Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Baby Jeffrey pine trees need help

Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

jpinecommcenterThis post was written by Julia Runcie, 2010 Mono Lake Intern.

Yesterday morning, Mono Works Landscaping planted a row of seedling Jeffrey pines outside the Lee Vining Community Center as part of an effort to decorate this public space with native plants. The young trees will certainly need all the help they can get to survive the hot sun and dense clay soil of the area.

Their most urgent need, according to Mono Works, is shade! A young spruce or aspen sapling planted nearby might prove the deciding factor in the survival struggle of the baby Jeffreys. Unfortunately, the budget of the project is not sufficient to cover the expense of a leafy tree or two in addition to the pines.

Anyone who would be interested in donating a young shade tree to benefit native plant landscaping at the Community Center is encouraged to contact Mono Works at (760) 647-6418 or (760) 937-2944, or the Mono Lake Committee at (760) 647-6595.