Sunrise light on a grove of tufa towers emerging from the water of Mono Lake with soft green and dusty-red wild grasses in the foreground, Canada geese in the shallow water with reflections of the rocky towers, and desert hills in the distance.

Volunteer at Mono Lake

This post was written by Rosanne Catron, 2013 Office Director.

The amazing Mono Lake Volunteers from summer 2012. Photo by Arya Degenhardt.

The sky above Mono Lake varies day by day and week by week—from calming blues to invigorating Sierra wave thunderclouds. No matter the weather, Mono Lake is an awe-inspiring place for visitors, and a haven for vast numbers of birds. Would you like the opportunity to give back to this place that gives so much, while spending more time in the Mono Basin?

The Mono Lake Volunteer program provides just such an opportunity. Each summer, volunteers come to the Mono Basin, some for a few days or a week at a time as a “volunteer vacation” from their hometown, and some for the entire summer. Last year, more than 40 volunteers roved and led tours at the shore of Mono Lake, sharing ecology, geology, and tourist information with visitors. They also helped pull invasive weeds, picked up trash for Adopt-a-Highway, assisted at the counter in the Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center, and helped with office work at the Mono Lake Committee.

Mono Lake Volunteer Nancy States points out a nesting Osprey to visitors at South Tufa last summer. Photo by Elin Ljung.

We will have a similar variety of volunteer opportunities this summer, and our volunteer program is very flexible. Whatever your interests, we probably have a way you can help at the lake, while having fun at the same time!

We will kick off the 2013 Mono Lake Volunteer Program at the end of May, when our volunteer training begins. If you are interested in volunteering at Mono Lake, please contact Office Director Rose Catron for more information. You can also visit our volunteer web page for more information.