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Eastern Sierra Policy | The Mono-logue

‘Eastern Sierra Policy’ Category

LA Times article on DWP’s solar park proposal

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by Elin, Communications Coordinator

Mono Lake Committee policy staff Geoff and Lisa traveled south to Bishop recently to hear David Freeman (interim General Manager of the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power) expand upon his proposal to use LA land in the Eastern Sierra to generate solar power. The LA Times published an article about that meeting today—LA takes a shine to another Owens Valley product: sun. Look for the Committee’s take on the solar park proposal in the upcoming issue of our Newsletter, which goes to press within the week!

Mono Lake and the shadow biosphere

Friday, January 29th, 2010 by Bartshé, Education Director
Could these Wilson's Phalaropes be a few feet from a shadow biosphere?

Could these Wilson's Phalaropes be a few feet from a shadow biosphere?

Last week the Royal Society in London hosted a discussion meeting about the detection of extra-terrestrial life and the consequences for science and society. During the symposium/discussion Dr. Paul Davies (University of Arizona) presented a webcast lecture The eerie silence: are we alone in the universe? In this webcast he discussed the progress of SETI and the continuing, albeit thus far, quiet search for intelligent life beyond earth. But what of any (more…)

SERCAL Conference – Mono Lake to figure prominently

Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by Lisa, Eastern Sierra Policy Director

sercal image

Even though the snow continues and summer seems a long way off, Mono Lake Committee staff are busy planning for the California Society for Ecological Restoration Annual Conference, which will be held in Mammoth Lakes, May 19–22, 2010. Plenary speakers will include David Nahai, former General Manager of Los Angeles Department of Water & Power and our Executive Director, Geoff McQuilkin. Don’t miss (more…)

NASA study showing Mono Lake warming – update

Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 by Greg, Information Specialist

Ever since Bartshe wrote about a NASA study that shows Mono Lake is warming rapidly, we have done additional analysis, discussed it with Mono Lake experts, and tried to figure out what it means.

Dr. David Herbst of the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory says that the NASA results “are consistent with elevated summer minimum air temperatures that have previously been documented.” He also found that Martis Creek, a creek north of Lake Tahoe with the best temperature record in the Sierra, has warmed 2 degrees C since the mid-1970s (in June, July, August). Nearby (more…)

DWP to discuss solar park concept; advance meeting January 7

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by Geoff, Executive Director

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has announced a public meeting to discuss concepts for building large scale solar power generation facilities in the Eastern Sierra. The meeting will be held in Bishop on Monday, January 11, at 7 pm at the United Methodist Church.

The Committee has been tracking this concept very closely as it has a number of major implications for the future management of the city’s lands and water resources throughout the Eastern Sierra.

I’ll be attending the Eastern Sierra Land Trust (ESLT) open house Thursday January 7 from 4-6pm in advance of the LADWP presentation and urge anyone interested to do so as well. It will be a good opportunity to share information and ideas. The details of the ESLT event are available here.

Pieces of the proposal have been reported on here:

Sierra Wave article, December 1, 2009

LA Times article, December 2, 2009

LA Times article, December 18, 2009

Mono Lake is warming faster than Lee Vining air temperature

Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 by Greg, Information Specialist

I just read Bartshe’s post about the NASA study showing that Mono Lake’s July-September surface temperature warmed about 4 degrees from 64 degrees F in 1992 to 68.3 degrees F in 2008. The article suggests comparing the water temperatures with air temperatures, and I have just done that with the results shown below. (more…)

Mono Lake’s noted extremophile

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 by Geoff, Executive Director

cosmos_logo

Mono Lake’s Spirochaeta americana is on Cosmos Magazine’s list of eight “impressive examples of life lived at the extreme.” Have a look and enjoy exploring the rest of the roster!

Eight animals that live on the edge

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<td><a href=”http://www.monolake.org”><img src=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/18299.jpg” border=”0″ alt=”Wishing you and your family a joyous and peaceful holiday season and a happy New Year. Lake level gauge with ice” width=”600″ /></a></td>
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<td width=”100%” height=”25″ bgcolor=”#660000″ align=”center” style=”background-color: #660000; border-collapse:collapse; font-size: 90%; font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; color: #ffffff;”>Wishing you and your family
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<td><a href=”http://www.monolake.org/”><img src=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/18296.jpg” alt=”Broomball in the Mono Basin” border=”0″ width=”600″ height=”160″ /></a></td>
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<td width=”100%” height=”25″ bgcolor=”#660000″ align=”center” style=”background-color: #660000; border-collapse:collapse; font-size: 90%; font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; color: #ffffff;”>a joyous and&nbsp;peaceful&nbsp;holiday season</td>
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<td><a href=”http://www.monolake.org/”><img src=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/18295.jpg” alt=”Glassy winter Mono Lake” border=”0″ width=”600″ height=”159″ /></a></td>
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<td width=”100%” height=”25″ bgcolor=”#660000″ align=”center” style=”background-color: #660000; border-collapse:collapse; font-size: 90%; font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; color: #ffffff;”>and a happy New Year</td>
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<td><a href=”http://www.monolake.org/”><img src=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/../images/content/pagebuilder/18303.jpg” alt=”Snowy storefront” border=”0″ width=”600″ height=”159″ /></a></td>
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<td height=”25″ bgcolor=”#660000″ align=”center” style=”background-color: #660000; border-collapse:collapse; font-size: 90%; font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; color: #ffffff;”>from the Mono Lake Committee</td>
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<br>
Your support&nbsp;keeps Mono Lake&nbsp;rising
and all the Committee’s <br />
protection, restoration, and education programs vibrant. <br>
<br>
As 2009 comes to an end <br>
we’d greatly appreciate your tax-deductible year-end donation.<br>
<br>
In exchange, we’ll put your gift toward our work
to achieve the maximum benefit <br>
for Mono Lake, its tributaries, and surrounding lands
in 2010. <br>
<br>
Plus year-end donations earn matching funds for the Committee and can qualify you for a Mono Lake Calendar, notecards, or unique artwork.<br>
<br>
Long Live Mono Lake!
<br />
<p align=”center”><a href=”https://secure2.convio.net/mlc/site/Donation2?idb=64158253&df_id=1480&1480.donation=form1″><img src=”http://longlive.monolake.org/images/content/pagebuilder/14557.png” border=”0″ alt=”Donate” /></a></p>
<P align=center style=”COLOR: #777777; font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; font-size: 9pt;padding-left: 15px; padding-right:15px; padding-bottom: 15px; “><br>
Ensure the delivery of your Mono Lake Committee emails by<BR>
adding <A title=”E-mail monolakecommit...@monolake.org” style=”FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #4F6AAC;  font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; TEXT-DECORATION: underline” href=”mailto:monolakecommit...@monolake.org”>monolakecommit...@monolake.org</A> to your address book.<BR>
To stop receiving occasional updates from the Mono Lake Committee, <A style=”FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #4F6AAC;  font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; TEXT-DECORATION: underline” href=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/CO”>unsubscribe here</A><br>
You can also <A style=”FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #4F6AAC;  font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; TEXT-DECORATION: underline” href=”http://longlive.monolake.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=members_i&amp;autologin=true”>update your email info and other membership information</A>.<BR>
To contact us, hit reply now, call,  email us at <A title=”E-mail monolakecommit...@monolake.org” style=”FONT-SIZE: 9pt; COLOR: #4F6AAC;  font-family: ‘Century Gothic’; TEXT-DECORATION: underline” href=”mailto:monolakecommit...@monolake.org”>monolakecommit...@monolake.org</A>,
<br>
or stop by and visit us  at Mono Lake; we’re here all year.
<br>
Mono Lake Committee, Hwy 395 at 3rd Street, PO Box 29<br>

Lee Vining, California, 93541&nbsp;&nbsp;(760) 647-6595</span></p>
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Hydrology Update: Ice dam break!

Monday, December 14th, 2009 by Greg, Information Specialist

When the temperature drops close to zero, some interesting things happen to the flowing water in Mono Lake’s tributaries. I shot this video on December 8th at Rush Creek right after measuring the flow in a side channel. Ominous cracking noises in the silent below freezing air preceded this dramatic burst (more…)

Climate change at Mono Lake

Monday, November 23rd, 2009 by Elin, Communications Coordinator
Researcher Scott Stine has studied aspects of Mono Lake's climatic history since the mid-1970s. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Researcher Scott Stine has studied aspects of Mono Lake's climate history since the mid-1970s. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

Paleoclimatologist Scott Stine has been involved with Mono Lake since the effort to protect it began, primarily through his rigorous scientific investigations in the Mono Basin. You can hear a little bit about his work on climate change in this three-minute slideshow at the American Public Media Marketplace. Scott’s research is one of many studies going on at Mono Lake, all of which help to build a body of information that guides land managers in protecting this beautiful place long into the future!

Mono Basin Field Station gets covered

Monday, November 2nd, 2009 by Bartshé, Education Director

What the roof used to look like on all the units.

One of the units with a new roof on the left. An example of the old roof on the right.

This past month roofers finished installing a new roof on the Mono Basin Field Station. The old roof was well past its prime, decaying and losing shingles with each puff of wind. The new roof is metal and will withstand all the wind and snow the Mono Basin can deliver.

The new roof is the latest physical improvement to this local research station that has been continually hosting research projects since 2004. In 2009 (more…)

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