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Gull productivity rebounds, coyotes kept at bay

Species recovery depends on raising Mono Lake Mono Lake rose an impressive amount in 2023 and so too did the productivity of nesting California Gulls. According to the Point Blue Conservation Science report, “Population size and reproductive success of California…

A win for the Mono Basin Scenic Area

CalRecycle accepts settlement agreement and remedies project mistakes Last fall the California Department of Resources Recycling & Recovery (CalRecycle) completed earth work on the former Lee Vining Burn Dump site adjacent to the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor…

Beavers get busy on Rush Creek

Wet years like 2017 and 2023 produce some of the most exciting restoration outcomes along Mono Lake’s tributaries. The large hydrologic forces during peak flood events in a wet year are unmatched in their ability to move large cobbles, open…

New project to understand the role of evaporation at Mono Lake

As an endorheic—or terminal—lake with no outlet,  Mono Lake loses water naturally only through evaporation. Evaporation is a complex process, influenced by radiation, wind, temperature, and humidity. The rate of evaporation varies across seasons and over the lake’s surface. With…

California needs stronger water conservation regulations

Your voice needed soon  This spring the California State Water Resources Control Board is expected to vote on a new, climate-based, statewide conservation regulation to “Make Conservation a California Way of Life.” The Mono Lake Committee will be requesting the…

Will DWP increase Mono Basin diversions this year?

Better operating rules needed for Mono Lake to rise Water diversions to Los Angeles—and away from Mono Lake—began just after noon on January 31. With the turn of a control wheel, the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power (DWP)…

Stormwater capture in Los Angeles hits new high

Local water supply strategy for LA gains momentum As Angelenos experience more extreme weather patterns, stormwater capture is stepping into the spotlight as a viable, and valuable, source of local water for Los Angeles. Between October 1, 2022 and April…

A hearing room with people seated in a semicircular room with reporters with large video cameras and a witness at the witness stand in front of a map display with Mono Lake on it.

Thirty years since Decision 1631 “saved” Mono Lake

“Today we saved Mono Lake,” announced California State Water Resources Control Board member Marc Del Piero back in 1994 upon the unanimous approval of Decision 1631, which established the mandate to protect Mono Lake at the 6,392-foot level. We are…