Sunday, August 18th, 2019 by Rose, Education DirectorcloseAuthor: Rose, Education DirectorName: Rose Nelson Title: Education Director About: After graduating with a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz in 2012, Rose worked as a botany research assistant at UC Berkeley, a Research Assistant for the California Department of Fish & Wildlife monitoring riparian plant species on rivers throughout California, and as a California State Parks interpreter. In 2017 she was here at Mono Lake as an Outdoor Education Instructor, and has now returned to oversee the Committee's education programs.See All Posts by Rose (5) Contact Rose
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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…)
Monday, July 29th, 2019 by Ellie, Mono Lake InterncloseAuthor: Ellie, Mono Lake InternName: Ellie Neifeld Title: Mono Lake Intern About: Ellie grew up in Oakland, but spent most of her summers exploring the Sierra Nevada and falling in love with the Mono Basin at a young age. Her first rock climbing trip to Yosemite in 2011 kindled her passion for climbing, which has kept her returning to the Sierra year after year. She recently completed a degree in Earth and Oceanographic Science at Bowdoin College and is excited to immerse herself in the natural history of Mono Lake. When not geologizing or climbing, Ellie can be found lying on granite slabs, painting, and dancing.See All Posts by Ellie (10) Contact Ellie
Mono Lake Committee staff and other Lee Vining residents hit the astroturf runway on July 20 for the Eastern Sierra’s most anticipated event of the year—the Trail Chic Fashion Show Fundraiser.
This year’s group of runway walkers at the Trail Chic Fashion Show Fundraiser. Photo by Elin Ljung.
A fundraiser for the Mono Lake Committee’s Outdoor Education Center (OEC) Access Fund, the Trail Chic Fashion Show raised enough money this year to bring nine future OEC groups to the Mono Basin for five days of life-changing outdoor activities while learning about the source of their water. (more…)
Monday, June 24th, 2019 by Lily, Information Center & Bookstore ManagercloseAuthor: Lily, Information Center & Bookstore ManagerName: Lily Pastel Title: Information Center & Bookstore Manager About: Lily was drawn to the Mono Basin by the beauty of the area as well as the Mono Lake Committee’s worthy cause, and now she can’t leave! She began as a Mono Lake Intern in 2014, fresh out of college. Since then she has held a handful of positions and has settled into her role as Information Center & Bookstore Manager. Lily loves reading, hiking, unicorns, and lipstick. Her summers are full of exploring the Eastern Sierra, ordering new and exciting books, and making sure that visitors leave the Information Center & Bookstore with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for Mono Lake.See All Posts by Lily (78) Contact Lily
What does it take to create photographs that reveal the essential spirit of birds? For wildlife photographer Marie Read it means capturing their behavior—in this presentation she’ll show you how it’s done.
Join us for a presentation and book signing with Marie:
Friday, June 28 3:00–4:30pm Mono Lake Committee gallery
in Lee Vining Reserve your seat here
Marie will share the back stories to her compelling images, many of which appear in her latest book, Mastering Bird Photography: the Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior. Whether you’re a bird watcher or an experienced photographer, Marie’s tips will help you improve your own images.
Signed copies of Mastering Bird Photography and Marie’s previous book, Sierra Wings: Birds of the Mono Lake Basin, will be available for purchase after the talk. For questions and more information contact me by email or at 760-647-6595.
Monday, May 20th, 2019 by Nora, Lead Naturalist GuidecloseAuthor: Nora, Lead Naturalist GuideName: Nora Livingston Title: Lead Naturalist Guide About: Nora is a passionate naturalist who got her interpretive start as a Mono Lake Intern in 2008 and went on to seven years of seasonal ornithologist work in the most beautiful corners of California and beyond. She has since led many popular birding field trips for the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua. It is her utmost joy to share her love of birds and nature with anyone and everyone to help foster a deeper respect for this unique planet.See All Posts by Nora (38) Contact Nora
Dana Meadows, at the top of Tioga Pass, looking northeast towards Tioga Peak. Photo by Nora Livingston.
On Saturday, May 18, I tagged along with a researcher studying sparrows up Tioga Pass. We drove all the way to the Yosemite National Park entrance station to check out the current conditions and set up a weather station for her study plot. It is still a winter wonderland up there! (more…)
Thursday, May 9th, 2019 by Nora, Lead Naturalist GuidecloseAuthor: Nora, Lead Naturalist GuideName: Nora Livingston Title: Lead Naturalist Guide About: Nora is a passionate naturalist who got her interpretive start as a Mono Lake Intern in 2008 and went on to seven years of seasonal ornithologist work in the most beautiful corners of California and beyond. She has since led many popular birding field trips for the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua. It is her utmost joy to share her love of birds and nature with anyone and everyone to help foster a deeper respect for this unique planet.See All Posts by Nora (38) Contact Nora
On Saturday, May 4, I participated in the eBird Global Big Day, which encourages birders around the world to contribute to citizen science efforts by birding and entering checklists into eBird on a single day.
Green-tailed Towhee singing from a pinyon pine. Photo by Nora Livingston.
I decided to use this Big Day as a chance to scout my local hotspots and catch up with migration. In the past two weeks, neotropical migrants have been moving north to their breeding grounds, so there have been new species arriving daily. As the (more…)
Friday, March 8th, 2019 by Maureen, Membership AssistantcloseAuthor: Maureen, Membership AssistantName: Maureen McGlinchy Title: Membership Assistant About: Originally from New Jersey, Maureen first moved to the Sierra Nevada in 2002 as a seasonal biologist in Yosemite. Ten years later, she and her family were fortunate enough to land in Lee Vining. She has a background in forest ecology and she's always excited to broaden her understanding of the natural and man-made processes at work in the Mono Basin. You can find Maureen out trail-running with Garnet the dog, trying to keep up with
her speedy daughters on June Mountain, or relaxing with friends somewhere next to water.See All Posts by Maureen (2) Contact Maureen
In a winter full of snow, getting down to the lake has been a bit more challenging and a lot more fun.
A calm lake surface in not only incredibly scenic but ideal for lake level readings. With the onslaught of storms we’ve experienced this winter, a glassy lake has been a rare sight. Photo by Robbie Di Paolo.
The Mono Lake Committee monitors Mono Lake’s level throughout the year, at least once a month and usually more frequently. You can find monthly lake levels going back to 1971 here. The most important lake level reading of the year happens on (more…)
Thursday, February 28th, 2019 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin grew up in on California's Central Coast dreaming of the two weeks each summer that her family would spend in the Eastern Sierra, and as soon as she graduated from St. Olaf College in 2005 she moved to Mono Lake full-time. She prefers to travel at high speed on either telemark skis or a mountain bike, or be completely still, immersed in a good book.See All Posts by Elin (339) Contact Elin
Registration for the 2019 Field Seminars opens tomorrow at 9:00am to non-members. Of the 38 seminars we’re offering this year, seven have sold out already, so take a look at the list and sign up today to be sure you grab a spot!
Sign up for the En Plein Air oil painting seminar to get started painting outdoors in the Mono Basin’s inspiring landscape. Photo courtesy of Penny Otwell.
If you’re after birds this year, you can join DaveShuford (waterfowl, shorebirds), Nora Livingston (all birds), Steve Shunk (woodpeckers), and David Wimpfheimer (all birds) in the field in search of species to add to your life list.
If you’re interested in enhancing your photography (more…)
Tuesday, January 15th, 2019 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin grew up in on California's Central Coast dreaming of the two weeks each summer that her family would spend in the Eastern Sierra, and as soon as she graduated from St. Olaf College in 2005 she moved to Mono Lake full-time. She prefers to travel at high speed on either telemark skis or a mountain bike, or be completely still, immersed in a good book.See All Posts by Elin (339) Contact Elin
The complete list of all the Mono Lake Committee’s 2019 Field Seminars is now available online here. Registration opens at 9:00am on Friday, February 1.
The Mono Lake Committee’s Lead Naturalist Guide Nora Livingston will be leading 16 seminars this year, with topics ranging from birding to botany, history to geology. Photo courtesy of Bob Yates.
This year there are 38 Field Seminars to choose from, including one-day, half-day, and multi-day options. As always, the list spans many natural history, cultural history, art, and photography topics.
Thursday, December 27th, 2018 by Elin, Communications CoordinatorcloseAuthor: Elin, Communications CoordinatorName: Elin Ljung Title: Communications Coordinator About: Elin's job consists of some of her favorite things: finding typos, experimenting with layouts, and figuring out how best to communicate the Committee's work to the world. She also oversees the Field Seminar program. Elin grew up in on California's Central Coast dreaming of the two weeks each summer that her family would spend in the Eastern Sierra, and as soon as she graduated from St. Olaf College in 2005 she moved to Mono Lake full-time. She prefers to travel at high speed on either telemark skis or a mountain bike, or be completely still, immersed in a good book.See All Posts by Elin (339) Contact Elin
Poconip ice fog shrouds Mono Lake, with just a sliver of sun illuminating the base of Black Point. Photo courtesy of Joe Decker.
There’s still space in Mono Lake by Moonlight (January 18–20, 2019) and Winter Starry Skies Over Mono Lake (February 1–3, 2019). Accomplished photographer Joe Decker leads both seminars, bringing his extensive Mono Lake and Arctic experience to bear to ensure excellent photographic opportunities for participants.
Wednesday, December 12th, 2018 by Arya, Communications DirectorcloseAuthor: Arya, Communications DirectorName: Arya Harp Title: Communications Director About: Arya oversees the Committee's communications program, which includes the Mono Lake Newsletter and the Mono Lake Calendar. She loves her job because she gets to share the inspiring work of the Mono Lake Committee with members and visitors alike. Her favorite things to do in the Mono Basin include ice skating on nearby lakes, skiing the Mono Craters, and getting to smell the sagebrush when it rains.See All Posts by Arya (192) Contact Arya
The 2018 Mono Lake Committee Annual Report is now available! Cover photo courtesy of Richard Erb.
The report is full of photos of the Mono Lake Committee in action in our focus areas of protection, restoration, education, and scientific research. It also has the Committee’s (more…)
