Thursday, March 29th, 2012 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin is an EMT on the Lee Vining Fire Department, loves sitting at Latte Da Coffee Cafe immersed in a good book, and watches English Premier League football (soccer) at any opportunity.See All Posts by Elin (133) Contact Elin
Hosted by our sister organization, Friends of Great Salt Lake, the forum will examine “Changing Conditions and the Future of Salt Lakes” this year. This year the program will include speakers from Owens (dry) Lake, the Salton Sea, the Dead Sea, and—of course—Mono (more…)
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 by Arya, Communications DirectorcloseAuthor: Arya, Communications DirectorName: Arya Degenhardt Title: Communications Director About: Arya oversees the Committee's communications program, which includes the Mono Lake Newsletter. She loves her job because she gets to share the inspiring work of the Mono Lake Committee with members and visitors alike. When she's not in the office you might find her running with her dogs Dublin and Poco, volunteering with the Lee Vining Fire Department, listening to any music with a banjo in it, or willing the plants in her garden to grow. Her favorite things to do in the Mono Basin include ice skating on nearby lakes, skiing the Mono Craters, and getting to smell the sagebrush when it rains.See All Posts by Arya (91) Contact Arya
Change is positive, necessary, and good. And change is what we’re about to see out in front of the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore starting tomorrow morning as the storefront remodel gets underway. Are you ready?
For the past few days I’ve been poking around out front taking photos to document what things look like before the remodel, and generally just getting used to the idea that this project, years in the making, is actually going to happen.
The Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore on the morning of March 27, 2012.
Today we took away all of the things we want to keep … the wine barrels for flowers, the river rocks that marked the garden areas, the signs from inside the kiosk out front. Yes, we kept the rocks.
Geoff McQuilkin and Rose Catron saving soil from the old planters before the construction crew arrives.
It’s impossible not to get excited for things like the new deck to welcome people into the store, the seating areas for visitors, the new greywater system, the ADA-accessible lift, and the drinking fountain and water bottle filling station.
A conceptual drawing of the storefront remodel. Drawing courtesy of Siegel & Strain Architects.
There’s a little bit of nostalgia too. I haven’t (more…)
Tuesday, March 27th, 2012 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin is an EMT on the Lee Vining Fire Department, loves sitting at Latte Da Coffee Cafe immersed in a good book, and watches English Premier League football (soccer) at any opportunity.See All Posts by Elin (133) Contact Elin
Sunday, March 25th, 2012 by Jessica, Information Center & Bookstore ManagercloseAuthor: Jessica, Information Center & Bookstore ManagerName: Jessica Ashley Title: Information Center & Bookstore Manager About: Jess stocks the store with educational, handmade, local, and ecologically friendly merchandise and keeps operations functioning efficiently. After working for a summer in the Committee bookstore, Jess joined the staff full-time in May of 2011. Jess' extensive retail experience and love of the Eastern Sierra make her perfectly suited for her role as Information Center & Bookstore Manager.See All Posts by Jessica (22) Contact Jessica
Starting Tuesday, March 27, the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore storefront will begin to look quite different. The next phase of the outdoor remodel includes removing picnic tables, planters, and signs in order to tear up asphalt and prepare the storefront for some exciting new additions!
By mid-summer, we hope to have: an expanded retail space in the form of a patio, a wheelchair lift, amphitheater (more…)
Wednesday, March 21st, 2012 by Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistName: Carolyn Weddle Title: Project Specialist About: Graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Environmental Policy, Carolyn loves the outdoors and the Eastern Sierra and is known to make forays in the Nevada hills for further exploration. After spending summer 2011 as a Retail Assistant in the Information Center & Bookstore, Carolyn stayed through winter 2012 as a Project Specialist.See All Posts by Carolyn (22) Contact Carolyn
Andrea Mead Lawrence.
Please join the Mono Lake Committee for this year’s Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner. The evening will be one of good food, friends, and inspirational discussion. The dinner will feature a keynote address by Robert Hanna, descendent of John Muir and state park advocate, followed by the presentation of the Andrea Lawrence Award to a local organization for passionate engagement in community and the land.
2012 Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner
When: Friday, April 27, 2012 Time: 5:30pm
Where: Parallax Restaurant, McCoy Station, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
You can reserve your tickets with a $60 donation. Please contact Carolyn Weddle at (760) 647-6595 by Tuesday, April 3 to make your reservation. We hope to see you there!
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin is an EMT on the Lee Vining Fire Department, loves sitting at Latte Da Coffee Cafe immersed in a good book, and watches English Premier League football (soccer) at any opportunity.See All Posts by Elin (133) Contact Elin
Castle Rock State Park. Photo by Karen T. Borchers.
Sunday, March 18th, 2012 by Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistName: Carolyn Weddle Title: Project Specialist About: Graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Environmental Policy, Carolyn loves the outdoors and the Eastern Sierra and is known to make forays in the Nevada hills for further exploration. After spending summer 2011 as a Retail Assistant in the Information Center & Bookstore, Carolyn stayed through winter 2012 as a Project Specialist.See All Posts by Carolyn (22) Contact Carolyn
When I went to bed on Friday night, the wind had calmed and the streets were completely dry here in Lee Vining. When I awoke Saturday morning I was pleasantly surprised to see that there was almost a foot of snow at my doorstep!
The Mono Lake Committee stays open in all sorts of weather. Come by and celebrate the snow with us!
Policy Coordinator Morgan Lindsay, Information Center & Bookstore Manager Jessica Horn, and I started off our day here at the office shoveling snow. We got about a foot and a half of snow overnight and it continued to snow all morning and into the afternoon.
Thursday, March 15th, 2012 by Arya, Communications DirectorcloseAuthor: Arya, Communications DirectorName: Arya Degenhardt Title: Communications Director About: Arya oversees the Committee's communications program, which includes the Mono Lake Newsletter. She loves her job because she gets to share the inspiring work of the Mono Lake Committee with members and visitors alike. When she's not in the office you might find her running with her dogs Dublin and Poco, volunteering with the Lee Vining Fire Department, listening to any music with a banjo in it, or willing the plants in her garden to grow. Her favorite things to do in the Mono Basin include ice skating on nearby lakes, skiing the Mono Craters, and getting to smell the sagebrush when it rains.See All Posts by Arya (91) Contact Arya
The Winter & Spring 2012 Mono Lake Newsletter is now online and available to view and download for Mono Lake Committee members. The online version comes complete with color photos! You’ll find articles about Mono Lake’s state park success, DWP’s proposal to eliminate limnology monitoring at Mono Lake, the upcoming remodel in front of the Committee, Mill Creek’s return pipeline, the 2011 California Gull research, this very dry winter, the Defender of the Trust Award winner, the 2012 Field Seminars, and much more.
Thursday, March 15th, 2012 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin is an EMT on the Lee Vining Fire Department, loves sitting at Latte Da Coffee Cafe immersed in a good book, and watches English Premier League football (soccer) at any opportunity.See All Posts by Elin (133) Contact Elin
The Mono Basin Visitor Center. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.
Volunteers are needed starting at 9:00am, and the Eastern Sierra Interpretive Association will provide lunch for everyone. Wear work clothes and bring gloves if you’d prefer to do outside clean-up work. Call the Visitor Center at (760) 647-3042 with any questions. We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012 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
The March 1st snow surveys in the Mono Basin found 33% of average snow water content to date. This is only 28% of the April 1st average, when the snowpack usually peaks. There is still much less snow in the Rush Creek drainage:
Rush Creek March 1 2012 snow course water content
Gem Pass 7.9″ (6.7 in 1977, 2.0 in 1991)
Gem Lake 7.4″ (4.8 in 1977, 3.4 in 1991)
Lee Vining Creek March 1 2012 snow course water content
Tioga 8.6″ (7.5 in 1931, 8.2 in 1976, 7.6 in 1977, 0 in 1991)
Saddlebag 9.0″ (7.1 in 1977, 3.2 in 1991)
Ellery 8.8″ (8.2 in 1976, 7.0 in 1977, 2.6 in 1991)
Based on these snow surveys, April–July runoff for the Mono Basin has been forecasted at 39% of average. This is an average (more…)
