A group of eight people with scopes look in different directions into hilly sagebrush scattered with jutting gray rocks.

This year’s Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua is canceled

We are sorry to announce that we must cancel this year’s Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua due to COVID-19.

The Chautauqua partners are committed to the health and safety of our participants, presenters, staff, and the broader community; therefore, we feel it would be irresponsible to hold an event of this size at this time. Moreover, with Governor Newsom’s stay-at-home order and plans to reopen the state in stages—with large gatherings last on the list—as well as Mono County discouraging visitation to the Eastern Sierra, it’s clear that we cannot proceed with the festival.

Although we won’t be able to gather in person this year, stay tuned for updates on a couple live, virtual experiences that we’ll be offering for free on Saturday, June 20. Watch for an email in early June with more information.

We will miss seeing you here in the Mono Basin, but we trust that we’ll be able to go birding and celebrate the Mono Basin together when it is once again safe. Lastly, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the nineteenth annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua, June 18–20, 2021.

We hope you and your loved ones are safe and healthy—we’re thinking of you.

Red-breasted Nuthatch. Photo by Santiago Escruceria.

Top photo by Elin Ljung.