August 21, 1998
Celebrating Mono Lake
Press Contact:
Kay Ogden, Marketing Director
Mono Lake Committee
(760) 647-6595
For Immediate Release
MONO LAKE… Surviving ice ages, volcanic eruptions, and human disturbance, Mono Lake has persisted for at least 830,000 years. Its rich mineral soup feeds brine shrimp and alkali flies, which in turn become food for millions of migratory birds. Its dense, saline waters mirror the sky with renowned clarity. Diversion of Mono’s tributary streams by the City of Los Angeles gradually lowered the lake 45 vertical feet, doubling its salinity, connecting islands to mainland, exposing lakebed sediments to scouring winds, and threatening to dry up the economy of the Mono Basin as well. Today, the lake is rising once again, thanks to efforts spearheaded by the Mono Lake Committee and joined by many other friends of Mono Lake.
CELEBRATING MONO LAKE’S PROTECTION… Twenty years ago, undergraduate students concerned with ecological decline occurring at Mono Lake banded together and formed the Mono Lake Committee. The Committee galvanized public support for Mono Lake through slide shows, press coverage, Bike-A-Thons – whatever it took to get people’s attention. The Committee also pursued litigation together with the National Audubon Society and California Trout on behalf of the lake and stream resources. In addition, it engaged in extensive negotiation and lobbying for funding for alternate sources of water for the City of L.A. These collective efforts resulted in an unprecendented measure of protection for Mono Lake. Today, Mono’s streams are flowing, cottonwoods and willows are taking hold again, and fish are reinhabiting the pools. Mono Lake has risen nearly 10 feet since the State Water Board’s 1994 decision on Mono Lake. Eight more feet to go! Long live Mono Lake!
Join the Mono Lake Committee this Labor Day weekend for four days of activities celebrating the Committee’s 20th anniversary and the long life of Mono Lake. Explore the area with naturalists, scientists and Committee staff. Walk the lakeshore and see the changes, examine the restoration areas, listen to star talks, dance to bluegrass music and more! All of Mono Lake’s friends are invited to join in the festivities. Call 760-647-6565 for information on the schedule of events.
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Text of this press release is available for download from
www.monolake.org/press# # #
Last Updated January 29, 2007
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