I am noticing California Gulls differently this year. Their raucous calls are a sound of summer that always makes me smile. I love their bold manners and handsome white-and-gray plumage that gets messy as they forage for food until they fly to the creek deltas to bathe. But after near-total nesting failure twice in the last three years, now I watch them soaring over Lee Vining and worry.
When I arrived to work at the Mono Lake Committee as an intern 20 years ago, the outlook generally felt hopeful. It seemed the State Water Board’s rules for DWP’s diversions would be effective in allowing Mono Lake to reach the healthy management level with just a bit more time. I helped tally California Gull nests on the islets during one of the most successful years for chick production. DWP’s working relationship with the Committee seemed cordial and collaborative.
In the pages of this issue of the Mono Lake Newsletter you’ll see that we’re in a very different place now.
We now know unequivocally that the rules for DWP’s water exports must change if Mono Lake is to rise. DWP has let its aqueduct infrastructure fail and asked to skip out on its obligations to restore Rush Creek. Our working relationship is frayed—DWP often skips communication and recently has been issuing misleading press releases claiming Mono Lake is doing fine.
And the California Gulls are now struggling to survive.
This year’s recipient of the Andrea Lawrence Award, Martha Guzman, acknowledged how frustrating things feel right now in her acceptance remarks. But she also reminded us that the pendulum always swings back and we must be ready when it does. Many people mentioned in the pages that follow—Doña Juana, Hap, Andrea Lawrence herself—showed us how to stay vigilant for Mono Lake, to push through the frustration and be ready.
Longtime Mono Lake Committee members know this well. And if you’re picking up this Newsletter for the first time—welcome. We need everyone with us to work for the gulls’ survival and for Mono Lake’s recovery.
Top photo by Russ Taylor, Newsletter cover photo by Sara Matthews.