Did you know there’s a tiny mammal (see photo below) in the Mono Basin that had never been photographed alive until last fall?
Mono Lake and the Mono Basin are full of wonders that inspire that type of question. The first-time visitor reports back to their family, “Did you know there’s a lake with limestone pillars growing out of it? They’re called tufa towers.” The college student asks their roommate, “Did you know Los Angeles gets some of its water from a saline lake ecosystem hundreds of miles from the city?”
The Mount Lyell shrew inspired a flurry of questions in our office. “Did you know about the shrew? How cool to see those photos.” Some of us have lived here for decades and know a great deal about this place, but there are always new things to learn.
When we work to protect Mono Lake we’re thinking of a third-grader watching brine shrimp swim around in a plastic cup at South Tufa—“Did you know most shrimp are brown but some are turquoise?” The high-schooler from Los Angeles who learns about the source of their water—“Did you know the water you drink at home comes from right here, from Rush Creek?” The retired couple pulling the motorhome over at Old Marina—“Did you know this lake smells like the ocean?”
In the pages of this issue of the Mono Lake Newsletter, you’ll see our work to preserve the chance for anyone to come to Mono Lake and learn something astonishing. First-time visitors, longtime fans, students of all ages—everyone should be able to return home from this remarkable place and say, “Did you know …?”
Top photo and Newsletter cover photo by Geoff McQuilkin.