Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 by Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistcloseAuthor: Carolyn, Former Project SpecialistName: Carolyn Weddle Title: Project Specialist About: Graduated from Humboldt State University with a degree in Environmental Policy, Carolyn loves the outdoors and the Eastern Sierra and is known to make forays in the Nevada hills for further exploration. After spending summer 2011 as a Retail Assistant in the Information Center & Bookstore, Carolyn stayed through winter 2012 as a Project Specialist.See All Posts by Carolyn (22) Contact Carolyn
Fall has arrived and with it a few changes in the Mono Basin!
Hours and closures:
The Scenic Area Visitor Center is now open Thursday–Monday, 9:00am–4:30pm.
Tioga Pass Resort is now closed for the season.
Saddlebag Lake Resort is now closed for the season. The water taxi is no longer running.
Campground updates:
Ellery, Junction, Tioga, and Saddlebag campgrounds have all closed for the winter.
Aspen Campground is scheduled to close on October 17.
Visit the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore, open 9:00am–5:00pm daily, or the Scenic Area Visitor Center for more information on seasonal closures.
Thursday, October 6th, 2011 by Bartshé, Education DirectorcloseAuthor: Bartshé, Education DirectorName: Bartshé Miller Title: Education Director About: Bartshé directs the Committee's Outdoor Experiences Program, Canoe Program, and Interpretive Programs, and manages the Mono Basin Field Station. He has been an Eastern Sierra resident since 1993.See All Posts by Bartshé (30) Contact Bartshé
Trumbull Lake Campground Road, October 5, 2011.
Along the Virginia Canyon Road. Photos by Bartshe Miller.
This year is providing one of the latest fall color displays in memory. The timing is not surprising considering that last winter did not end until June and many aspens did not leaf out completely until then. On October 5 an early-season snowstorm blanketed the high country with snow. A quick scout up Virginia and Lundy canyons revealed minimal colors. Conway Summit aspens were displaying (more…)
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011 by Arya, Communications DirectorcloseAuthor: Arya, Communications DirectorName: Arya Degenhardt Title: Communications Director About: Arya oversees the Committee's communications program, which includes the Mono Lake Newsletter. She loves her job because she gets to share the inspiring work of the Mono Lake Committee with members and visitors alike. When she's not in the office you might find her running with her dogs Dublin and Poco, volunteering with the Lee Vining Fire Department, listening to any music with a banjo in it, or willing the plants in her garden to grow. Her favorite things to do in the Mono Basin include ice skating on nearby lakes, skiing the Mono Craters, and getting to smell the sagebrush when it rains.See All Posts by Arya (91) Contact Arya
Fall color along the Highway 395 corridor is starting to make itself known with yellow and orange ribbons of aspens gracing the Eastside’s steep riparian corridors from Bishop to the Mono Basin and beyond.
Fall color at high elevations in the Mono Basin. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.
Aspen groves at higher elevations are definitely changing—such as the east-facing flanks above Lundy Canyon and below Conway Summit.
I’ve also heard reports that the colors are beautiful in the Sagehen Summit area out Highway 120 East as well as early color around the Lee Vining diversion dam up Highway 120 West.
Who knows what the incoming stormy weather will do to the progression of color, but I highly recommend getting out there as soon as possible.
Friday, September 23rd, 2011 by Rosanne, Office DirectorcloseAuthor: Rosanne, Office DirectorName: Rosanne Catron Title: Office Manager About: Originally from Bishop, Rose's easy-going, friendly personality make her perfectly suited for her role as Office Director. Rose creates the complicated bookstore schedule, oversees the intern and volunteer programs, and keeps office relations smooth and happy.See All Posts by Rosanne (34) Contact Rosanne
Starting Friday, September 23rd the Information Center & Bookstore will be open from 9:00am–5:00pm, seven days a week.
We are open throughout the winter with the exception of major holidays, so come visit us for information on fall colors and Mono Lake, or to do your holiday shopping.
We have an excellent selection of books, maps, cards, T-shirts, jewelry, and locally-made items.
Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 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
After a cool spring and a late summer we are eagerly awaiting the leaves changing here in the Mono Basin. Right now there are a few spots of color on Conway Summit, in Lundy Canyon, and along the June Lake Loop, but not much has changed yet.
Fall colors blaze on Conway Summit last October 21st. Photo by Bartshe Miller.
Stay up to date on the latest fall color news by checking the informative California Fall Color website. You can also give us a call here at the office at (760) 647-6595 and we’ll tell you what we’ve seen. Happy autumn!
Monday, September 5th, 2011 by Julia, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Julia, Mono Lake InternName: Julia Runcie Title: Mono Lake Intern About: As a native of the diminutive Green Mountains, Julia is completely in awe of the Sierra but has to admit she sometimes misses real maple syrup. After her 2010 summer internship she stayed through the winter as a Project Specialist, and is now a Mono Lake Intern for her second summer. In her free time, Julia loves to hike, cook, write, and uproot invasive weeds.See All Posts by Julia (42) Contact Julia
The National Park Service is extending the “Stars Over Mono” program through September 19 this year, so you still have a chance to learn about the night sky with the help of an interpretive ranger.
The night sky at South Tufa. Photo courtesy of Bristlecone Media.
The program meets every Monday at 8:00pm at the South Tufa kiosk. Mono Lake is a particularly good stargazing venue as the horizon is not obscured and there is very little light pollution. Bring a pad to sit on and your sense of wonder! Each program lasts an hour and a half.
Friday, August 26th, 2011 by Oliver, Birding InterncloseAuthor: Oliver, Birding InternName: Oliver James Title: Birding Intern About: Oliver has been chasing birds since he was five. He first came to the Mono Basin for the fifth annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua in 2006. This year he returned to take the Committee’s Birding Intern position and was a field trip leader for the tenth annual Chautauqua. In 2008 Oliver worked on Dr. David Winkler's "Golondrinas de las Americas" project studying Tachycineta swallows in Lee Vining Canyon and he has twice voyaged to Krakatoa Islet on Mono Lake to assist in PRBO Conservation Science's California Gull monitoring project. Born and raised in Berkeley, Oliver just finished his first year at Wesleyan University.See All Posts by Oliver (3) Contact Oliver
Summer is truly winding down for many feathered friends here in the Mono Basin.
Red-necked Phalarope. Photo courtesy of Stiver Photos.
The songbird symphony that follows any hiker around the basin from April through mid-August is now merely a murmur. Many of the colorful summer vacationers to the Eastern Sierra (e.g. buntings, orioles, grosbeaks) are still present in the basin, but (more…)
Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011 by Rosanne, Office DirectorcloseAuthor: Rosanne, Office DirectorName: Rosanne Catron Title: Office Manager About: Originally from Bishop, Rose's easy-going, friendly personality make her perfectly suited for her role as Office Director. Rose creates the complicated bookstore schedule, oversees the intern and volunteer programs, and keeps office relations smooth and happy.See All Posts by Rosanne (34) Contact Rosanne
Starting Sunday, August 28th, the Information Center & Bookstore will be open from 9:00am–7:00pm, seven days a week. Come in with your questions about birding, hiking, camping, or hotels and restaurants in the area. And while you are here, browse our excellent selection of books, maps, T-shirts, and other gift items!
Starting Sunday, August 28th the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore will be open from 9:00am to 7:00pm daily.
Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 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 Mono Basin and Eastern Sierra were hit by intense thunderstorms last weekend, especially on Saturday. Rainfall rates of up to seven inches per hour were recorded in the Sierra! Debris flows closed both Highway 395 and Highway 120 West for short periods of time—in Walker Canyon, Highway 395 was buried under five feet of mud in places. Rush Creek above Grant Lake Reservoir reached the highest flow so far this season, around 400 cubic feet per second (preliminary data) as rainfall combined with snowmelt from the still-extensive unmelted snowfields in the upper watershed to spill through the full reservoirs.
Lee Vining WebCam view of Saturday's thunderstorm that closed Highways 395 and 120 for short periods of time.
At the Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore in Lee Vining, we recorded (more…)
Sunday, July 31st, 2011 by Oliver, Birding InterncloseAuthor: Oliver, Birding InternName: Oliver James Title: Birding Intern About: Oliver has been chasing birds since he was five. He first came to the Mono Basin for the fifth annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua in 2006. This year he returned to take the Committee’s Birding Intern position and was a field trip leader for the tenth annual Chautauqua. In 2008 Oliver worked on Dr. David Winkler's "Golondrinas de las Americas" project studying Tachycineta swallows in Lee Vining Canyon and he has twice voyaged to Krakatoa Islet on Mono Lake to assist in PRBO Conservation Science's California Gull monitoring project. Born and raised in Berkeley, Oliver just finished his first year at Wesleyan University.See All Posts by Oliver (3) Contact Oliver
The complete list of bird species seen during this year’s Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is now available here.
Chautauqua participants scan for birds in the Bodie Hills. Photo by Elin Ljung.
Chautauqua-goers flocked to the Mono Basin in record numbers this year but not so for the birds. With a late, cold spring the total species tally for Chautauqua week was notably down (166 species compared to 184 seen in 2010). Some species that are usually reliably present were absent and overall numbers of common species were reduced.
But that did nothing to dampen the spirits (more…)
