Friday, September 28th, 2012 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
State Water Board vote to protect Mono Lake, September 28, 1994. Archive photo.
Today is September 28, a day of great significance to Mono Lake!
Check your Mono Lake Calendars … that’s right, today is the anniversary of the State Water Resources Control Board vote on Decision 1631—the decision that protected Mono Lake by ending the excessive diversion of water to Los Angeles.
It’s easy to remember where I was exactly 18 years ago today since I was the Committee’s photographer and Newsletter editor at the time. That put me in Sacramento (more…)
In early September I had the privilege of joining PRBO Conservation Science researcher Kristie Nelson and small group of volunteers in an excursion to Mono Lake’s islets for the annual California Gull mortality count (otherwise known as the “Mort Count”).
On the boat out to the Mort Count sites at Mono Lake. Photo by Max Henkels.
This was the third and final trip that the gull researchers made to the islands this summer. In July, Birding Intern Erica Tucker helped out with chick-banding in a trip she chronicled last month on the Mono-logue. My experience on the islands was much different from hers (more…)
Friday, September 21st, 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
The summer of 2012 was hot. But how hot? As we celebrate the Autumnal Equinox and the end of summer, let’s take a look back and see how the weather this year (so far) compared to previous years. Our focus is on temperatures—every month this year has had above-average temperatures. In October, we will summarize the meager precipitation and snowfall that fell during the dry October 1, 2011–September 30, 2012 Water Year. (more…)
Thursday, September 20th, 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
Erica and Rose at Lundy Lake Reservoir. Photo by Lynette Villagomez.
The sole of a shoe, a child’s rubber ball, and a bait container printed with the phrase “please do not litter”—what do these items have in common?
All were found and picked up by sharp-eyed Mono Lake enthusiasts during the Great Sierra River Cleanup, held on September 15. This was the (more…)
Monday, September 17th, 2012 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
Please take a moment tosend a letter to the California Department of Transportation today—now is the time to make your voice heard for a safe, ecologically-sound project!
A view of roadcut 4 from the Old Marina entrance with a visual simulation of the mesh drapery proposed in Option 1. Visual simulation courtesy of the Caltrans Lee Vining Rockfall Safety Project Initial Study.
TheLee Vining Rockfall Safety Project has the potential to solve old eroding roadcuts next to Mono Lake but only if Caltrans combines permanent slope stabilization with aggressive and guaranteed revegetation measures. Otherwise, a unmitigated version of the project will remove existing trees and shrubs, creating more erosion and permanent visual scars on the landscape.
There public comment deadline is September 24 and now is the time to make your voice heard on behalf of Mono Lake. To learn more about the Caltrans Rockfall Project, please visit our action center and send a letter today asking Caltrans to do the right thing for Mono Lake.
Tuesday, September 11th, 2012 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
Meet at the Mono Lake Committee at 8:30am this Saturday, September 15 for the Great Sierra River Cleanup—we’ll be cleaning up the shore of Lundy Lake Reservoir! Please wear closed-toed shoes, be ready for fall weather, and bring water. We’ll provide the snacks. (more…)
Friday, September 7th, 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
Skypilot (Polemonium eximium) are found in the high Sierra above treeline, including near the summit of Mt. Dana. Photo by Nick Holt.
America’s National Parks and extensive wilderness system provides millions of acres of unspoiled lands in which we can all escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life for a day, a week, or even months at a time. Enjoying our protected public lands is not the only activity we can pursue in the great outdoors, however.
Adventurers & Scientists for Conservation is a nonprofit founded by Gregg Treinish after he was able to partake in the adventure of a lifetime—trekking 7,800 miles along the length of the Andes, worthy of 2008 National Geographic Adventurer of the Year honors—but he felt (more…)
After a 36-week flight, the NASA rover Curiosity made a safe landing on Mars in early August, marking the start of the most comprehensive and sophisticated Mars mission to date. What, you might ask, does Curiosity’s mission have to do with Mono Lake?
A prototype Mars rover at Mono Lake in October 2010. Photo by Bartshe Miller.
From the study of extremophiles to the testing of new equipment, NASA has been involved with research in the Mono Basin (more…)
On Wednesday, August 29th, the Mono Lake Committee hosted PRBO Conservation Science’s Eastern Sierra Project leader Ken Etzel for our last Refreshments with Refreshing ‘Ologists talk of the year. Ken came to talk to us about ongoing research in the Eastern Sierra on aspen regeneration and its effect on native bird populations. As a researcher for PRBO, Ken has partnered with (more…)
Mono Lake Intern Lynette Villagomez recording measurements at Mill Creek.
For many Mono Lake interns, one of the main draws of working for the Mono Lake Committee is the opportunity to work outdoors in the Mono Basin. One of the opportunities to do this is the weekly stream monitoring that the Committee carries out at Mill Creek. Mill Creek monitoring, as we call it around the office, is part of the broad effort to track the status of the streamflows and ecology of the five creeks that feed Mono Lake from the Sierra Nevada. (more…)
