The Mono Lake Committee’s canoe tours have been a tradition in the Eastern Sierra for more than 35 years. Canoe tours offer a unique, immersive experience where one can weave through the tufa towers, glide among flocks of Wilson’s Phalaropes, and learn the Mono Lake story from trained interpretive guides.

Public canoe tours on Mono Lake will not take place this summer, due to COVID-19 and staffing decisions made because of it. Photo by Andrew Youssef.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and our decision to not bring any seasonal staff to Lee Vining this summer, we must cancel the 2020 canoe tour program.

We will continue to (more…)

Each year the Mono Lake Committee supports local students pursuing higher education and displaying a connection to Mono Lake with two $1,000 scholarships. High school seniors living in Mono County with firm plans to attend a 2- or 4-year college within a year of graduation are eligible to apply.

Rose Nelson with 2019 scholarship recipients Orion Ellis and Sophia McKee. Photos by Rose Nelson.

Students are asked to visit Mono Lake and answer the question: Why do places like Mono Lake matter? (more…)

This time of year I am usually at the shore of Mono Lake sharing the ecological wonders of the Mono Basin with students from near and far. These days the shore is empty as classes have transitioned to distancing learning and we are not encouraging people to visit Mono County. That doesn’t mean, however, students cannot virtually visit Mono Lake for a field trip.

Through virtual tours, Lead Naturalist Guide Nora Livingston can bring Mono Lake to viewers who want to connect to Mono Lake from the safety of their homes. Photo by Rose Nelson.

While classes may not be able to smell the briny lake nor feel the wind, they can (more…)

Have you always wanted to spend a summer living and working at Mono Lake? This may be your chance!

We will begin accepting applications for the 2020 seasonal staff positions on January 1, 2020. Photo by Miranda Norlin.

The Mono Lake Committee is looking for passionate individuals to join our team for the busy 2020 summer season. This is your opportunity to share your love for Mono Lake and gain great experience working with a successful environmental non-profit.

Take a look at the (more…)

Since 1994 the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center has been connecting students from Los Angeles to the source of their water. Photo by Miranda Norlin.

“Where does your water come from?” This question has been asked to thousands of students visiting the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC) from Los Angeles over the past 25 years. At the beginning of their week-long stay in the Mono Basin, some students are unsure.

By the end of the week, there is no question. They have played in high Sierra snow, traveled to the northern extent of the Los Angeles Aqueduct at Lee Vining Creek, pulled invasive plants along Mono Lake’s tributary streams, and pondered the total ecological destruction narrowly escaped at Mono Lake. Through these experiences, they learn where their water comes from, about themselves as (more…)

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Too often phenomenal women can be lost in the history books, but not in the Mono Basin.

The 16th annual Ghosts of the Sagebrush event, hosted by the Mono Basin Historical Society, is celebrating amazing women who had a hand in shaping the Mono Basin between 1900 and 1950. Over the two-day event, attendees will hear stories about Paiute women who “became known for their exceedingly fine, visually stunning, and complex polychrome baskets,” as well as fearless first female guides and ranchers. (more…)

World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD) was established in 1993 to connect people who live in important migratory bird wetland habitats from across the globe. It is a celebration of these various ecosystems, the birds that inhabit them, and the people who are trying to help save these wetlands.

Lee Vining Elementary School students birding at the County Park boardwalk for World Migratory Bird Day. Photo by Rose Nelson.

This spring the Mono Lake Committee partnered with students from our local Lee Vining Elementary School to celebrate WMBD and discuss this year’s theme:  Protect Birds: Be the Solution to Plastic Pollution. The goal of WMBD 2019 is to (more…)

Since 2008, the Mono Lake Committee has supported local students by awarding two $1,000 scholarships to Mono County high school seniors. This year we asked applicants to get close to the shoreline of Mono Lake without distractions and jot down what they saw, heard, smelled, and felt around them. Then to reflect on the question: Why do places like Mono Lake matter?

The answers were quite moving from all applicants, but two essays rose to the top. We are pleased to announce this year’s recipients—Orion Ellis from Mammoth High School and Sophia McKee from Lee Vining High School.

Rose Nelson with scholarship recipients Orion Ellis and Sophia McKee. Photos by Rose Nelson.

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Santiago and I will be saying “adios” to the snowy Mono Basin as we travel south to Los Angeles next week.

Next week Rose and Santiago will be leaving the snowy Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center to visit OEC groups and students in Los Angeles. Photo by Santiago M. Escruceria.

For two weeks we will be connecting with with community organizations and school groups in Southern California that visit the Mono Basin in the Outdoor Education Center (OEC) season, which is May through November.

During our visits to the groups we will (more…)

The Mono Lake story is part of the fourth grade curriculum for many students across the United States. Students read about the natural and cultural history of the Mono Basin, including information on brine shrimp, alkali flies, and water diversions.

Fourth grade students at Montalvin Manor K-8 in San Pedro, California tune into a South Tufa tour at Mono Lake. Photo courtesy of Beth Levine.

Ideally, every concept of curriculum should be reinforced by a field trip, but our remote lake can be difficult to access by everyone, at least physically. To bring Mono Lake to more students the Mono Lake Committee has been able to give two “virtual tours” in the past year. Students connect with Committee staff at South Tufa using a video-chat program and are actually able to see brine shrimp, birds, tufa towers, and the beautiful lake itself. Students ask questions and engage with staff in real time.

We are happy to be able to share the Mono Lake story further than before! If you have any questions or are interested in a virtual tour, please contact me by email or at (760) 647-6595.