On June 14–16 the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua will land in the Eastern Sierra for the 12th consecutive year, bringing with it a record number of participants. Many of the more than 80 field trips, workshops, and presentations still have available space.

Erik Westerlund (right) leads an insect walk during the 2012 Bird Chautauqua. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Trees, wildflowers, bugs and butterflies, writing, sketching birds, poetry, storytelling, photography and image editing, bowl and spoon crafting, birding, and kids’ events are among those with openings. See below for the complete list. (more…)

Road construction on Mono Lake Avenue in Lee Vining. Photo by Rose Catron.

Have you visited Lee Vining lately? If so, you may have noticed construction equipment and torn up roads. In addition to the Digital 395 installation that is happening in Lee Vining, the Mono County Department of Public Works is rehabilitating the streets of Lee Vining from now through (more…)

For the last week the streets of Lee Vining have been overtaken by heavy equipment and construction workers, all to complete one of the last stretches of Digital 395, the stimulus-funded project that will provide high-speed broadband internet to communities between Barstow and Carson City.

This view from the Lee Vining Webcam on May 8 at 11:55am shows Digital 395 construction in the center of Highway 395 ... along with much-needed rain clouds!

In fact, if you’ve logged into the Lee Vining Webcam recently, you will have seen the “ditch witch” drilling right in the middle of (more…)

Over 80 people joined Mono Lake Committee staff and Andrea Lawrence’s family for the annual Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner, held last Friday at Parallax Restaurant on Mammoth Mountain.

Quentin Lawrence speaks at the podium (far left) at the 2013 Andrea Lawrence Award Dinner. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

It was a beautiful evening, with perfect light for viewing the newly named Mt. Andrea Lawrence. With great food, beautiful views, and inspirational speakers, the evening was (more…)

The combination of spring’s arrival and the opening of fishing season on April 27 is prompting many visitors to ask when campgrounds and business will begin to open in the Mono Basin. Now that Sonora Pass (Highway 108) is open as of April 24, with the possibility that Tioga Pass may open before Memorial Day weekend, Lee Vining will again be swarming with activity in no time! Here are recent updates (more…)

As I passed the turnoff to Highway 120 west, Tioga Pass, on my way in to work this morning, the message on the lighted sign had changed to “Road closed 12 miles ahead.” That means the lower gate, which is three miles west of Highway 395, has been opened, allowing visitors to access the area around Tioga Pass.

The road is still closed at the entrance to Yosemite National Park, but we’ve recently heard from our Mono County Supervisors that Tioga Pass may open on May 11 instead of Memorial Day weekend, as we had heard recently!

With the lower gate open, the Tioga Pass area’s backcountry skiing, snowshoeing, and hiking opportunities are available. Visitors can also access Ellery Lake and Tioga Lake for next weekend’s fishing season opener. As always, watch for falling rocks, stay clear of any road crews still working, and be safe if you’re heading into the backcountry.

The Mono Lake Theater & Gallery entryway displays both Nancy and Ron Overholtz's pieces.

The Mono Lake Committee invites you the gallery opening for Nancy Overholtz and Ron Overholtz’s show, “Water & Wood.” The opening is this Saturday, April 20 from 4:00–6:00pm in the Mono Lake Theater & Gallery on the corner of Highway 395 & Third Street in Lee Vining.

Nancy Overholtz’s watercolors feature wildlife and scenery with impeccable attention to detail. Ron Overholtz is a local woodturner, with vases and bowls in aspen, maple, Norfolk Island Pine and more. Both artists live in Bishop.

Ron and Nancy will be present at the gallery opening to discuss their pieces and enjoy light refreshments with those who attend. We hope to see you there!

It was Friday night at the movies in Lone Pine, and a wonderful and dedicated crowd gathered to watch The Mono Lake Story film. Only, this was not your average movie night.

Setting up for the film showing in the garden. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

It was as unlikely a spot as it was perfect—the Metabolic Studio’s IOU Garden on Main Street in downtown Lone Pine. Yup, right out there on the highway, nestled in between garden boxes bursting with budding strawberries and young onions, we had one of the (more…)

New this year, the Mono Lake Committee Scholarship has a new, and hopefully fun, component that you might not see in other scholarship applications. It starts like this … “Get yourself down to Mono Lake, close to the shoreline. You will need to take some time to be outside with no distractions….”

After taking some time to take in their surroundings applicants are asked to reflect on the question: Why do places like Mono Lake matter? We can’t wait to read the answers, and we hope the students have a good experience in the process (more…)

Last week Highway 270, the road to Bodie State Historic Park was opened after being closed all winter! Definitely plan a visit to Bodie this spring or summer—it’s a fascinating place full of stories, history, and buildings preserved to help visitors imagine 1880s life in this once-booming mining town. Bodie’s hours are currently 9:00am–3:00pm.

A view from the cemetery gate overlooking the ghost town of Bodie. Photo by Elin Ljung.