We missed winter last year. There was little snow in the Mono Basin during the 2011/2012 season, and sometimes you forgot that it was winter. Hikers freely roamed the high country in December 2011, and Tioga Pass remained open well into January 2012. One year later: a week’s worth of winter storms have nearly erased our memory. Now there is snow to play in and a dramatic, new landscape to discover. If you drop everything to see Mono Lake and her snow-dressed mountains, don’t forget your skis, snowshoes, tire chains, and budget some extra time to get around. You will not be disappointed.

Poconip fog lingers in Lee Vining Canyon as a Christmas Day storm breaks over the Sierra Crest. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

For science! Students reach the top of Panum Crater on a chilly November day. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

The temperature was maybe 30 degrees Fahrenheit in the sun, but the wind made it feel much colder. Students, used to much warmer temperatures, shook off the cold and hiked up one of the Mono Basin’s most dramatic classrooms: Panum Crater.

Hosted by the Mono Lake Committee and Communities for a Better Environment (CBE), these 12 students came from Los Angeles for a week of programs and activities at the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC). After (more…)

Ranger Jim Pence at Mono Lake in December 2011.

The Mono Lake community grieves with the passing of Ranger Jim Pence. While at home on September 27, Jim died of heart attack. He was 49 years of age. Jim had recently retired in May as a California State Park Ranger after thirty years of service.  He had served as a ranger for the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve since 2006.

Mono Lake Committee staff remember Jim for his constant smile and service on behalf of (more…)

This weekend, the Mono Basin Historical Society presents their annual fundraiser, the Ghosts of the Sagebrush Tour, which focuses on the history of Lee Vining this year. To purchase tickets, visit the Mono Basin Historical Society online, stop by the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Hess Park, call (760) 647-6461, or email the museum curator.

The weekend’s itinerary includes: (more…)

Enjoy Yosemite National Park without the travel stress—use the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) and leave your car behind. September is the final month of 2012 YARTS bus service to the eastside. On weekends only, through September 30, you can ride to and from Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, see more dramatic scenery, forget about parking, and enjoy the freedom that comes from being fully bipedal in Yosemite (save on gas too!). YARTS also links Yosemite with its westside communities. Cruise the YARTS website to check out bus fares, stops, and schedules.

GFAJ-1 bacteria.

Follow-up research on GFAJ-1, a Halomonas bacterium cultured from Mono Lake’s shallow marine sediments, is back in the news after two new, independent studies concluded that this strange bacterium does not incorporate arsenic into its biomolecular make-up. This new research runs counter to the claims of an original study by Dr. Felisa Wolfe-Simon that concluded that GFAJ-1 took up arsenic into its DNA, suggesting that the foundation of biochemistry was perhaps more flexible than was previously known. (more…)

As of Friday, April 20 there is no official date on when Tioga Pass will open, and there is no update on where the park crew is along the road. However, CalTrans has cleared all the way to the Tioga Pass gate, and there is 3–4 feet of snow along the road depending on where and how you measure. Much of the snow is from the recent, significant storm of April 12–13. We have not heard when the lower gate will be open, but today I saw several groups of skiers making the trek by foot up and down the road. The recent stretch of warm temperatures brings a unique Tioga Road experience: tree rrogs singing in a ditch just below the blue slide.

Two views of Tioga Pass on April 20, 2012. Photos by Bartshe Miller.

The Mono Lake Committee is one step closer to turning on the first commercial greywater project in the Eastern Sierra. As part of the Committee’s larger storefront remodel, the new greywater system will connect the public bathroom’s sink water to the surrounding landscaping potentially saving thousands of gallons of potable water each year. The irrigation is sub-surface, and when visitors and staff wash their hands, the water will drain through dedicated plumbing to underground mulch boxes. From there it will slowly (more…)

Have you heard? Mono Lake is for the birds … the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua planning team is hard at work putting together the eleventh annual weekend. Make sure June 15–17, 2012 is marked on your calendar.

Wilson's Phalaropes in flight at South Tufa. Photo courtesy of Marie Read.

Check out the recent updates to the website, and stay tuned as we add this year’s program and schedule. Remember to get up early to register on Sunday, April 15 since spaces fill so quickly.

On December 1, 2011 (the same day that the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve was taken off the closure list), a new bird for Mono County was discovered by Jean Dillingham in June Lake. A Common Redpoll hit Jean’s window in the morning. She collected the dazed bird outside and brought it in to see if it could be saved. To her amazement, the bird was unlike any she had ever seen in the Eastern Sierra. She quickly figured it was (more…)