Experience Ambientalia was started around Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina as a way to educate the youth there about the issues that face their beautiful lake and to give them the knowledge and skills they need to create real solutions to the environmental crisis that face saline lakes everywhere. Recently, through an international student exchange between Mono Lake and Laguna Mar Chaquita, we have taken the issue of protecting saline lakes and their unique ecosystems to another level and have created international allies in this goal.
I am a local student and have lived next to Mono Lake for the vast majority of my life, and starting my last year of high school I was not expecting to be going on a trip across the hemisphere. I learned about Experience Ambientalia a few years before from the program’s director, Marina Castellino, at the annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua where I would fundraise for my high school. Even though I had met her and knew that she wanted to do an exchange between her students and us, I wasn’t sure that the exchange would be organized in time for me to participate. But I am so happy that it was! This is due to Education Director Ryan Garrett and the Mono Lake Committee, who decided to make this program happen.
One of the things I love most about this program is that I learned new things about Mono Lake and this area through each activity. I had already known some about Mono Lake from school field trips and from living here, but the program really helped me expand my knowledge and try things I wouldn’t ordinarily do, like birding. Throughout the exchange and the activities that we did this year I have begun to better understand my home, and the natural and human history that created this place, along with the lengths we need to go to maintain the Mono Basin and keep it as beautiful as it is.
I feel like I have been really challenged in this program even though I feel most comfortable in the outdoors. I have always been really into hiking and being outdoors so it was really nice to meet a lot of new people who are also into nature. The challenge was that I, unlike many of the people in the program, speak very limited Spanish. Still, I connected with everyone in the program while they were here at Mono Lake and tried to speak as much Spanish as possible to the best of my ability. It would take too long to summarize the entire trip, but while the Argentinians were here with us we did a wide range of activities from canoeing on Mono Lake to having a snowball fight on Tioga Pass. It was amazing to be able to show off the best of the Mono Basin, but also learn about new spots, and many birds I had never seen before. At the end of our week we gave a presentation and had a dinner to raise support for this program, as well as honor the groups and people who made this happen, so that this extraordinary opportunity can exist for future generations of local students.
Likewise, when we went to Argentina our hosts showed us the best of their home. One highlight was when we went on a Pirate Ship to see Lake Mar Chiquita. It was cold and stormy since it is winter there, but it was beautiful to watch Flamingos fly across the lake surface and see the old ruins of the town of Miramar on the shore. The Captain also blasted music and we all joyfully danced around the boat to keep warm.
One statement that I heard echoed by many both at Mono Lake and also at Laguna Mar Chiquita is that “you have to know a place to love it,” and I feel that through this experience and understanding on a deeper level the beautiful places we call home many people can develop the passion for their home which leads them to want to protect it. I was inspired to care about Laguna Mar Chiquita by things I saw but also by the people I met. As part of the exchange, we met many other students who are part of Experience Ambientalia and leaders of their group project. Their projects range from research about the lake to making a sustainable business, and our goal was to listen to their project and try to find a way to apply it to this area. While it may take a while to implement this part of the exchange, it was amazing to see so many people my age who care about the environment make a project to help it. At the end of our time there we all contributed to and signed a document affirming our commitment to the program, empowering youth, and saving saline lakes and wetland habitat. I think while it is important to show that this program has a vital goal of empowering youth to deal with pressing environmental issues, there is also so much joy in the experiences and friendships we have made.
This has been an amazing experience and I feel so indebted to the people that have made this happen. I hope this program continues into the future and that more kids from Lee Vining High School will get the chance to learn about and care for our incredible lakes.
Support the Experience Ambientalia program
We are still seeking support to cover essential expenses and educational materials to provide these life-changing opportunities to students. If you are interested in supporting the Experience Ambientalia program, you can do that by clicking below:
Top photo by Katie Smith.