Last Wednesday afternoon brought a second hour of engaging ideas to the Mono Lake Committee’s Theater & Gallery, as US Forest Service Senior Scientist Connie Millar gave a provocative and fascinating talk on mountain ecology and climate change; a topic which she has artfully christened “Mountain Climecology.”

The aim of her talk was to illustrate the difficult task of predicting what kinds of ecological changes might result from fluctuations in global temperature and changing climate patterns, and how accepted wisdom about the effects on plants and animals needs to be carefully tested in the field.

Dr. Millar, faced with only 45 minutes to explain and defend her argument, chose several examples from her own research on mountain ecology to illustrate her point. One example was (more…)

The Tioga Pass Run is only a few weeks away! You can register online until September 6 or register in person on race day in front of the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore starting at 6:30am.

This year marks the 32nd year of the run, a great tradition that benefits the Mono Lake Committee. Both runners and walkers are welcome, and they need (more…)

Poetry in Motion

A draft from the bookstore entrance
drifts by
grabbing hanging broadsides
to breathe life into their words.

A flying flock, bristly branches, straying streams
take place of print and paper.

Twisting, rustling, back, forth, up and down:
silent unless provoked
art, poetry, movement are married.

Still lives need not apply.

Brief though it be
in the Theater & Gallery
lives true poetry in motion.

—Jessica Horn, Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore Manager

Join us for the opening of Poetry & Place: Tuolumne Meadows Broadside Project—poetry inspired art and design by Jim Cokas in the Mono Lake Committee Theater & Gallery, August 20, 2012 at 4:00pm.

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Have you ever visited Panum Crater in the Mono Basin? If not, you may want to take advantage of the free Panum Crater walks that are made possible by volunteers such as Rich Foye.

Anyone who has spent an afternoon at South Tufa will be familiar with Panum Crater—the youngest volcano in the Mono Craters, which stretches to the southeast of Mono Lake and forms the base of what was once Mono’s shore. Visitors are often shocked to learn that Panum Crater is the result of a volcanic explosion that took place only six hundred years ago, rising up from the basin floor at the same moment that (more…)

On Friday, August 3, community members, friends, and Mono Lake Committee staff and members gathered to celebrate the re-opening of the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore storefront. The improvements, made possible in part by a generous bequest from longtime Committee member Grace de Laet, were three years in the making, with many decisions, large and small, to make along the way. Let’s take a look at the remodel process and some pictures of our new storefront.

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If you’ve got a smartphone, scan this QR code to get to Mono Lake Mobile, a handy site for directions to South Tufa, Old Marina, County Park, and other useful links for your visit to the Mono Basin.

You can also see our stream of Instagram photos, which showcase our storefront remodel, views from around the Mono Basin, and recent events.

Please take a second to give us some feedback too—how well did it work for you?

For some, half the fun of hiking is the fact that you can wear your favorite worn-out T-shirt with the holes in the shoulders and those faded shorts at the bottom of the drawer. For others, there’s “Trail Chic.”

Trail chic: [treyl sheek] adjective
Fashionable while recreating outdoors; stylish: “That is a seriously trail chic outfit.“

Trail chic: [treyl sheek] noun
Style and elegance, especially in dress: “Eastside residents have such trail chic.”

Trail Chic: [treyl sheek] the event
A fashion show fundraiser for the Committee’s Bus Money Fund to help students get to Mono Lake for outdoor education programs

It’s funky, it’s fun, it’s your friends in a fashion show on a green-carpet runway that you don’t want to miss:

Friday, July 27, 2012 at 7:30pm at the Lee Vining Community Center.

Generously sponsored by Barefoot Wine & Bubbly, there will (more…)

Many visitors to the Eastern Sierra are familiar with the breathtaking journey by car from Lee Vining up Tioga Pass to Yosemite National Park. It’s one thing to drive up Tioga Pass, but once each year, a group of enthusiasts from near and far gather to experience Tioga Pass on foot. Join the camaraderie of the 32nd annual Tioga Pass Run on Sunday September 9, 2012. All proceeds from the run benefit the Mono Lake Committee.

What could be more fun than gaining 3,200 feet in 12.4 miles? Sign-up before August 15th to (more…)

After last November’s significant wind storm, now appropriately called “The Devils Windstorm,” caused considerable damage to the Devils Postpile/Reds Meadow area, the sites are now open for the season.

The Reds Meadow shuttle service is running, and the Devils Postpile and Reds Meadow campgrounds are open. Check here for updates on other Forest Service campground openings.

The wind event occurred November 30 through December 1, 2011. Wind came from the northeast, reaching the valley at (more…)

As you travel to the Eastern Sierra for the Fourth of July holiday this year, this handy traffic tool can show you the best times to avoid the masses while driving through Yosemite National Park.

As always, drive safely during your visit—watch for other visitors and wildlife along the road. When you get through Yosemite to the town of Lee Vining, stop in at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore so we can help you make the most of your visit. We look forward to seeing you this week!