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2010 Field Seminars
To register online for the seminars of your choice, click on the button below each description. You can also call (760) 647-6595 to register for seminars.
If you are not a Mono Lake Committee member, you may either join when you register, or wait until March 1, 2010 to sign up.
Registration is online or by phone only. We do not accept registration by mail or email.
Click here for registration information.
South Shore Kayak
June 6
Stuart Wilkinson & Mono Lake Committee Staff
$90 per person / $80 for member
limited to 12 participants
Late spring 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 14th year in a row, and is highly rated by past participants. Space is limited in this popular seminar, so register early!
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Visions of the Past: First Discoveries
June 12–13
Terri Geissinger
$140 per person / $125 for members
The Mono Basin is filled with curious monuments to a bustling past—take a journey back in time and discover the fascinating history behind the Mono Lake area and the rich Bodie Hills. The past will come to life as you hear stories of the discoverers, the prospectors, and the families who settled here and made the Mono Basin their home. Visit Dogtown, Monoville, Bodie (with a special visit to the Bodie Bluff!), Mono Mills, stagecoach routes, railroads, and gold mines. This seminar will focus on the people, the sites, and the stories that persisted long after the gold was gone. Terri Geissinger is a Bodie State Historic Park interpreter and guide. She is active in the Mono Basin Historical Society, and has a talent for making history come alive.
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Summer Birds: The Breeding Season in the Mono Basin
June 15–17
David Wimpfheimer
$150 per person / $135 for members
This field seminar will concentrate on the identification and ecology of birds that breed in the Mono Basin and others that migrate by Mono Lake during the summer. In sagebrush meadows, 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 varied behaviors, but a major focus will be Mono Lake and other special wetlands. David Wimpfheimer has been educating and interpreting birds and the natural history of California for over 20 years. His seasoned focus and knowledge will make for an enjoyable and educational outing!
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Photography at Burger's Sierra Retreat
June 25–27
Elizabeth Kenneday-Corathers
$355 per person / $340 for members
This brand-new field seminar will explore photography of the beautiful aspen groves and alpine landscapes above Mono Lake. Practical topics will include landscape representation, macrophotography of wildflowers and other flora, painting with light, night photography, and time studies, as well as philosophical and ethical issues in photographing the natural environment. Accommodations will be provided at the rustic and comfortable Burger's Sierra Retreat above Lee Vining, with all meals catered by Linda Dore Food Service. Photographers of all skill levels using either film or digital cameras are welcome. Elizabeth Kenneday-Corathers is an accomplished local photographer who is currently working on a photography book of the Mono Basin.
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The Art of Wildflower Macrophotography
July 9–11
David Gubernick
$250 per person / $225 for members
limited to 8 participants
Learn to take creative and beautiful close-up images, further develop your artistic vision, and enhance your photographic skills in the warm and supportive learning environment of this workshop for beginning to advanced amateur photographers. The weekend will emphasize the artistry of macrophotography and the technical means to render such images; this is not a course in botanical identification. David J. Gubernick, Ph.D., is an internationally and nationally published and award-winning nature photographer and workshop leader. His first photography book, Wildflowers of Monterey County, has been a best-seller, garnering rave reviews.
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Miwok-Paiute Basketry
July 16–18
Lucy Parker & Julia Parker
$185 per person / $170 for members
$80 materials fee
primitive group campsite included (no pets, please)
During this seminar, participants will prepare materials and create a Miwok-Paiute burden basket, which was used for gathering pinenuts, acorns, and berries. This seminar is designed for weavers of all levels. You are encouraged (but not required) to camp with the group, and evenings will be spent around the campfire with traditional songs and stories. 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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Los Angeles Aqueduct Tour
July 24
Greg Reis
$90 per person / $80 for members
The Mono Basin extension of the Los Angeles Aqueduct began exporting 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 also 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 Specialist and the perfect guide for unraveling the Mono Basin's complex and fascinating plumbing—he has 15 years of experience in Mono Basin hydrology and restoration and he keeps close track of Mono Basin water management.
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Capturing the Trees and Skies of Mono Lake on Paper
July 30–August 1
Ane Carla Rovetta
$160 per person / $145 for members
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. Our impressions will be recorded upon toned paper using handmade charcoal 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 6–8
Ann Howald
$150 per person / $135 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. She has taught popular Committee field seminars for over ten years.
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Fly Fishing in the Mono Basin
August 13–15
Pete Pumphrey & Roberta Lagomarsini
$165 per person / $150 for members
This introductory fly fishing seminar will cover equipment options, varieties of flies and their uses, trout and their habits, basic casting technique, stream strategies, and landing and releasing fish. The class will include casting instruction at the Conway Ranch fish-rearing facility and will move to a streamside location for considering trout habitat and habits, characteristics of a healthy stream environment, reading the water, fly presentation, and catch and release. A limited amount of equipment is available for those who are not already engaged in the sport. Pete Pumphrey and Roberta Lagomarsini are guides licensed by the State of California and have been teaching fly fishing for over ten years.
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Identifying High Country Wildflowers
August 20–22
Mark Bagley
$150 per person / $135 for members
At the headwaters of Lee Vining Creek amidst rich summer display of wildflowers, shrubs, and trees, this class will identify a great diversity of plants using Norman Weeden's A Sierra Nevada Flora. This weekend's seminar will combine a lecture with a hands-on session to introduce the basics of plant identification for beginners, and then will move to the field for easily-paced short walks at high elevations with much more time stopping and keying out plants than walking. This seminar is suitable for beginners or those with some experience with keying. Mark Bagley is a consulting botanist in the Eastern Sierra and Mojave Desert who has been leading field seminars in the Mono Basin since 1988. He is well known among past seminar participants for his easy-going pace and engaging teaching style in the field.
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Miwok-Paiute Basketry
August 27–29
Lucy Parker & Julia Parker
$185 per person / $170 for members
$80 materials fee
primitive group campsite included (no pets, please)
Over the seminar weekend, participants will complete a Miwok-Paiute tule basket, which was used for holding trinkets, basket tools, glass beads, abalone shells, and other trade items. This seminar is designed for weavers of all levels. You are encouraged (but not required) to camp with the group, and evenings will be spent around the campfire with traditional songs and stories. 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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Birding the East Side
August 27–29
David Lukas
$150 per person / $135 for members
This field seminar will concentrate on the identification and ecology of birds in the Mono Basin and local Eastern Sierra. The class will visit a wide variety of habitats including desert scrub, marsh, riparian forest, and mountain slopes in search of breeding birds and migrants. With over 300 species having been observed in the Mono Basin, this course will be of great interest to both beginning and more advanced birdwatchers. David Lukas has led over two hundred birdwatching and natural history programs for the Nature Conservancy, Yosemite Association, Audubon Society, Elderhostel, and other groups. He is the author of Watchable Birds of the Great Basin, Wild Birds of California, and the recently revised Sierra Nevada Natural History.
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Living on the Edge:
Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep in the Mono Basin
September 11–12
John Wehausen
$165 per person / $150 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 11 out of the last 12 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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Fall Bird Migration
September 18–19
Dave Shuford
$140 per person / $125 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, early autumn is the time of year to see the greatest diversity of landbirds, shorebirds, and waterbirds in the Mono Basin and on Crowley Lake Reservoir. Dave Shuford has been a staff biologist at PRBO Conservation Science for 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. This is one of our most popular field seminars, so register early!
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Visions of the Past: Bodie, Masonic, Aurora
September 18–19
Terri Geissinger
$140 per person / $125 for members
In the Bodie Hills, all within 20 miles, lie three ghost towns—their stories are filled with pioneer families, prospectors, muleskinners, heroes, and gunslingers. This guided tour will visit the town and the cemetery of Bodie, once the second largest city in California. Next, visit the rock cabins and foundations of Masonic, where 500 people resided in a beautiful canyon, mining gold with great hope and eventually producing considerable wealth. The last stop is Aurora, once a bustling town of 8,000 souls in the 1860s. Your guide Terri Geissinger is a Bodie State Historic Park interpreter and guide. She is active in the Mono Basin Historical Society, and has a talent for making history come alive.
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Mono Basin & Bodie Fall Photography
September 24–26
Richard Knepp
$300 per person / $285 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. And, for the seventh year, the class will spend Saturday at Bodie, inside some of the buildings—a very special treat! Join accomplished photographer Richard Knepp to explore varied shoreline locations at sunrise and sunset, fall color in nearby canyons, and the ghost town of Bodie. Photographers of all levels are welcome; a fully adjustable camera of any size or format is suggested. This is the 16th year in a row of this popular seminar!
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Arborglyphs & Aspen Natural History
October 9–10
Richard Potashin & Nancy Hadlock
$140 per person / $125 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. He is currently a Park Ranger at Manzanar National Historic Site with his wife, Nancy Hadlock, who has been a passionate student of Basque culture for over 20 years.
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