Seven people wearing hiking gear gather around a guide leaning on an unusual rock in a rocky and sunny outdoor setting.

Field Seminars

Seven people wearing hiking gear gather around a guide leaning on an unusual rock in a rocky and sunny outdoor setting.
Deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Mono Basin on a field seminar. Please note, all field seminars are currently canceled due to COVID-19.
Six people gather around a guide who is using his hands to describe something, and the group is standing on a high precipice overlooking Mono Lake stretched out in a large expanse of blue with a clear view of the islands in the lake and the desert all around.

Learn more on a field seminar

Through a combination of field excursions and classroom presentations, field seminars emphasize a spirit of learning and camaraderie in a magnificent outdoor setting at a reasonable cost. Instructors are experts in their fields and include scientists, naturalists, and acclaimed photographers, writers, historians, and artists.

Registration information

How to sign up: Registration opens on February 1 each year for Mono Lake Committee members and March 1 for the general public. When registration is open, sign up buttons will appear on this page. You can also call (760) 647-6595 to register.

Schedule: A schedule of all field seminars, including itineraries for each, will be posted about two weeks prior to registration.

Pets: No pets are allowed on any seminars. Please find boarding accommodations for your pets or leave them at home; do not leave pets in your car during seminars.

Cancellation policy: If you cancel three weeks prior to the seminar start date, we will refund your payment (less a $15 processing fee per person per seminar). No refunds can be issued for any reason if cancellation is within three weeks of the seminar date, but tuition can be applied to another seminar within one calendar year of your cancellation date. If you cancel within one week of the seminar start date, no credits can be issued for any reason.

Frequently asked questions

You need a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express credit card to pay for your seminar, whether you are signing up online or over the phone. We do not accept personal checks.

You may, as long as you attend the very first meeting of the seminar. For example, if your seminar begins on Friday evening at 6:00pm, you must attend that portion. There are no discounts for attending only a portion of any field seminar.

Children ages 12 and older are welcome to participate in field seminars, as long as a parent or guardian is also registered in the same seminar. Children under the age of 12 are not allowed in Mono Lake field seminars.

No, generally not. If you don’t have four-wheel drive, don’t despair. You can most likely carpool with someone who does.

The Mono Basin’s dramatic weather is part of what you come here to experience. There are no refunds for weather-related reasons, so please check road conditions before you leave home, and bring plenty of layers, rain gear, and warm clothes for your seminar.

Five people look out over a field of green with yellow, white, and purple flowers as a guide standing in the field with a hiking stick talks, with the Sierra Nevada with snow in the distance.

Related Posts

All Field Seminars operate under permits from the Inyo National Forest and California State Park system.
Top photo courtesy of Bob Yates.