One day last fall, all together, the Mono Lake Committee staff trudged out to the exposed landbridge area between Black Point and Negit Island. It really was a trudge. Not only is it a deceptively-long distance through undulating gravel berms from previously-higher lakeshores to even get out to the exposed lakebed, but once you get that far it turns into an obstacle course of thick, slick mud. It was a chilly and windy day, so we were all bundled up from head to toe, which made it difficult to walk and talk. So, we waddled, swished, and crunched our way out there somewhat meditatively.
It’s an unfamiliar thing—going out to see something you’re not excited to see in the Mono Basin. But we knew we needed to see it—plus, there were wildlife cameras to check and potential gull colony safety fence routes to be evaluated. So, with strength in numbers, some insanely tasty chocolate cake from Vern, and high hopes for a wet winter ahead, we marched ourselves out there to get the lay of the … land.
And now a year later, here we are, another below-average-water-year later, looking down the barrel of building that fence in order to protect the once-safe nesting gull colony from clever coyotes before the gulls’ arrival in spring. Darn it all. It’s hard not to feel like it’s a personal failure somehow.
But then I think about our little gear-swaddled gaggle, earnestly and carefully padding our way out there on that peninsula, and I have to smile. We have 16,000 amazing people, Mono Lake Committee members, who want us to be here day in, day out, trudging, reasoning, watching, speaking, canoeing, monitoring, and, yes, even installing a temporary fence when necessary, for Mono Lake. Our work can’t be solely measured in terms of lake level. Flip through the next few pages of this Newsletter, and I’m fairly certain you’ll see what I mean.
Thank you for all of your hard work. 16,000 members! That is so awesome. My mom was one of the first members when the Mono Lake Committee began. Thank you for being such great stewards.
Thanks to all the people who are daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly dedicated to protecting this valuable ecosystem! It was an education to learn about the fragility of Mono Lake and the animals dependent on it.
Every year for 20 years I’ve traveled to Mono Lake. I’ve seen the improvements, I’ve read about all you do, I empathize with the hard work it takes to save such a beautiful landmark. Thank you Mono Lake Committee and volunteers for all you do so we as members and visitors can continue to enjoy Mono Lake and all the creatures who call it home.
I have been going to June Lake since I was 3 years old with my family and introduced my husband to the beauty 35 years ago. I am now 65 and we go every year. It is truly Gods country.
My husband introduced me to Mono Lake the first year of our marriage, 1954. Thank you for maintaining it and keeping it beautiful for all these many years. Our children have loved it as we have and appreciate everything that the Mono Lake Committee and volunteers have done throughout the years. Thank you.