Fall is here, the days are getting shorter, and the aspens have begun to turn … with that comes shorter hours at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore.

Don’t fret—we will still remain open seven days a week from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

Please stop by if you’re passing through Lee Vining—we’d love to see you!

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…)

A Yellow-headed ... Blackbird! Photo courtesy of Ben Winger.

It’s a beautiful fall morning at Mono Lake County Park. I hear a Killdeer calling overhead from the cottonwood trees. No, wait—that would be a European Starling doing an excellent imitation!

I’m in my final month of leading public bird walks as the Mono Lake Committee Birding Intern. Has it really been five months since I rolled into town, nervous about whether I could sort out the sparrows from the finches, especially when in front of a group? I had a steep learning curve while leading my first-ever bird walks, and maybe I did shout out “Yellow-headed Woodpecker!” to one of my first groups as a vivid bird flew past. (“That would be Yellow-headed BLACKBIRD,” they gently corrected me). (more…)

As the first splotches of yellow begin to appear in the aspen groves of Lundy Canyon, the time has come for many of us to think about the future. Many interns who spend a summer working for the Mono Lake Committee eventually return to the basin—working either for the Committee or the Park Service or another conservation group. Some interns never leave, and instead slip first into winter seasonal work and then eventually into new roles as their knowledge and skill set grow.

It takes a 16,000-member, 20-staff village to save Mono Lake. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

But what about those of us who are headed off to other jobs and divergent paths this fall, and who may return only as visitors: what has a summer in the Sierra meant to us? (more…)

Enjoy Yosemite National Park without the travel stress—use the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System (YARTS) and leave your car behind. September is the final month of 2012 YARTS bus service to the eastside. On weekends only, through September 30, you can ride to and from Yosemite Valley or Tuolumne Meadows, see more dramatic scenery, forget about parking, and enjoy the freedom that comes from being fully bipedal in Yosemite (save on gas too!). YARTS also links Yosemite with its westside communities. Cruise the YARTS website to check out bus fares, stops, and schedules.

I was lucky enough to spend the summers of 2007 and 2008 Lee Vining volunteering and interning with the Mono Lake Committee, but this summer is exceptionally memorable. During a cold and windy morning of interpretive training down at South Tufa early this summer, we were amazed to see the most foam any of us had ever witnessed at Mono Lake.

My legs covered in foam after an early summer trek along the windy South Tufa shoreline. Photo courtesy of Janet Carle.

Foam can appear on the shoreline because the lake’s unique chemical composition includes natural surfactants that reduce the surface tension necessary to hold bubbles together. In layman’s terms, Mono Lake’s soapy-feeling water acts like soap and can bubble up considerably when mixed, such as when 30-mile-an-hour gusts reach the normally calm shoreline.

For years I’ve heard of the immense flocks of phalaropes that grace Mono Lake with their synchronized flocks. This summer, our canoe and walking tours were exceptionally special because of a few thousand special guests at South Tufa and Navy Beach. For one reason or another the phalaropes picked (more…)

This summer is turning out to be drier than expected. Preliminary data for April–July show Lee Vining Creek runoff is about 1,000 acre-feet short of the 17,900 acre-feet (53% of average) forecast, Rush Creek runoff about 2,000 acre-feet short of the 23,400 acre-feet (49%) forecast, and Parker Creek runoff about 600 acre-feet short of the 3,400 acre-foot (62%) forecast. Only Walker Creek appears to be on target with its 1,300 acre-foot (42%) prediction—notably the lowest forecast of the four creeks. (more…)

Last week I watched a family share a fish dinner at South Tufa. The mother pulled the flesh from the bones of the fish and then gently gave it to the babies, who not-so-gently shoved each other out of the way. When everyone had eaten, mom tried to get the babes to settle down to sleep. I couldn’t tell if a story was read or a lullaby sung, but the action stilled. When the light faded from the mountains, both parents were sitting with the sleeping young, safe in their nest on the tufa.

These fish-eaters are Osprey, Pandion haliaetus, and we are lucky to have them nesting at Mono Lake where they are easy to see. Osprey catch fish (more…)

Devils Postpile. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.

After last November’s significant wind storm, now appropriately called “The Devils Windstorm,” caused considerable damage to the Devils Postpile/Reds Meadow area, the sites are now open for the season.

The Reds Meadow shuttle service is running, and the Devils Postpile and Reds Meadow campgrounds are open. Check here for updates on other Forest Service campground openings.

The wind event occurred November 30 through December 1, 2011. Wind came from the northeast, reaching the valley at (more…)

It’s that time of year again, when the migratory birds are returning to the Mono Basin. They are singing their hearts out, defending territories, forming pairs, and making nests.

California Gulls build nests on Mono Lake's islands each spring. Photo by Russ Taylor.

We hope that you will be able to join us this season to witness all of this and more on one of our free weekly bird walks. In conjunction with Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve rangers, Mono Lake Committee staff will be leading walks on Friday and Sunday mornings at 8:00am at Mono Lake County Park. Meet us there in the parking lot, and bring your binoculars! You never know what we might see in our leisurely two-hour walk as we explore the willows and poplar trees, and view the lakeshore from the boardwalk. No reservations necessary—come one and all!