Friday, February 4th, 2011 by Morgan, Policy CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Morgan, Policy CoordinatorName: Morgan Lindsay Title: Project Specialist About: Morgan works to support the protection and restoration of Mono Lake and its tributary streams in the office and out in the field. She loves doing something different every day, from monitoring the lake's rise and groundwater patterns along the creek's bottomlands to researching policy issues. But after three summers sharing Mono Lake with visitors by canoe, Morgan's favorite job will always be making new friends for the lake. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with an Environmental Studies degree in Water Science & Policy, there is nowhere Morgan would rather be than the Mono Basin. If she's not out hiking, skiing, or digging in the dirt with the Sierra Bounty CSA, Morgan's probably at rehearsal for the next Eastern Sierra theatrical adventure—eager for any socially acceptable excuse to sport a goatee.See All Posts by Morgan (33) Contact Morgan
A summer sunset in the Bodie Hills. Photo courtesy of John Dittli.
The Bodie Hills, one of the nation’s treasures located just north of Mono Lake, contain outstanding natural and cultural values that deserve special protection. Now a gold mining company wants to reopen the Bodie Hills to mining, with a presentation to the Mono County Board of Supervisors scheduled for February 15. Letters from concerned members of the public can make a big difference; details are available from The Bodie Hills Conservation Partnership. (more…)
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 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
The big earthmovers are rolling again at Lee Vining Airport this week, even though the runway is newly flattened and paved and new lighting is nearly complete. Their goal now is to remedy one of the major unexpected consequences of the runway rehabilitation project: an obtrusive 10-acre material stockpile located beyond the north end of the runway.
Material is being relocated to the oversized drainage ditch on the west side of the runway. Photo by Geoff McQuilkin.
The height and size of the stockpile raised substantial concerns from local residents, visitors, and the Mono Lake Committee due to the impacts on (more…)
Monday, August 16th, 2010 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
The Bodie Hills, just north of Mono Lake, are a spectacular place that are receiving attention as a possible area for National Monument designation. Discussions are quite preliminary, but the Los Angeles Times has a nice article, video, and photo set reviewing the 14 locations up for consideration by the Interior Department—look for the Bodie Hills feature and Lee Vining locals in the video!
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 by Sarah, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Sarah, Mono Lake InternName: Sarah Melcher Title: Mono Lake Intern About: After a five-month hiatus in Spain, where she made it her goal to try the chocolate gelato in every city she visited, Sarah is back for round two as an intern to help with policy projects and stream monitoring. During the school year she attends St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she studies sociology, anthropology, and Spanish, and regularly daydreams about the Eastern Sierra.See All Posts by Sarah (6) Contact Sarah
After I finished my day’s data collections of stream flows for Mill Creek, I took the time to explore the Mill Creek bottomlands and the Black Point Marsh at the lakeshore. I eagerly hiked down the stream, bushwhacking through sagebrush, stopping to closely observe wildflowers, and frequently crossing the creek to observe curious Killdeer through my borrowed binoculars. Suddenly, completely out of the blue, I stepped onto the pumice sand of the beach and I was in a new world.
Where Mill Creek's water meets Mono Lake.
Not only had I had never seen Mono Lake from this angle, but following the trickle of Mill Creek water into the lake gave my weekly flow measurements and data collections new meaning. I am monitoring (more…)
Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by Sarah, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Sarah, Mono Lake InternName: Sarah Melcher Title: Mono Lake Intern About: After a five-month hiatus in Spain, where she made it her goal to try the chocolate gelato in every city she visited, Sarah is back for round two as an intern to help with policy projects and stream monitoring. During the school year she attends St. Olaf College in Minnesota, where she studies sociology, anthropology, and Spanish, and regularly daydreams about the Eastern Sierra.See All Posts by Sarah (6) Contact Sarah
Water cascades over the Lundy Lake Reservoir spillway on its way down Mill Creek to Mono Lake. Photo by Sarah Melcher.
I grabbed the flow meter and eagerly drove out to Lundy Canyon, where our beloved Mill Creek runs in its complicated course to Mono Lake. As the intern assigned to monitor Mill Creek this summer, I got to be one of the first people to see Lundy Lake Reservoir spill into the usually less-than-full creek bed.
Typically, Mill Creek is diverted at Lundy Lake to the SCE power plant. Some of that water is then diverted for delivery to water rights holders, but (more…)
Monday, April 12th, 2010 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
Fishing opener April 24, is a busy time for Lee Vining and the region, but this year there’s quite a bit of local concern about whether streams and lakes will be stocked with fish. The Department of Fish & Game (DFG) has announced a new pre-stocking evaluation process that is causing quite a bit of consternation because it is holding up stocking efforts. The process requires reviewing each water for conflicts between trout and resident sensitive species.
Fishing opener is April 24 and Mono Basin streams are being stocked. Photo by Elin Ljung.
Here in the Mono Basin, most routinely-stocked lakes and streams have already been cleared to be stocked, including Rush, Lee Vining, and Mill creeks; Lundy Lake; Grant Lake, and (more…)
Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin is an EMT on the Lee Vining Fire Department, loves sitting at Latte Da Coffee Cafe immersed in a good book, and watches English Premier League football (soccer) at any opportunity.See All Posts by Elin (133) Contact Elin
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!
Thursday, January 21st, 2010 by Lisa, Eastern Sierra Policy DirectorcloseAuthor: Lisa, Eastern Sierra Policy DirectorName: Lisa Cutting Title: Eastern Sierra Policy Director About: Lisa concentrates on the Mono Basin's policy issues such as protecting the integrity of the Scenic Area, coordinating with regional agency staff, and working with the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and scientists on the ongoing restoration of Mono Lake and its tributary streams. Lisa uses sleuthing-out good fly fishing spots as another excuse for hiking, and it's always a treat when her happy golden retriever Abbey comes to visit the office!See All Posts by Lisa (6) Contact Lisa
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 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
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:
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 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
The International Symposium on Terminus Lakes has a subtitle on the program: “preserving endangered lakes through research.” Gathering reliable information really is the first step in saving a lake—with Mono Lake, the 1976 ecological study laid the groundwork for the formation of the Mono Lake Committee and its early work, and the fight to save the lake over the years benefited from the many other studies of the ecosystem.
With the Walker Lake watershed north of Mono Lake, (more…)
