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2013 Field Seminars
Registration for the Mono Lake Committee's 2013 Field Seminars will open on Friday, February 1 for members only. Watch for a blue "register" button to appear next to each seminar.
If you are not a Mono Lake Committee member but you wish to register in February, you may become a member of the Committee and sign up for the class of your choice. Non-members will be able to register beginning on Friday, March 1.
Questions? Call (760) 647-6595 or email Communications Coordinator Elin Ljung.
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Woodpeckers of the Mono Basin
June 7–9
Stephen Shunk
$165 per person / $150 for members
Join North American woodpecker specialist Steve Shunk for this dynamic overview to Mono Basin woodpeckers. Woodpeckers are one of the most specialized bird families in the world, and at least nine species of woodpeckers occur regularly in the Mono Basin, making the forests around Mono Lake a perfect stage for observing these amazing forest carpenters. Steve started birding in 1989 and has studied the ecology of western forests for the last 14 years. He recently completed the Peterson Reference Guide to Woodpeckers of North America, and in summer 2013 will spend his third season studying Black-backed Woodpeckers in the Sierra Nevada.
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Los Angeles Aqueduct Tour
June 8
Greg Reis
$105 per person / $95 for members
The Mono Basin extension of the Los Angeles Aqueduct began transporting water 350 miles south to the City of LA in 1941. Visit all the major aqueduct facilities in the Mono Basin and learn about the aqueduct's effects on Mono Lake, its tributary streams, the Upper Owens River, and land management in the area. The group will discuss the history of water diversions, the effort to save Mono Lake, and the future of habitat restoration. Greg Reis is the Committee's Information & Restoration Specialist and the perfect guide for unraveling the Mono Basin's complex and fascinating plumbing—he has nearly 20 years of experience in Mono Basin hydrology and restoration and he keeps close track of Mono Basin water management.
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South Shore Kayak
June 9
Stuart Wilkinson & Committee staff
$105 per person / $95 for members
limited to 12 participants
Early summer reveals snow-capped mountains towering over a glassy Mono Lake—a great time to kayak! Join Stuart Wilkinson and a Mono Lake Committee staff member for a guided naturalist expedition along Mono's south shore. This natural history kayak tour will cover a wide variety of topics relating to this unusual Great Basin lake, such as geology, ecology, history, and politics. Expect to see underwater tufa towers, birds, brine shrimp, and lake-bottom springs. Some kayak experience is helpful, but not necessary; kayaks and safety equipment are provided. This seminar is being offered for the 17th year in a row, and is highly rated by past participants.
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Birding & Bird Photography
June 11–13
Santiago Escruceria
$165 per person / $150 for members
limited to 12 participants
This seminar will focus on identifying and photographing birds found in the Mono Basin's diverse habitats. The group will visit sagebrush scrub, open meadows, riparian corridors, and forests, combining light hiking with observation and photography. Participants should have basic photography skills; this seminar is not a course in photography instruction. Santiago Escruceria is a Colombian-born American citizen who has taught environmental education at the Mono Lake Committee for 13 years. He also runs a birding tour company and leads annual birding tours in the area of Cali, Colombia. This seminar makes a perfect addition to the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua weekend, which begins Friday, June 14.
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Digital Photography Basics
June 21–23
David Gubernick
$225 per person / $200 for members
$10 materials fee
limited to 12 participants
This workshop is designed to demystify the technical terms and functions of your digital SLR camera and enhance your picture-taking abilities in a warm and supportive learning environment. Learn how to get good exposures, read your histogram, understand different f-stops, shutter speeds, shooting modes, ISO settings, depth-of-field, white balance, lens choices, and much more. In addition to mastering the technical aspects of creating images, the group will explore the artistry of photography with an emphasis on composition. Through guided practice sessions, field trips in the Mono Basin, coaching in the field, and review of images, you will learn to create better images with visual impact. Participants must bring digital SLR cameras; no point-and-shoot cameras.
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Willow & Tule Basketry
June 28–30
Lucy Parker & Julia Parker
$190 per person / $175 for members
$80 materials fee
primitive group campsite included (no pets, please)
limited to 12 participants
During this seminar, participants will prepare materials and create a Miwok-Paiute willow and tule burden basket—used for gathering pinenuts, acorns, and berries. This seminar is designed for weavers of all levels and participants are encouraged (but not required) to camp with the group at the peaceful private campsite. Lucy Parker is a descendent of the Yosemite Miwok, Mono Lake Kutzadika'a, and Kayasha Pomo peoples. She learned traditional handiwork from her mother Julia, a master basket weaver. Julia Parker has dedicated her life to learning and teaching basketry and is the only weaver still practicing who was taught by women who wove in the early 20th century.
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Insects & Plants: An Ecological Marriage for the Ages
June 29–30
Richard Potashin & Nancy Hadlock
$155 per person / $140 for members
Explore the complex, intimate relationships and attractions between insects and plants that support and sustain life on Earth. Learn about the threats to this essential relationship and how cultures, artists, and poets have interpreted "this marriage for the ages." Richard Potashin is a longtime Eastern Sierra resident and past Mono Lake Committee intern and canoe guide. In a previous life as a landscape gardener, he developed a passion for the native flora and incorporated native plants into ornamental landscapes. Nancy Hadlock has been a naturalist, interpreter and educator for the National Park Service and US Forest Service for over 30 years. Her enthusiasm for insects is contagious.
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Summer Birds of the Mono Basin
July 12–14
David Wimpfheimer
$165 per person / $150 for members
This field seminar will concentrate on the identification and ecology of birds that breed in the Mono Basin and others that migrate to Mono Lake during the summer. In sagebrush meadows and riparian and montane forests, the class will explore a number of sites, mixing short leisurely walks with periods of observation and natural history discussion. Woodpeckers, corvids, flycatchers, warblers, and other passerines display fascinating, varied behaviors. However, a major focus will be Mono Lake and other wetlands where phalaropes and other shorebirds feed. David Wimpfheimer has been educating and interpreting birds and California's natural history for over 20 years. His seasoned focus and knowledge make for enjoyable and educational outings.
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Mono Basin Moonlight Photography
July 19–21
David Gubernick
$250 per person / $225 for members
limited to 8 participants
Nighttime photography opens up a new world of photographic possibilities that are both compelling and challenging. Using the moon as your light source, learn to properly expose your digital images and to deal with digital noise. Through guided practice sessions, field trips in the Mono Basin and upper reaches of the Eastern Sierra, coaching in the field, and review of images, you will learn to create nighttime images with visual impact. David Gubernick is an internationally and nationally published and award-winning nature photographer and workshop leader. His exhibition prints can be seen at Gallery Sur in Carmel and the Ventana Inn & Spa in Big Sur.
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Mono Basin Mammals
July 20–21
John Harris
$155 per person / $140 for members
This class will introduce participants to the diversity of mammals found in Mono Basin from desert sand dunes to the forests and alpine meadows of the High Sierra. More mammals occur here than in many states, and the group will try to see as many as possible by live-trapping and field observation. Participants will look for tracks and other signs and learn to identify skulls found in the field, emphasizing identification and adaptations to Mono's varied environments. John Harris is a Professor of Biology at Mills College whose interest in Mono's mammals began in 1975 while working as an undergraduate assistant in a study of chipmunks. He went on to study small mammals on Mono Lake's dunes as a graduate student and has worked on small mammals in the Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, and Mojave Desert of California.
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Capturing the Trees & Skies of Mono Lake on Paper
July 26–28
Ane Carla Rovetta
$175 per person / $160 for members
$10 materials fee
limited to 12 participants
The fragrant forests and radiant skies of the Mono Basin are pure inspiration. During this weekend of sketching, we will concentrate on the unique shapes of clouds and trees in the vast landscape. Historically, this kind of painting was called “elements of landscape” and was part of classical training. Our impressions will be recorded on toned paper using handmade charcoal and chalks provided by the instructor. After exploring this “gestalt” of our subject, participants will render their final pieces in the medium of their choice. Everyone will go home with at least one finished painting, as well as several drawings that can be expanded upon later. These fun investigations are geared towards artists of all levels and are a perfect follow-up for graduates of Ane Carla's landscape pastel weekends.
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Introduction to High Country Plants & Habitats
August 2–4
Ann Howald
$165 per person / $150 for members
This class will explore the mosaic of habitats found in the Eastern Sierra high country—flower-filled meadows fed by meandering streams, sagebrush-covered slopes, lodgepole pine forests, subalpine lakes bordered by willows, and flowery rock gardens. Sight identification of common trees, shrubs, and wildflowers will be emphasized, as well as the many ways that plants, birds, insects, and other wildlife interact in high country habitats. Ann Howald is a consulting botanist and volunteer for the California Native Plant Society and California State Parks. She has taught popular Committee field seminars for over ten years.
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Eastern Sierra en Plein Air Oil Painting
August 9–11
Allison Horst
$160 per person / $145 for members
limited to 12 participants
Participants in this seminar will practice painting with oils in the Mono Basin, focusing on simplifying compositions, establishing light and shadow relationships, using a limited palette to harmonize colors, and fi nishing small-format paintings in rapidly changing light. This workshop is geared towards those who have previous experience oil painting, but all levels are welcome. Each participant will complete several sketches daily. Allison Horst is an avid plein air oil painter known for her ability to capture California's landscapes from the shores of the Central Coast to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
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Geology of the Mono Basin: Land of Fire & Ice
August 16–18
Greg Stock
$165 per person / $150 for members
From volcanic craters to glacial moraines, earthquake faults to tufa towers, the Mono Basin displays some of the most unique, spectacular, and accessible geology anywhere in the world. This seminar, consisting mostly of field visits to the premier sites, will present in understandable fashion the geologic stories of the Mono Basin. Greg Stock is the first-ever Yosemite National Park geologist. He has studied and interpreted the geology of the Sierra Nevada for over a decade years. He has authored or co-authored over 50 papers and abstracts on Sierra Nevada geology, and is co-author of the book Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park.
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Coiled Willow Basketry
August 23–25
Lucy Parker & Julia Parker
$190 per person / $175 for members
$80 materials fee
primitive group campsite included (no pets, please)
limited to 12 participants
During this seminar, participants will prepare materials and create a small Miwok-Paiute coiled willow basket. This seminar is designed for weavers of all levels and participants are encouraged (but not required) to camp with the group at the peaceful private campsite. Lucy Parker is a descendent of the Yosemite Miwok, Mono Lake Kutzadika'a, and Kayasha Pomo peoples. She learned traditional handiwork from her mother Julia, a master basketweaver. Julia Parker has dedicated her life to learning and teaching basketry and is the only weaver still practicing who was taught by women who wove in the early 20th century.
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Living on the Edge:
Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep in the Mono Basin
September 7–8
John Wehausen
$180 per person / $165 for members
The US Fish & Wildlife Service listed the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep as Federally Endangered in 2000. This field seminar will involve discussions of the fascinating biology of bighorn sheep, their relationship with other mammals (including mountain lions and humans), and their conservation in the field. Past participants saw bighorn 14 out of the last 15 years—while there is a very good chance of seeing bighorn sheep in the wild during this seminar, there is no guarantee. John Wehausen is a research scientist at the White Mountain Research Station in Bishop who has been studying the Sierra Nevada bighorn and working for their conservation since 1974. Please be aware that this seminar involves very strenuous hiking at the 10,000-foot elevation and above.
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Birding the Migration: Mono Basin & Bridgeport Valley
September 12–13
Dave Shuford
$190 per person / $175 for members
The east slope of the Sierra Nevada is a major migration route for birds traveling from northern nesting areas to warm southern habitats. As a result, autumn is the time of year to see late fall migrants and early arriving wintering birds in the Mono Basin and Bridgeport Valley. This seminar will include a guided boat tour on Bridgeport Reservoir. Dave Shuford has been a staff biologist at PRBO Conservation Science for over 30 years. He has conducted numerous surveys and research projects in the Mono Basin and beyond and is well acquainted with where to find birds in the Eastern Sierra.
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Birding the Migration: Mono Basin & Long Valley
September 14–15
Dave Shuford
$155 per person / $140 for members
Late summer is the best time of year to see the greatest diversity of landbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds in the Mono Basin and on Crowley Lake Reservoir as they travel from northern nesting areas to warm southern habitats along this major migration route. Dave Shuford has been a staff biologist at PRBO Conservation Science for over 30 years. He has conducted numerous surveys and research projects in the Mono Basin and beyond and is well acquainted with where to find birds in the Eastern Sierra.
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Arborglyphs & Aspen Natural History
September 14–15
Richard Potashin & Nancy Hadlock
$180 per person / $165 for members
A century of sheep grazing brought Basque sheepherders into the Mono Basin's aspen-bordered meadows, and they left numerous carvings—or arborglyphs—on the aspens. Join the instructors for an enchanting journey into the aspen groves to explore this historic art form and to learn about the numerous wildlife, insects, and birds that are drawn to the groves. During leisurely walks the instructors will discuss the history of sheep grazing in the Mono Basin, Basque culture, the cultural significance of the carvings, and efforts to document them. Richard Potashin is a longtime Eastern Sierra resident who has been discovering and documenting aspen carvings for many years. Nancy Hadlock has been a naturalist, interpreter and educator for the National Park Service and US Forest Service for over 30 years.
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Geology of the Mono Basin: Land of Fire & Ice
October 4–6
Greg Stock
$155 per person / $140 for members
From volcanic craters to glacial moraines, earthquake faults to tufa towers, the Mono Basin displays some of the most unique, spectacular, and accessible geology anywhere in the world. This seminar, consisting mostly of field visits to the premier sites, will present in understandable fashion the geologic stories of the Mono Basin. Greg Stock is the first-ever Yosemite National Park geologist. He has studied and interpreted the geology of the Sierra Nevada for over a decade years. He has authored or co-authored over 50 papers and abstracts on Sierra Nevada geology, and is co-author of the book Geology Underfoot in Yosemite National Park.
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Mono Basin Fall Photography
October 11–13
Richard Knepp
$225 per person / $200 for members
Autumn in the Mono Basin is one of the greatest photographic experiences in the country. Spectacular foliage and skies combine with exceptional light, presenting ample subject matter for photographers in both color and black-and-white. Join accomplished photographer Richard Knepp to explore varied shoreline locations at sunrise and sunset, fall color in nearby canyons, and grand overviews of the Mono Basin. Photographers of all levels are welcome; a fully adjustable camera of any size or format is suggested. This is the 19th year in a row of this popular seminar.
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Field Journaling
TBA
Hannah Hinchman
$175 per person / $160 for members
Dates and description coming soon!
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Questions? Call (760) 647-6595 or email Communications Coordinator Elin Ljung. |
