Mono Lake

2010 Calendar • Mono lake CoMMittee

©20

09 v

ic s

mit

h

©20

09 J

ac

k s

hip

ley

Past, Present, and Futureono Lake —like our own lives— has a past, a present, and a future. My intent is not to bore the reader with a philosophical

dissertation, but only to remind us all that Mono Lake’s present is a result of all actions of the past tempered by the recent. Following that logic, the future is the sum of what happened today when added to yesterday.

The origin of the Mono Basin is told in the story of the rocks. This geologic truth can be seen as one takes a 360-degree view of the lake and its surroundings from the US Forest Service Visitor Center. The view is a mosaic of events that occurred over millions of years resulting in the creation of the larger landscape. Some of the landscape features you will also see are as recent as tens of thousands of years to several hundred years before present. What becomes clear is that Mono Lake and its basin was born of fire and sculpted by ice. The Sierra crest, Negit and Paoha Islands, the Mono Craters, and the glacial moraines like those in Lundy and Lee Vining canyons are testaments to those past events.

Harder to see but nevertheless important to the present have been the past activities of humans. The period of the basin’s occupation by people began only yesterday in geology-speak. The legacy of our significant effects on the Mono Basin ecosystem can be measured in terms of a few human generations.

Native peoples have occupied the Mono Basin and its surroundings for hundreds of years. The environment and nature’s economy defined the life of these first occupants: the Kutzadikaa. Weather and food resources dictated their seasonal movements within the basin. Mono Lake was always central to their lives.

This would all change with the discovery of gold and silver in the region and the arrival of prospectors and European settlers shortly after 1850. The natural resources of the Mono Basin would now be divided and reallocated on behalf of the expanding European populations because of their demands for land, water, food, and fiber. The fate of the Kutzadikaa was displacement and assimilation into this new human era in the Mono Basin.

It is important to understand that the land and streams within the basin were significantly modified early on for ranching and farming practices. Timber harvest also became an economically important activity due to the demand for lumber in places like Aurora and Bodie. Leroy Vining was one of the first to commercially harvest timber.

The new activity in the Mono Basin in some instances significantly modified the environment from what existed in the time of the Kutzadikaa . Many people are familiar with the story in the recent past of the conflict over the water in the Mono Basin. To understand the present it is important to realize that the land, fresh water, and forest resources within the Mono Basin were not pristine with the arrival of the water interests from Southern California. Mono Lake itself had not been greatly changed by those earlier activities … but that was soon to change.

After 1941 the diversion of water from some of the Mono Basin streams to the City of Los Angeles would result in significant changes to the streams and Mono Lake. The ensuing battle for Mono Basin water has been compared to the story of David and Goliath. The Mono Lake Committee and others brought to the forefront the consequences of these diversions based on scientific assessments. Based on that science, the California State Water Resources Control Board issued its 1994 decision that limited the City’s diversions from Mono Basin streams, set future Mono Lake elevations, and required actions to restore conditions that existed in the streams prior to the City’s diversions. These were the events of the Mono Basin’s past.

Presently, the City of Los Angeles, in collaboration with the Mono Lake Committee and others, is taking actions that will in the future restore much of what was changed by the diversions. Stream channels have been reopened to allow water that is released into Rush, Walker, Parker, and Lee Vining creeks to reoccupy historic channels while trying to simulate natural flow patterns. Students from the inner city of Los Angeles have had the opportunity to come and work with the Mono

Jim Canaday is a retired Senior Environmental Scientist for the California State Water Resources Control Board. Most notably, Jim was the lead scientist-project manager and one of the authors of the State Water Board’s 1994 Mono Lake public trust decision. He oversaw the Mono Basin restoration program ordered by the State Water Board until his retirement in 2007.

By Jim Canaday

MLake Committee on restoration projects that increase their appreciation of how precious water is not only for where they live but also for Mono Lake. Scientists continue to monitor stream fisheries, lake limnology, and waterfowl populations. The riparian forest that once embraced Rush and Lee Vining creeks in some areas is now robust where not long ago it was absent. Wildlife species not seen in a generation have returned. This is all wonderful news but there is much more to be done to ensure Mono Lake’s future.

The main ingredient for Mono Lake’s future is “time,” and continued dedication by those working for it. Mono Lake is a work in progress. It can take hundreds and in certain instances thousands of years for the present conditions to recover their past. Even with restoration efforts, some things will never be as they were. In the future, the environment of the streams and the lake will surely have changed. So too will there be new generations dedicated to the protection and recovery of Mono Lake. Where there was once little hope there is now optimism. Continued dedication in the present will ensure a very bright future for Mono Lake.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and the photographs adorning this calendar make that a true statement. However, don’t let your Mono experience be only the pictures in this calendar … go there … see it … experience it!

Mono Lake Committee co-founder David Gaines once wrote, “So come visit Mono. The old lake needs new friends, and will not begrudge some more human footprints along its shores, provided we walk lightly.” So come to Mono Lake, walk lightly, and view its wonders.

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” — John Muir

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

31

JANUARyMono Reflections

Photograph ©2009 Christopher Foster

New year’s Day

Mono Lake Tufa State Reserve established, 1982

©20

09 m

ich

ae

l Fr

ye

FeBruary S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

deCeMBer S M T W T F S

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

New Moon

Bright winter days reveal snow-capped Sierra peaks and dusted tufa towers. During winter, storms deposit nearly all the precipitation that will sustain the Mono Basin through the summer months. On calm days, Mono Lake lies as still and flat as a great mirror.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Full Moon

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28

FEBRUARy

St. Valentine’s Day Presidents’ Day

California Supreme Court issues Public Trust Ruling, 1983

January S M T W T F S

MarCh S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Cold temperatures and inversion layers can bring poconip, an ice fog, to the Mono Basin. When this thick fog sets in, sometimes for weeks at a time, it coats everything in ice crystals and temperatures rarely rise above freezing.

Groundhog Day

New Moon

Foggy Old County RoadPhotograph ©2009 Phil Lindsay

Washington’s Birthday

Ash Wednesday

Lincoln’s Birthday

©20

09 c

hr

istO

phe

r F

Ost

er

Full Moon

Chinese New year year of the Tiger

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30 31

MARCH

St. Patrick’s Day

©20

09 F

ra

Nk

s. B

alt

his

FeBruary S M T W T F S

aPriL S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Vernal Equinox

Full Moon

New Moon

Spring storms blow, churning Mono’s saline and carbonate-rich waters into a sudsy foam. Soon, warming temperatures will trigger overwintering brine shrimp eggs to hatch into the new generation of Artemia monica.

Mono Lake Committee established, 1978

Stormy Afternoon at South TufaPhotograph ©2009 Michael Frye

Cesar Chavez Day

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28

Daylight Saving Timebegins (2 a.m.)

World Water Day

Passover beginsPalm Sunday

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30

APRIL

Los Angeles Aqueduct begins diverting Mono Lake

tributaries, 1941

Earth Day

Twilight: Tufa and Grasses, Mono LakePhotograph ©2009 Rick Knepp

Spring usually arrives in the Mono Basin with a roar—calm days are rare in this season of new growth. Each year new snowmelt raises Mono Lake’s surface a little bit more, inundating plants and restoring tufa towers to their watery home.

MarCh S M T W T F S

May S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Full Moon

New Moon

In Los Angeles, the first of more than 1 million ultra-low-flow toilets is installed to conserve water for Mono Lake, 1990

©20

09 J

ust

iN h

ite

Arbor Day

April Fool’s Day

Easter Sunday

Good Friday

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29

30 31

MAy

Armed Forces Day

Memorial Day (observed)

Cinco de Mayo

May Day

Mother’s Day

Victoria Day (Canada)

As melting snowpack waters the eastern escarpment of the Sierra, the arrowleaf balsamroot blooms in a staggering display. The Mono Lake Committee keeps careful watch over spring temperatures to ensure Mono’s streams receive peak flows, which are essential for effective restoration.

©20

09 J

ust

iN h

ite

aPriL S M T W T F S

June S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

New Moon

Full Moon

Public Trust Lawsuit filed, 1979

Mono Lake Committee Information Center & Bookstore

first opens its doors, 1979

Arrowleaf Balsamroot, Copper MountainPhotograph ©2009 Rick Kattlemann

International Migratory Bird Day

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4 5

6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16 17 18 19

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30

JUNE

Flag Day

Castle Tufa, Mono Lake MoatPhotograph ©2009 Dick Erb

Since 1994 Mono Lake has been on the rise toward the State Water Resources Control Board management level of 6392 feet above sea level. At this lake level toxic dust storms should be minimized, lake organisms should thrive, and the California Gull nesting ground should be safe once again.

JuLy S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

New Moon

Full Moon

May S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Mono Basin Research Group begins study of Mono Lake

ecosystem, 1976

Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua June 18-20

Father’s Day Summer Solstice

©20

09 r

ON

wO

lF

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3

4 5 6 7 8 9 10

11 12 13 14 15 16 17

18 19 20 21 22 23 24

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

JULy

Independence Day

Canada Day

Over the course of the summer brine shrimp and alkali flies graze away algae, leaving the lake water clear. The Mono Lake Committee’s canoe tours are a great way to see shrimp and flies, as well as tufa towers both above and beneath the water’s surface.

auGuST S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

June S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

New Moon

Full Moon

©20

09 r

ON

wO

lF

Tufa IslandsPhotograph ©2009 John Dittli

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30 31

AUGUSTOsprey, primarily fish-eating hawks, nest in somewhat unlikely territory: tufa towers in fishless Mono Lake. Safe from predators high in their nests, yet close to trout-rich lakes and streams in the area, Mono Lake’s Osprey population has been growing.

©20

09 l

ON

die

G. p

ad

els

ky

JuLy S M T W T F S

SePTeMBer S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Full Moon

New Moon

John Muir first visits the Mono Basin, 1869

Osprey, Smoky Summer Sky Photograph ©2009 Ron Wolf

Ramadan begins

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30

SEPTEMBER

Grandparents’ Day

Labor Day

A rugged Sierra juniper hangs on glacially carved canyon walls above Mill Creek in Lundy Canyon. Below, groves of aspens herald the onset of cold weather with golden swaths among dark green conifers.

©20

09 B

ria

N s

ca

vO

Ne

auGuST S M T W T F S

oCToBer S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

New Moon

Full Moon

California Assembly Bill 444 funds Mono Lake replacement

water supplies, 1989

State Water Board orders decreased Mono Basin diversions, 1994

Lundy Canyon Fall Photograph ©2009 Robb Hirsch

Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area created, 1984

Patriot Day Rosh Hashanah begins

Autumnal Equinox

Ramadan ends

yom Kippur

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2

3 4 5 6 7 8 9

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28 29 30

OCTOBER

United Nations Day

Mono Basin, Fall Colors Photograph ©2009 Joel St. Marie

The last shining leaves cling to aspen branches before dropping for the winter, as storms and winds plunge the Mono Basin into hibernation. Snow will soon blanket the tops of the sagebrush until spring.

Columbus Day (observed)

Halloween

SePTeMBer S M T W T F S

noVeMBer S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

New Moon

Full Moon

Thanksgiving Day (Canada)

©20

09 r

ich

ar

d B

uc

ich

31

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15 16 17 18 19 20

21 22 23 24 25 26 27

28 29 30

NOVEMBER

Veteran’s Day

Mono Lake, First SnowPhotograph ©2009 Joel St. Marie

An early winter storm passes over Mono Lake, dropping snow on the east shore and beyond. Rings of different vegetation mark historic shorelines as Mono Lake continues to rise.

oCToBer S M T W T F S

deCeMBer S M T W T F S

Full Moon

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Los Angeles Aqueduct delivers the first Owens Valley water to

Los Angeles, 1913

New Moon

©20

09 e

liN

lJu

NG

Election Day

Dia de los Muertos

Thanksgiving Day

Standard Timeresumes (2 a.m.)

S u n d a y M o n d a y T u e S d a y W e d n e S d a y T h u r S d a y F r i d a y S a T u r d a y

1 2 3 4

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

26 27 28 29 30 31

DECEMBER

Christmas Day

Snow and silence characterize winter in the aspen groves along Mono’s tributary streams. Thanks to the work of Mono Lake Committee members, those streams have kept flowing for another year. Long Live Mono Lake!

noVeMBer S M T W T F S

January S M T W T F S

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

New Moon

Full Moon

Winter Solstice

©20

09 F

re

d h

irsc

hm

aN

N 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Kwanzaa begins

Chanukah begins

Aspens, Winter AfternoonPhotograph ©2009 Dick Erb

Mono Lake’s historic lowstand: 6372.0 feet above sea level in 1981

Islamic New year

Pearl Harbor Day

M O N O L A K E 2 0 1 0 C A L E N D A R

Uniquely beautiful and teeming with life, ancient Mono Lake is an oasis for millions of migratory and nesting birds, a vital part of the American West, a spectacular spot to experience solitude and the wildness of nature, and a scenic treasure awaiting exploration.

Magical places like Mono Lake and the Mono Basin need your support. Protection requires continual vigilance, and restoration requires hard work. For over 30 years, the Mono Lake Committee has been working successfully to save Mono Lake from excessive water diversions, to educate the public about the value of wise water use, and to restore Mono’s damaged resources.

You can be a part of Mono Lake’s future! Join the Mono Lake Committee, a non-profit citizens’ group, by using the enclosed envelope—or by visiting our

YOuR puRChAsE Of this CALENDAR wiLL hELp hEAL AND pROtECt MONO LAKE!Front Cover: Rainbow and Tufa, photograph ©2009 John DittliCelestial events are calculated for Pacific Time. Exact times can be obtained from the US Naval Observatory site online at http://aa.usno.navy.mil.Special thanks to Carroll Evans, Wendy Heaton, Dane Henas, Duncan King, Elin Ljung, and Bartshé Miller.Project Coordinator: Arya Degenhardt.©2009 Mono Lake Committee. All rights reserved. Design: Dane Henas Design, Sacramento, CA.Photographs copyrighted by credited photographers. All rights reserved.

Printed in the USA on recycled paper.$11.95 U.S.A.

Information Center & Bookstore, open year-round at the lake, or by joining us on the Internet at www.monolake.org.

Come to Mono Lake. Explore its wild places. Experience its beauty, and become a member of the Mono Lake Committee. Join us in protecting and restoring this unique ecosystem for future generations.

To learn more about Mono Lake or to join the Mono Lake Committee:Mono Lake Committee info@monolake.org P.O. Box 29, Lee Vining, CA 93541 www.monolake.org (760) 647-6595 www.monobasinresearch.org

Additional calendars may be purchased from the Mono Lake Committee at any time.