Events

Grant Lake Reservoir outlet update

Spillway upgrade construction tentatively planned for next spring One of the few dams without an outlet in the state of California is soon to get one—modification of the Grant Lake Reservoir dam may begin as early as next spring. The…

Scientists with the USGS working in a boat with research equipment beside it in Mono Lake.

Mono Basin research ramps back up

As the world closed down in March 2020 in response to the worsening coronavirus pandemic, research groups working in the Mono Basin also packed up and went home. Though a few people were able to return later in the year…

A person casts from a fly rod into a willow lined creek channel.

New fishing regulations add complexity for Mono Basin

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) implemented new freshwater fishing regulations statewide on March 1, 2021. The changes were intended to be simple, but for the Mono Basin, the new regulations create a tangled line of new rules…

A paved road lined by pine trees, a yellow sign warning of horses is on the right.

Wild horse herd reaches South Tufa

Wild horses, previously seen rarely and only in remote parts of the Mono Basin, have experienced rapid population growth in the past five years—so much that they have expanded far beyond their home territory near the Nevada state line and…

Two people stand along the shore of Mono Lake with snow capped mountains large in the frame behind them.

Another drought year for Mono Lake

Hydrologic forecast shows lake level dropping into risky territory As California enters another year of drought, the Mono Lake level forecast for the 2021–2022 runoff year is in, and the outlook is not good. The lake is projected to drop…

Windblown dust on the north shore of Mono Lake in the distance, the town of Lee Vining is in the foreground.

Mono Lake not rising on schedule

Low lake vulnerable to drought & climate change; rule changes needed to accomplish lake protection On a warm fall day in 1994, I walked into the state capitol building alongside a crowd of Mono Lake advocates. We assembled in a…

Tufa rise out of Mono Lake's lowered elevation with a cloudy sky overhead.

Summer 2021 Mono Lake Newsletter now online

When you look at Mono Lake, what do you see? Some people see a pristine landscape and others see a place marked by human engineering. Some see it as otherworldly and some see the most beautiful place on Earth. Some…