algae among brilliant yellow Jeffrey pine pollen. This view looks north from Old Marina, one of the threatened state park access locations that features a brand new handicap-accessible boardwalk. Photo by Morgan Lindsay.

Will visitors still be able to experience Mono Lake from the water by taking a canoe, kayak, or motor boat tour? Will scientists be able to collect samples of Mono Lake’s famous arsenic bacteria? Will filmmakers like the BBC or Nova be able to capture Mono Lake’s unique tufa towers, alkali (more…)