Even as the California Legislature budget conference committee is busy deciding exactly how much money to strip away from California’s 278 unique state parks this year, there are hopeful signs of a long-awaited funding solution for state parks. (more…)

In addition to celebrating the opening of Tioga Pass this Saturday June 5, at 8am, be sure to celebrate National Trails Day! In honor of National Trails Day, entrance to South Tufa and Yosemite National Park is free this weekend, on Saturday June 5 and Sunday June 6. Catch a free one hour tour of South Tufa at 1pm both Saturday and Sunday or explore the tufa groves on your own self-guided walk.

The first Saturday in June, National Trails Day is (more…)

The fleeting mid-May hope that California’s state parks would finally experience a reprieve from years of crippling budget cuts is disappearing faster than the snow still visible on the flanks of the Sierra above Lee Vining. (more…)

Canoe on Mono Lake this summer! Call (760) 647-6595 for reservations. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.

Imagine gliding through groves of tufa towers as nearby California Gulls dine on brine shrimp and alkali flies. Summer canoe tours on Mono Lake offer a fun, family-friendly way to experience Mono Lake up close.

We’ll investigate Mono Lake’s unusual natural history, from multitudes of brine shrimp found nowhere else on earth, to scuba-diving (more…)

Canoes for the climate at Mono Lake

This morning 18 boats and almost 50 people gathered at Navy Beach under cloudless blue skies for a brand new paddling adventure. The Mono Lake Committee and friends participated in the international grassroots campaign dedicated to creating an equitable global climate treaty that lowers carbon dioxide below 350 parts per million by forming a three, five, and zero with canoes and kayaks on Mono Lake.

Joining the photos already posted at 350.org from around the world, we got out our paddles for this important action. Inspired by the journey to protect Mono Lake, and the positive outcome, we add our hopeful voices and energy to this important movement. Just like with Mono Lake, climate change needs our perseverance and the courage to do what’s necessary for a livable future. Climate change is important everywhere around the world, including at Mono Lake, and the Committee is keeping up on the latest science affecting the Mono Basin.

In December, government leaders will be convening in Copenhagen, Denmark, for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, in order to create a new climate treaty. The International Day of Climate Action on October 24, is the best chance the global public has to influence the treaty before negotiating positions solidify. Today more than 5200 groups are gathering in over 181 countries to draw attention to the need for a dramatic international agreement to reduce carbon emissions and set us on a rapid path to 350.

Many thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and energy to be a part of this day.

Intern Claire Skinner giving a canoe tour near South Tufa. Picture yourself here on October 24, 2009. Photo by Elin Ljung

Are you concerned about the effects of climate change in California’s Eastern Sierra? This is your chance to participate in the 350.org International Day of Climate Action!

On Saturday, October 24, 2009 the Mono Lake Committee is participating in this international grassroots campaign dedicated to (more…)

As a returning Intern, and this year’s Canoe Coordinator for the Mono Lake Committee, I look forward to doing something new every day to help protect and restore this incredible place.  This past Monday was a typical example of the unexpected diversity of tasks I can expect to do every day I come to work. (more…)