The Los Angeles Times is running a great profile of Eastern Sierra bird experts extraordinaire Tom and Jo Heindel! Read it here:

They’re really and truly for the birds

Governor Schwarzenegger is now promising that far fewer than 100 state parks will be closed.

While not a guarantee for the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve or Bodie State Historical Park, park supporters are now breathing a little easier.

Representatives for the Governor stepped away from the closure plan yesterday after (more…)

The release of the list of 100 state parks slated for closure, originally scheduled for this week, has been delayed. It’s not much of a surprise to learn that assembling the list is no easy task!

In the news—San Francisco Chronicle: More time needed to decide which parks to close

If you’re in the Mono Lake area in the next few days, it’s worth your time to make a visit to Ellery Lake, up on Tioga Pass. The lake has been drawn down to a very low level because Southern California Edison is conducting maintenance on the hydropower intake structure. The result? Some lakebed surprises. (more…)

Dawn at the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve, September 15, with State Parks trail construction equipment.

Day by day we await the list of state park closures developed in response to severe budget cuts and forecast to contain 100 parks. Will Mono Lake be on the list?

Yet the natural rhythms of Mono Lake continue. The sun rises, crisp fall weather returns, the phalaropes skim the lake’s surface, plentiful Eared Grebes dine on brine shrimp.

The State Park trail crew continues to make progress on the new public Mono Lake trail at Old Marina, a remarkable rehabilitation that is already popular with visitors. The trail and boardwalk are wheelchair accessible and will be among the longest such trails int he State Park system.

The rebuilt Gaines Boardwalk, part of the State Reserve, leads toward Mono Lake at sunrise. Photos by Geoff McQuilkin.

Mono Lake is more popular than ever with both birds and people. Twice the size of San Francisco, unmatched in the state in ecological productivity, a foundation of the tourism economy of Lee Vining, designated by the legislature 27 years ago as a unique site worthy of state park protection, doesn’t closing the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve seem just a tad shortsighted?

We’re still awaiting the park closure list scheduled for release this week. Today, the Mercury News is running an article that looks at the big picture of closing parks and the lack of vision it represents for California.

MercuryNews.com: Schwarzenegger’s green legacy at risk

Supporters of Mono Lake and Bodie know the park closure saga we went through earlier this year as the California budget negotiations threatened almost all state parks with closure. (You can read more in our action alert center).

Well, get ready for a second round. The budget for (more…)

The Sacramento Bee points out the many problems,  and a few solutions, to the State Parks budget woes:

For starters, the park closures would save only $14 million, or one-twentieth of 1 percent of the $26 billion shortfall the entire budget plan sought to solve. For that relatively tiny amount of money, the state is going to go through, and cause, a tremendous amount of heartache.

Full editorial: Sacramento Bee  State parks are economic engine

The Los Angeles Times today profiles Bodie as an example of the deep challenges facing the State Park system.

Los Angeles Times: California seeks sponsors for state parks

In this dry year Los Angeles has added extra emphasis to its water conservation campaign, including mandatory limitations on outdoor watering. The numbers now show that Los Angeles residents are making big conservation strides: water demand in June dropped 11% over last year, hitting a new 32-year low.

Full story in the Los Angeles Times: Water demand in Los Angeles reaches a 32-year low, DWP says