I was eight years old and it was my first visit to Sea World.

California Gulls wheeling over Mono Lake.

After viewing a spectacular performance by the famous whale, Shamu, I was walking down the boardwalk, munching on a delicious churro, a doughy cinnamon stick, when a seagull landed on my head. While grasping onto my hair, the gull proceeded to peck at my tasty snack. I was terrified. Ever since this horrifying experience, I duck when the shadow of a gull passes over my head. It was not until this summer when I came to work as an intern at the Mono Lake Committee that my fear began to wane and my curiosity (more…)

The complete list of bird species seen during this year’s Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is now available here.

Chautauqua participants scan for birds in the Bodie Hills. Photo by Elin Ljung.

Chautauqua-goers flocked to the Mono Basin in record numbers this year but not so for the birds. With a late, cold spring the total species tally for Chautauqua week was notably down (166 species compared to 184 seen in 2010). Some species that are usually reliably present were absent and overall numbers of common species were reduced.

But that did nothing to dampen the spirits (more…)

The Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Just a few days after we received notice of the new round of budget cuts that have ended the 26-year Mono Lake tradition of interpretive tours at Mono Lake, I took a visit to the Mono Basin National Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center to inquire about the remainder of their interpretive programs. I was surprised to find that another strong tradition has been lost to budget cuts: patio talks, which have gone on since 1992. These short ranger- and volunteer-led talks (more…)

Phalaropes fly in front of tufa and the Mono Craters. Photo by Bartshe Miller.

Visit the shores of Mono Lake this weekend, and you’ll be in for a treat. Driving north of town along Highway 395, you might see shimmering clouds moving low over the lake in the morning sun. Make your way closer, perhaps down to the South Tufa boardwalk, and you’ll see that these clouds are flocks of tiny birds—phalaropes—that have stopped in at Mono Lake’s All-You-Can-Eat Fly & Shrimp Buffet.

Wilson’s and Red-Necked Phalaropes are here in numbers that have not been seen in many years, and the result is a spectacular (more…)

On Thursday, July 14, a group of employees from Patagonia’s Reno outlet visited us in the Mono Basin. In the morning we treated our visitors to a canoe tour on the lake. The weather was beautiful and we saw hundreds of gulls and phalaropes and trillions of brine shrimp.

Patagonia visitors enjoying a morning paddle on the lake.

In the afternoon we headed down to Old Marina, where the Patagonia team put in an hour’s work pulling invasive (more…)

Anyone who has been to Mono Lake knows it: this place is unique, breathtaking, inspiring, and worth fighting for. In the last few days visitors to Mono Lake have posted a few reviews online that corroborate that opinion!

Canoe tours are one of the very best ways to experience Mono Lake. Weekend Sherpa, an outdoor lifestyle publication, published a trip report from one of our canoe tours.

And California-based photographer Matt Ludin published a post on his website that sums up how we feel about Mono Lake too. Check out his beautiful shots of the lakeshore.

Thank you!

Canoeing Mono Lake is an incredible way to see the lake, whether it’s for the first time or the twentieth. Even for those who have done walking tours at the lake, being out on the water allows you to see everything from an up-close-and-personal point of view.

We offer one-hour, naturalist-guided canoe tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00am. Aside from learning (more…)

Mono Lake Committee interns visit Mill Creek at the Cemetary Road culvert.

Earlier this week, Eastern Sierra Policy Director Lisa Cutting took the Committee’s seasonal staff to the north Mono Basin to learn about the region’s complicated plumbing. They braved rain and sleet to visit Lundy Lake Reservoir, the Lundy power plant, the ditches and waterways that irrigate ranches, and Mill Creek, following the water toward Mono Lake.

On Tuesday afternoon when the group visited Lundy Lake Reservoir, it wasn’t spilling yet, but by Wednesday morning the spillway was full of water and Mill Creek was running at over (more…)

Last weekend over 300 people gathered in Lee Vining for the tenth annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua.

During 76 field trips, workshops, and presentations, (more…)

Starting today you can make your summer canoe tour reservations on Mono Lake online. Simply click on the blue “Canoe Mono Lake” button on the home page and it will take you to the main canoeing page, where you click on the orange “Canoe tours” button. Once you’re there click on the date and time you want and you’re on your way to a great Mono Lake adventure.

Canoe tours begin on June 25th and run each Saturday and Sunday throughout the season until September 4th. (more…)