This March brought many new and exciting events … but one was missing: the Mono Lake Committee’s hosting of the Wild & Scenic Film Festival.
For the past 11 years we’ve been thrilled to bring the South Yuba River Citizens League’s (SYRCL) Wild & Scenic Film Festival on tour, in person and then virtually for the past three years, sharing with thousands of Mono Lake members and supporters short, inspiring, and engaging films that showcased amazing people, beautiful places, and unique perspectives. The event was also a fundraiser for the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC).
While SYRCL continues the festival, they made the decision to discontinue the virtual festival option. Mono Lake Committee festival enthusiasts will remember our efforts to host the show live in West LA, El Segundo, West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Sierra Madre over the years. We loved getting together with everyone in person but found that the virtual festival allowed us to host more people at a fraction of the financial, not to mention carbon-footprint, cost.
We know how much joy, hope, and community the event brought to everyone who attended in addition to the tremendous outpouring of support it brought for the Mono Basin Outdoor Education Center (OEC). Last year alone we raised nearly $12,000 for the OEC, which supported exciting OEC renovations and allowed more groups to visit the Mono Basin with transportation grants.
We are hopeful that in the future we will be able to host the festival again, and in the meantime, we will continue to find new ways to connect with Mono Lake supporters near and far.
If you’d like to continue to support our important work at the Outdoor Education Center this year, please consider making an additional one-time gift of any amount today. Your support allows youth to connect to the source of their water through outdoor activities and environmental stewardship on five-day, life-changing trips.