Getting the whole Mono Lake Committee staff all together in one spot at the same time is more difficult than one might think. It takes a pretty special event, and some advance planning to make it happen—and it did, this year, for the first time I can remember in a long while.

With snowpack as much as 180% of average at the highest elevations, there will be a lot of water filling Mono Lake this year!

Great news! 3,748 acres of land surrounding Cedar Hill in the remote northeast corner of the Mono Basin have been given permanent protection.

At the end of 2005, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quietly proposed to abandon clean air health standards at Mono Lake. The public response has been loud and clear: Bad idea!

The EPA’s revisions to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) have two major flaws. First, they eliminate regulation of windblown dust—just the kind that comes off the exposed bed of Mono Lake. Second, they abandon the relevant particulate regulations in rural areas across the country, including the Mono Basin.

After many years of dreaming about a research facility in Lee Vining, it seems hard to believe that the Mono Basin Field Station is now in its third year of housing visiting researchers!

The article, “First evidence of conspecific brood parasitism in Song Sparrows with comments on methods sufficient to document this behavior” was published in the May issue of the ornithological journal The Condor. It describes the discovery of an interesting behavior in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) in the Mono Basin.

Spring brought a flurry of activity to the Mono Basin this year. Mono Lake Committee staff were out and about planting trees, pulling weeds, and testing streams—but not without help. Lee Vining Elementary School students, Committee and California Trout volunteers, and Mono Basin residents have made all of this work possible. Thanks to everyone who helped! Here are some highlights.

On April 24th, a delegation of Los Angeles leaders arrived in Mammoth Lakes. Their goal: begin building a new relationship between the city—particularly the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP)—and the Eastern Sierra.

The US Forest Service is proposing to construct an interpretive hiking/biking trail that will connect the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center to the Old Marina site on the west shore of Mono Lake.

Caltrans is planning to replace the existing guardrail for a 3.2-mile stretch of Highway 395 along the west shore of Mono Lake.

In early April of this year it appeared as though the Cunningham property, a 120-acre parcel located on the west shore of Mono Lake within the boundary of the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area, was in jeopardy of being transferred from Mammoth Mountain Ski Area (Mammoth Mountain) ownership back into the hands of the previous owner and becoming a development threat once again.

The final 2006 runoff forecast is 147% of average—a “wet” year according to the Water Board order. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) admits there is uncertainty in the forecast, since some data normally available from Southern California Edison (SCE) is missing.

This year Lee Vining had its 2nd wettest winter on record: 22 inches of precipitation by the end of May. This is 184% of average. March was the coldest and April was the wettest on record, and May rainfall was almost 170% of average.

All winter the trees make noise as the cold wind threads through their bare branches, but now the leafy green treetops are alive with new sounds. In my neighborhood, it’s the raucous cacophony of roaming flocks of Yellow-headed Blackbirds. They often hide, leaving the impression that an innocuous tree has just let loose with a tremendous noise.

Benchmark photos: 1979 (6373') and 2006 (6383')

A map of the main points of interest in the Mono Basin.

There is a lot to do in the Mono Basin! Stop by the Mono Lake Committee when you’re in town and our knowledgeable staff can help.

A selection of items for sale from the Mono Lake Committee Bookstore.

Take a look at a piece of dry tufa along the Mono Lake shoreline, and chances are you’re looking at a microbial habitat, or at least the remnant of one. Above the shoreline, tufa surfaces can be a home for both living and dormant microorganisms.

To keep track of all the wonderful outdoor activities in the Eastern Sierra, the local non-profit community has created a collective online calendar of natural history events called Outside on the Eastside at www.outsideontheeastside.org.

If you’ve visited the Mono Lake Website recently, you may have noticed an orange box on the front page indicating the new RSS feed for current event headlines. RSS stands for “really simple syndication” or “rich site summary,” depending on who you ask, and the Mono Lake Website’s three new RSS feeds are a new way to keep members and friends in touch with Mono Lake!

Register online this year for Mono Lake Committee Field Seminars!

As the summer of 2005 neared its end, Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve Ranger Deana Freeman moved to a position with the National Park Service in Northern California. After months of anticipation the California State Parks Department announced they had selected Jim Pence, a 25-year State Park Service veteran, as the new ranger! In a time of budget cuts in nearly every state and federal agency, the Mono Lake Committee was relieved to see the position filled and excited to meet the newest addition to the Mono Basin.

Migration is on! The 2006 Mono Lake Committee seasonal staff are building their nests and settling into Lee Vining.

In Memory; In Honor; Matching Gifts; Special Recognition; Outdoor Experiences Program Wish List; Speaking Up on Behalf of Mono Lake