Friday, January 11th, 2013 by Geoff, Executive DirectorcloseAuthor: Geoff, Executive DirectorName: Geoffrey McQuilkin Title: Executive Director About: Geoff's goals for the Committee are: assuring Mono Lake's continuing protection, restoring Mono Lake's tributary streams, developing a permanent education program, and assuring that the strong tradition of scientific research at Mono Lake continues. A graduate of Harvard in the history of science, Geoff has worked for the Committee since 1992 and was an intern and volunteer before that. He's happy to live close to the lake with his wife Sarah and their daughters Caelen and Ellery.See All Posts by Geoffrey (105) Contact Geoffrey
David Gaines, 1947 -- January 11, 1988
Mono Lake Committee founder David Gaines was killed in a tragic wintertime car accident 25 years ago. His inspirational vision of protecting Mono Lake
for people, birds, and wildlife is being realized today.
Friday, December 28th, 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
Number 4 on our Top Ten highlights list is a compendium of things that have made this year particularly memorable. One of the great things about living in the Mono Basin is that life is infused with the happenings of the natural world.
Since pictures are worth a thousand words….
Dry years can mean cold temperatures without precipitation, which makes good conditions for ice skating. We rang in the year with some seriously memorable ice skating on very-frozen lakes such as Lundy Lake Reservoir shown here. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.
Thursday, December 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
Thursday, December 20th, 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
If you’ve been in the Information Center & Bookstore in the past few years you’ve seen the brine shrimp tank in the hallway. Directly on the other side of that tank is the hallway that leads to the room that Geoff McQuilkin and I call our office. In the summer we get used to the din of people checking out the brine shrimp, and in the winter it’s pretty quiet. So, yesterday my ears perked up at the sound of a small herd of snow-boot-wearing kids. It was the Lee Vining Elementary Kindergarten class paying us a visit.
I think I probably don’t need to say much more than, especially right now, it was a really heartwarming moment that I thought Mono Lake Committee members and friends would enjoy too.
Friday, December 14th, 2012 by Nick, Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Nick, Project SpecialistName: Nick Holt Title: Project Specialist About: Originally from San Diego, Nick spent the summers of 2007, 2008, and 2012 with the Mono Lake Committee. Recently back from hiking the John Muir Trail, Nick works on IT problems, troubleshoots computer issues, and maintains the Committee's network, server, and computer systems. He spent four years at UC Berkeley making weekend trips to the Sierra as much as possible and earning a degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering. When out of the office, you can probably find Nick somewhere in the mountains fishing, mountaineering, hiking, climbing, or back in Lee Vining working on his newest pursuit: gardening.See All Posts by Nick (3) Contact Nick
Can you identify these tracks? Photo by Nick Holt.
While waking up to fresh snow is a great treat (especially for those of us from Southern California), this most recent storm revealed some extra surprises. Winter may be upon us here in the Mono Basin, but a multitude of animals are still enjoying the spectacular scenery. On my walk to work this morning I spotted fresh tracks from bears, raccoons, deer, squirrels, rabbits, and other furry woodland critters. Clark’s Nutcrackers, Stellar’s Jays, and Mountain Chickadees had the air to themselves as they traded calls (more…)
Friday, November 16th, 2012 by Angie, Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Angie, Project SpecialistName: Angie Glaser Title: Project Specialist About: Originally from coastal Southern California, Angie answered the call of the mountains and has spent the past three summers in the Sierra, including one as the Mono Lake Committee's Canoe Coordinator. After graduating from UC Santa Barbara she worked in outdoor education and interned for the National Park Service. When she’s not paddling through swarms of brine shrimp, you can find her backpacking, climbing, or cooking really spicy Thai curry.See All Posts by Angie (18) Contact Angie
On October 23, State Assemblymember Kristin Olsen hosted a Parks Appreciation Night celebrating organizations in her district that helped keep state parks from closing.
Robert Hanna and Assemblymember Kristin Olsen at Mono Lake. Photo courtesy of Christian Koszka, Freetime Productions.
The Mono Lake Committee and the Bodie Foundation were recognized for their work in keeping the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve open, along with (more…)
Sunday, November 11th, 2012 by Bartshé, Education DirectorcloseAuthor: Bartshé, Education DirectorName: Bartshé Miller Title: Education Director About: Bartshé directs the Committee's Outdoor Experiences Program, Canoe Program, and Interpretive Programs, and manages the Mono Basin Field Station. He has been an Eastern Sierra resident since 1993.See All Posts by Bartshé (30) Contact Bartshé
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.
Thursday, November 1st, 2012 by Erica, Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Erica, Project SpecialistName: Erica Tucker Title: Project Specialist About: Erica learned about Mono Lake Committee while attending the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua. She previously taught environmental education in Yosemite National Park and worked as a manager for a San Francisco Bay Area non-profit. During the winter of 2011-2012 she took a birding-focused, 13,000-mile cross country road trip, worked as a milker on a dairy goat farm, and built an 8’ x 16’ tiny house. Erica knows all the good birding spots around Mono Lake and is happy to share them!See All Posts by Erica (9) Contact Erica
Three dedicated volunteers and two Mono Lake Committee staff members helped clean the Committee’s adopted mile of Highway 395 recently. The crew met on Friday, October 26, donned fluorescent vests and leather gloves, and hit the road under sunny skies.
The Committee adopted a section of Highway 395 south of Lee Vining in 1997 and leads two to four cleanups annually. A lot more recyclable materials were found this time along with the usual assortment of things that blow out of or fall off moving vehicles. All in all, six bags of litter and one bag of recycling were gathered. It’s nice to leave the road spiffed up before the winter winds blow! A big thanks to volunteers Rich & Cathy Foye and Rebecca Watkins.
Monday, October 1st, 2012 by Bartshé, Education DirectorcloseAuthor: Bartshé, Education DirectorName: Bartshé Miller Title: Education Director About: Bartshé directs the Committee's Outdoor Experiences Program, Canoe Program, and Interpretive Programs, and manages the Mono Basin Field Station. He has been an Eastern Sierra resident since 1993.See All Posts by Bartshé (30) Contact Bartshé
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…)
Saturday, September 29th, 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
Thanks to recent efforts of California Trout, a video of part one of Elden Vestal’s November 3, 1993 deposition is now on YouTube. You can watch the hour and forty-seven minute video here on the Mono Basin Clearinghouse.
Watch the YouTube Video of Elden's 1993 historical testimony here!
Elden was a California Department of Fish & Game Fisheries Biologist whose deposition was instrumental (more…)
