Happy autumnal equinox from #MonoLake! With crisp mornings, warm days, and the first few aspen leaves changing color, it sure feels like fall. 📷 Ryan Garrett

Now that the air is clear of smoke at Mono Lake, join us for the 7th Annual Mono Basin BioBlitz during California Biodiversity Week! The BioBlitz ends this Sunday, September 14 at midnight, so get the iNaturalist app and help us document every plant, animal, and fungus we can find.

We are open again as normal today! The air quality has improved significantly since yesterday, though it remains in the unhealthy range. The Eastern Sierra will likely see smoke of varying levels until the Garnet Fire is contained or out. 📷 Elin Ljung

We have closed the #MonoLakeCommittee bookstore and office today due to poor air quality. AirNow.gov is reporting an AQI of 1,600 for PM10 in Lee Vining right now, which is off-the-charts hazardous to health. We plan to reopen tomorrow at 9:00am if the air quality allows. 📷 Elin Ljung

Turning the page to September in the 2025 #MonoLake Calendar has us saying hello to this beautiful capture of South Tufa! 📷 Brian Biery

The 44th Tioga Pass Run is coming up this Sunday, September 7 ... have you registered yet? It may be 12.4 miles, but it's only one hill! Sign up at www.monolake.org/event/tioga-... to join in the fun. 📷 Bartshe Miller

Next week will be a great time to visit Mono Lake and record the species you see when you're out and about. The Mono Basin is always one of the most biodiverse places in the BioBlitz ... help us retain that title! 🦉🕸️🌲🌸

Turning the August page of the 2025 Mono Lake Calendar had us saying farewell to this beautiful image of Rush Creek flowing into #MonoLake. 📷 George Ward

Hard to believe it, but summer is starting to wind down. We have loved seeing members, friends, and visitors here at Mono Lake all season long. Happy summer 2025 from the #MonoLakeCommittee staff! 📷 Andrew Youssef

Wildfire smoke from the Garnet Fire east of Fresno has arrived at #MonoLake. We expect the it to stick around for a while given the large size of the fire, the low containment percentage so far, and the wind forecast. Check the air quality before you visit. 📷 Elin Ljung

It's the last weekend for guided bird tours in Lundy Canyon this summer! Join us tomorrow and Sunday at 8:00am at the Lundy Resort for a leisurely walk to see the feathered friends inhabiting this beautiful canyon. Tours are free; reserve your spot here: www.monolake.org/visit/activi... 📷 Elin Ljung

#MonoLake is back in the LA Times! Click through for a great article about the way phalaropes, a small migratory bird, connect lakes and communities in California and Argentina.

There are only two more weekends of canoe tours on #MonoLake for the summer! Join us to enjoy the view from the water--you'll see tufa towers growing, catch brine shrimp, and watch migratory birds flying past. It's an unforgettable experience! Reserve your spot at monolake.org/canoe 📷 Andrew Youssef

South Tufa tours are in the Los Angeles Times today! You can join a tour for free every day through September and learn about Mono Lake from a fantastic guide, like Mono Lake Committee Education Director Ryan Garrett, pictured here!

Great article about #MonoLake on the front page of the Los Angeles Times today! The State Water Board says, "The fact that we have not gotten to [the mandated healthy level] is problematic, and we want to find a way to achieve that." Click through to read the whole thing.

Late July at #MonoLake with hot sunny days and thunderheads building up every afternoon... It's a wonderful time to be here! 📷 Elin Ljung

Join us on Wednesdays at 4:00pm at the Mono Lake Committee for refreshments with Refreshing 'Ologists! This lecture series showcases local researchers and their work in the Mono Basin. This week Dr. Scott Stine will be here to discuss climate change and Mono Lake.

Join us on Saturday, August 2, 4:00-6:00pm at the Mono Lake Committee for a reception for our new gallery show, "Flora of the Sierra Nevada: Botanical Watercolors & Hand-Painted Silks." Come enjoy light refreshments, meet the artist Linda Ann Vorobik, and see her work in person.

A glimpse through #MonoLake tufa towers on a perfect summer evening. Can you spot the Osprey in its nest? 📷 Andrew Youssef

Two months ago these dedicated community members were fighting the #InnFire as it was burning next to Mono Lake. We are proud that the group includes current and former Mono Lake Committee staff! Thank you to all who keep our community safe.

Every day at 10am and 6pm you can join a guide at South Tufa for a tour! Catch and observe brine shrimp, make your own tufa, and learn all about #MonoLake. Tours are free; reserve your spot at monolake.org/freetour. 📷 Teri Tracy

This morning volunteers began removing the burned State Reserve boardwalk at #MonoLake County Park, which was damaged by the #InnFire. Thank you to the volunteers, California State Parks, Mono County, the Bodie Foundation, and the Lee Vining Women's League for helping to make this happen!

Lee Vining and Argentinian students birding at Laguna Mar Chiquita during the Experience Ambientalia exchange! The week is wrapping up and the Americans are getting ready to migrate back to Mono Lake, just like Wilson's Phalaropes, the tiny shorebird that links these two saline lakes. 📷 Ryan Garrett

Lee Vining and Argentinian students together at Laguna Mar Chiquita for the Experience Ambientalia program! We love to see this exchange in action after a year of planning to make it happen. 📷 Ryan Garrett

¡Buen viaje Experience Ambientalia! Five local students left Lee Vining this week, bound for Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina, Mono Lake's sister lake. The group will spend a week with Argentinian students learning, birding, and working for the conservation of both saline lakes. 📷 Geoff McQuilkin

KQED covered the crisis facing Mono Lake's California Gulls: "California gulls that nest at the eastern Sierra's #MonoLake suffered a catastrophic breeding failure last year, according to the latest installment in a four-decade-long series of reports tracking the birds' health."

Last year was a very bad year for nesting California Gulls at #MonoLake. Data and observations reveal that uncertain food timing and productivity and recurring coyote predation—all due to low lake levels—are likely causing disruption. Read the full story here:

This Fourth of July holiday, keep things fun and ignite adventure, not wildfires! Opt out of personal fireworks. Make sure stoves/matches/cigarettes, etc. are extinguished. Avoid parking/driving on vegetation - even exhaust pipes and under-inflated/damaged tires can spark fires!

Check out today's New York Times article, “For the Future of Water Conservation, Look to ... Los Angeles?” Our takeaway: The people of LA are doing their part. It has been 31 years since DWP promised to raise Mono Lake—it's time for DWP to evolve, too.

Good news! The Senate Parliamentarian ruled that the provision to sell off public land must be taken out of the budget bill. Also, Mono Lake's Rep. Kevin Kiley committed to protecting public lands and ensuring local community input. This happened because people spoke up. Thank you! 📷 Noam Bedein

Such a great look at a Sooty Grouse up high at Mono Lake's headwaters!

The Mono Basin is included as eligible for public land sale if the budget reconciliation bill is voted into law. Please call Mono Lake's Rep. Kevin Kiley and tell him to keep the public lands sell-off out of the budget bill. Find more info here: www.monolake.org/today/south-... 📷 Forrest Galt

Happy summer solstice from #MonoLake! This is the June image from the 2025 Mono Lake Calendar; get yours at monolake.org/calendar. 📷 Forrest Galt

Join us this weekend for these free events at the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua!

The 22nd Mono Basin #BirdChautauqua starts tomorrow! Hundreds of people are in Lee Vining this weekend for the festival, which includes field trips, presentations, and workshops about natural history, art, conservation, and of course, birds! 🦉by Rosa Cox 📷 by Teri Tracy

Canoe tour season is underway at #MonoLake! Last weekend's tours kicked off the summer with great weather and good birding out on the water. If you would like to join us for a guided tour on Saturday or Sunday mornings, book your spot at monolake.org/canoe. 📷 BreeLynn Butler

🔥 Fire restrictions take effect today for the Inyo National Forest, which means campfires are ONLY allowed in designated developed campgrounds. NO fires at dispersed sites. Find helpful tips for staying fire safe at camplikeapro.org.🔥

The State Reserve boardwalk at #MonoLake County Park will need to be completely replaced after the #InnFire. The Mono Lake Committee is collecting donations specifically to support the reconstruction costs. You can learn more and donate here: www.monolake.org/today/inn-fi...

We highly recommend reading this piece by Sammy Roth in the LA Times about experiencing the realities of LA's water connection with the Eastern Sierra, including #MonoLake: www.monolake.org/today/la-tim... 📷 Stephen Trimble

Good news! The Inn Fire that burned near Mono Lake is now 100% contained. Please be aware that Mono Lake County Park is currently closed. Cemetery Road and Thompson Road are open to residents only. See the details here: www.fs.usda.gov/r05/inyo/new... 📷 Inyo National Forest

This year some giant rocks needed to be blasted apart before Caltrans could remove them from the Tioga Road and open the gates to traffic. Take a look!

Free guided bird tours are moving to Old Marina since County Park is closed after being damaged by the Inn Fire a couple of weeks ago. Join us at 8:00am on Fridays and Sundays at Old Marina (the Mono Lake access point just 1 mile north of Lee Vining). We hope to see you there!

The Summer 2025 Mono Lake Newsletter is now available to read online. In this issue we spotlight Mono Lake's California Gulls, which are in trouble after decades of the lake being too low to sufficiently support the nesting population. Read the whole issue at monolake.org/newsletter. 📷 Sara Matthews

Free one-hour South Tufa walking tours have resumed for the season! Right now, you can join us on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:00pm. In just a few weeks, daily 6:00pm tours will begin. See the full schedule and reserve your spot at monolake.org/freetour.

#TiogaPass is open! There are no amenities nor drinking water along the Tioga Road; only vault and portable toilets are available. Starting today reservations are not required to enter the park until June 15. Visit www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/reservations.htm for more info. 📷 @visitmammoth

Our first look at the status of Mono Lake County Park after the #InnFire shows that portions of the shade structure, lawn, and boardwalk burned. The restrooms and playground are reported to be okay. 📷 Bridgeport WildWatch

The #InnFire is now 54% contained at 725 acres. People who were evacuated have been able to return home and Highway 395 has reopened. Photos from the last few days show crews working to make sure the fire is out along #MonoLake's northwest shore. 📷 Inyo National Forest

Fire crews have reached 54% containment on the #InnFire as of this morning's report. People who had been evacuated have been allowed back home and Highway 395 is open. We are so grateful to the 550+ firefighters who are still here working to put out hot spots and increase the containment!

As of Saturday, May 24 the #InnFire has grown to 726 acres and is 15% contained. The highway remains closed and the evacuation order remains in place. Power has been restored to Mono City and Bridgeport. The cause of the fire is unknown. 📷 Bartshe Miller

Caltrans closed Highway 395 in both directions and an evacuation order was issued for people living in Mono City, Lundy Canyon, and near the Mono Inn. Mono City and Bridgeport lost power due to poles and lines burning down. #InnFire 📷 Elin Ljung