Ed Grosswiler, had been a Board member since 1984 when he finished a two-year stint as Executive Director of MLC. Ed would jokingly point out that Mono Lake rose nine feet during those two wet years, a feat Martha Davis, his successor, could never duplicate. Ed served as co-chair of the board for many years, and his political savvy and good financial sense have kept the Committee right on track. We are also grateful to Ed for bringing Martha into the MLC family. We won’t let him wander off too far.

Barbara Blake became a Board member after having helped pass federal legislation in 1984 establishing the Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area. She worked on this legislation as a lobbyist for the Sierra Club in Washington, D.C. Barb served as treasurer of the MLC and has been eager to help with fundraising. She is also proud of having introduced Dave Weiman, a brilliant political strategist, to the Mono Lake Committee. We will continue to put her talents to good use.

Also departing this fall was board member Dian Grueneich, who joined the board in 1992 with fresh ideas and an interest in fundraising. We will miss Dian’s ability to make insightful judgments after absorbing tremendous amounts of legal and policy information. In the final days of the Water Board hearings Dian helped secure outside political support for a strong Mono Lake decision.

Welcome to 1997’s new Board members Jim Baetge, Martha Davis, Amy Holm, Robert Marks, and Dave Marquart! We’ll profile them in future Newsletter issues.

Congratulations go out to Bookstore Manager Laura Walker, married this past summer at Burger’s Retreat to Lee Vining resident Randy Walker. Laura also began working full time in the bookstore this fall after doing a remarkable job of keeping the store well-stocked while working part-time. We’re glad to have you completely on board, Laura!

Wedding congratulations also go out to board member Dave Marquart, who married Connie Henderson this past summer. They’re happily living out by DeChambeau Creek and are ready for deep snow and long skis to the house from the highway.