It has been an unusual summer for water. With just 104% of average runoff forecasted for the Mono Basin, sudden warmth the first week in June brought peak flows down the creeks more typical of a wet year. But despite the high flows in the creeks during June and July, the total volume is not representative of a wetter year.

Grant Lake Reservoir spilled from July 3rd until the (more…)

Beginning August 1 boaters can visit Negit Island (pictured), Paoha Island, and Mono Lake’s islets.

The islands are closed to boaters from April 1 to August 1 each year, in order to protect the nesting population of California Gulls. The gulls are nearing the end of their breeding season, so now visitors can take the opportunity to explore Mono Lake’s distinctive islands.

As always, when you boat on Mono Lake, be aware of the weather forecast, take more food and water than you think (more…)

The Mono Fire on Tuesday afternoon. The fire was 70% contained Thursday morning when Hwy 120 reopened. Photo by Greg Reis.

This morning the Mono Fire is 70% contained at 1,200 acres. Highway 120 East reopened as well as South Tufa, Navy Beach, and Panum Crater. All regularly scheduled tours are occurring, including daily South Tufa Tours at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 6:00 pm.

The fire is still burning at the north end of the Mono Craters with little potential for expansion, however Hwy 120 may close again if necessary. Stay clear of fire equipment and use caution – pilot cars may be needed for controlling traffic in some areas.

Re-opening notice

Fire photos

Fire movie

As of 5:00pm on Monday July 26th, 2010, a wildland fire was burning north from the West Portal area along the Mono Craters toward the north. Highway 120 East and Panum Crater are in the path of the fire. Highway 120 East of Highway 395 to Benton Crossing Road is currently closed. South Tufa and Panum Crater are closed and today’s tours are canceled.

Check for updates here.

by Julia Runcie and Hannah Doherty

Normally when the two of us head down to Rush Creek on Tuesday afternoons it’s an easy wade through ankle-deep water to reach the eastern bank. We hike through a willow thicket to a very old and overgrown utility road, and then the hunt begins for the six piezometers, or groundwater gauges, that hide in the brush on either side of the trail. At each piezometer we extend a tape measure deep into the throat of a PVC pipe until it hits water, and we record the depth. It’s often a struggle even to catch sight of the pool at the base of each pipe. But last week was different. (more…)

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…)

The official word is that Tioga Pass (Hwy 120 to Yosemite National Park) will open at 8 am Saturday June 5th, 2010. All facilities along Tioga Road will remain closed indefinitely. The snowpack is quite deep for this late in the season along the road.

Access to Yosemite is also free this weekend in honor of National Trails Day. Other free days this year will include August 14-15, September 25, and November 11.

May 2010 was almost as cold as May 1998. The average temperature this May was 46.6 degrees F, making it the second-coldest May in Lee Vining since weather records started in 1988. It also set a new record low, 20 degrees, 1 degree colder than the previous May record in 2000. The average minimum temperature of 33.9 also set a new record, beating 1998’s 34.16.

Eight daily records were set last month, with seven of them broken the week of the 23rd through the 29th. Four days set new records for the lowest maximum temperature and four set new records for the lowest minimum temperature ever recorded in (more…)

With warmer weather and the road open as far as Tioga Pass from Highway 395, there was quite a bit of human-powered recreation going on at Tioga Pass this weekend. Cars—many with bike racks and ski racks—were at times taking almost all the available parking spots that had been cleared of snow between Ellery Lake and Tioga Pass.

Cyclists enjoy the car-free Tioga Pass Road in Tuolumne Meadows, Yosemite National Park.

(more…)

First the bad news:
According to Yosemite National Park Superintendent Don Neubacher, Tioga Pass (Highway 120) will not open for this Memorial Day weekend. No opening date is in sight, but crews are working hard to open the road for the busy summer season. Stay tuned here to the Mono-logue and check the California Department of Transportation website for the latest news.

Sonora Pass (Highway 108) is not open. (As of 5pm it is open)

The good news:

Monitor Pass (Highway 89) has reopened today, according to the Bishop CalTrans office.

Luckily, the lower gate on the east side of Tioga Pass is now open, allowing skiers easy access to the abundant new snow in the Tioga Pass area.