2004
Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua
Workshops, Children's Activities, Field Trips,
Presentations, Special Events
ROOM STILL AVAILABLE:
Workshops
Wet, Wild, and Weedy
Mist Netting and Bird Banding
Songbird Monitoring Techniques
Birding For Beginners
Introduction to Field Sketching Birds
Sketching the “Essence” of Mono Basin Birds
Children’s Activities
(for all ages!)
Children’s Bird Walk
Birdhouse Architecture and Design
Field Trips
“Little” Big Day I
Want Salt With Your Alkali Flies?
The Mono Basin Rocks!
A Morning Medley of Birds
Presentations
Sparrows of the Eastern Sierra and Great Basin
The Art of Seeing
Climate Change and Eastern Sierran Ecosystems
Bird Life on a Lively Earth: Thoughts on the Last Million Years of the Mono Basin and the Birds that Could Have Lived Here
Pass the salt!
The Making of Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior
Restoration Success on Mono Lake’s Tributaries: The Willow Flycatcher Comeback on Rush Creek
Lower Owens River Project Update From The Owens Valley Committee
Special Events
Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua
Welcome Reception and Dinner
Mono Lake Wine Flight
A Wine Tasting Benefit - A Cause to Sip!
Book Signing Reception with David Carle
Under the Waxing Moon
Picnic and Music at Mono Lake County Park
Other things to do during
Chautauqua Week
Bird Identification in the Field
Join Kenn for a morning of birding, with an emphasis on how to look for
field marks and distinguish between different species. Kenn’s extensive
experience with leading field trips and his work on field guide publication make
him uniquely qualified to help others learn what to look for when trying to
identify birds in the field. This workshop will take place at the County Park
and the Tufa State Reserve Boardwalk which should provide birds that are
stationary long enough for us to study them in detail.
Presenter: Kenn Kaufman will lead on
Saturday. Kenn is a field editor for Audubon magazine and a regular contributor
to other birding magazines. He has led a wide variety of field trips all over
the world and is the author of the Kaufman Focus Guides – a series of guide
books which include Birds of North America; Butterflies of North America; and
recently released Mammals of North America. He is also the author of Lives of
North American Birds; Peterson Field Guide to Adavanced Birding; and Kingbird
Highway which chronicles his hitch-hiking adventures as he traveled across the
North American continent at age 17 in an attempt to break the single year record
of bird species sighted.
Saturday 8:00-11:00 AM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Explorations with Swallows
Tree and Violet-green swallows are members of a genus of swallows spread
throughout the Americas who share one very important feature: they nest in holes
that they do not excavate themselves. Thus, they are dependent on accidents of
nature or the actions of other species to create their nesting homes. Over the
past century, these swallows have grown increasingly dependent on nest-boxes put
up by humans for places to nest. Come with David Winkler a short distance into
Lee Vining Canyon to explore the breeding biology of these hardy aerial hunters
at a nest-box population that has been building over the past several years. We
will see nests, eggs, and chicks, take a shot at catching some adults, and
explore the relations between these two species and their joint fondness for the
feathers of other species to line their nests. The meadow may be wet, so come
along prepared to get your feet wet if necessary, and be sure to wear a hat and
sun-screen and dress for chilly morning temperatures.
Presenter: David W. Winkler, Ph.D. is a professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and faculty curator of birds at Cornell University. A California native, he received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley with the majority of his work centered on studying breeding California gulls at Mono Lake. He publishes regularly in journals ranging from Ecology and Evolution to The Auk, The Condor and Living Bird. His current research focuses on the life histories of Tachycineta swallows from Alaska to Argentina through a research collective he has created called Golondrinas de Las Americas (see http://golondrinas.cornell.edu). Dr. Winkler continues to maintain an active role in bird research at Mono Lake, both through student research on the gulls and an active Golondrinas site in Lee Vining Canyon.
Sunday 9:00-11:00 AM
Maximum number: 10 FULL
Meet in the front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Wet, Wild, and Weedy
Every birder knows that tall marsh plants are fabulous habitat, but this formidable cover has been used traditionally for thousands of years by indigenous peoples worldwide to create useful items. In this workshop, basket weaver and ethnobotanical enthusiast Ane Carla will share the secrets of stinging nettle, cattails and tule grass. Don’t worry, they were collected on private ranches, not along our protected shoreline!
Presenter: Ane Carla Rovetta’s formal training was as a scientist. Like the painters during the Renaissance, she believes that science and art are kindred disciplines and has spent most of her adult life unifying the two in lively public performances throughout the West. Ane Carla’s “grounding” in natural history has led her to include the earth around her in her artwork. She makes her own art supplies from a variety of raw materials. A pen and ink illustrator for over twenty years, Ane Carla has illustrated five books and maintains a studio in downtown Point Reyes Station, California. She lives in Sonoma County where her pastel chalks are rolled in a “funky little outbuilding that used to be a chicken coop.”
Saturday 10:00 – 12:00 NOON
Maximum number: 20
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center conference room.
Who Gives A Hoot?
Answer: Only the Long-eared Owl. All the rest make some other sound.
Join Burleigh Lockwood and learn which owl says what. There will be a
discussion on raptors in general and then Burleigh will compare owls with hawks.
Many “biofacts” will be shared along with mounted specimens for a real
“hands-on” experience. She’ll also teach us how to hoo
Presenter: Burleigh Lockwood has been a field biologist since the age of 4 (smashed worms and crumpled caterpillars in inquisitive hands). She pursued biology through high school and into college. While she was finishing her degree in Environmental Biology, she began working for California Fish and Game as a seasonal biologist. It was a career shift to the US Forest Service that brought her into contact with owls. As an official “hooter” on Spotted Owl surveys for the Forest Service, she learned the habits and hoots of the owls in the Sierra. She is currently a biologist for the Education Department of the Chafee Zoo in Fresno, California.
Friday 7:00-8:00 PM Maximum
number: 20 FULL
Saturday 5:00-6:00 PM Maximum number: 20
FULL
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center conference room.
Mist Netting and Bird Banding
Mist netting demonstrations will be conducted from sunrise to 11:00
am on Saturday and Sunday.
Participants will be introduced to one of the several bird monitoring techniques
that Point Reyes Bird Observatory biologists are using to monitor Mono Basin’s
riparian songbirds, and will get rare glimpses of birds in the hand. The earlier
you arrive, the more birds you’re likely to see!
Presenters: Point Reyes Bird Observatory
staff biologists
Saturday 6:00–8:30 am Rush
Creek location* Maximum number: 20
Saturday 8:30-11:00 AM Rush Creek location* Maximum number:20
Sunday 6:00-8:30 AM Lee Vining Creek*
Maximum number:20
Sunday 8:30–11:00 am Lee Vining
Creek* Maximum number: 20
* Both workshops will meet in the field at the research
site. Please pick up a map with directions to each of these sites from the
registration/information desk at the Scenic Area Visitor Center. Feel free to
drop in and/or leave anytime. However, demonstrations will end at 11:00 so
please plan accordingly.
Songbird Monitoring Techniques
Point Reyes Bird Observatory biologists will introduce
participants to standardized songbird monitoring techniques and will emphasize
citizen participation in songbird monitoring programs. Techniques to be covered
include nest searching, area searches, point counts, and vegetation surveys.
Presenter: Sacha Heath has directed the Eastern Sierra Riparian Songbird Conservation Project since its inception in 1998 and has participated in several avian research projects ranging from Alaska to Antarctica. She has participated in statewide bird conservation efforts, co-authoring California bird conservation plans and species accounts for riparian, coniferous forest, and oak woodland habitats.
Saturday 1:00–4:00
pm. Maximum number: 20
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Birding For Beginners
Ever wonder what those numbers on binoculars mean? And what about the order of
birds in a bird book – are they trying to make it hard to look up what I just
saw? How do those bird experts see so many birds? In this workshop we will go
over all the birding basics – gear such as binoculars and books, how to develop
skills that will enable you to find birds easily, and more! After reviewing the
basics, we’ll go out in the field and put these new skills to the test.
Presenter: Justin Hite is currently a student at Cornell
University and has been involved with the California Gull research for the past
four years. His stories of summers spent living with the gulls out on Mono
Lake’s islands will no doubt entertain you!
Saturday 7:30-9:00 AM Maximum number: 15
Sunday 7:30-9:00 AM Maximum number: 15
Meet in front of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.
Introduction to
Field Sketching Birds
How can field sketching help us become more observant
birders? Jack Laws will lead us on a bird walk while also demonstrating how
scientific illustration and quick field sketches can help develop the eye's
ability to see nature. Jack will also give us tips for quickly catching the
shape and color of birds in the wild. The goal is not to create a pretty
picture, but to help make us more observant while documenting our birding
experiences. No previous drawing experience is necessary.
Presenter: Jack Laws is a naturalist, illustrator, and educator from San Francisco. He has developed and taught classes on ecology, biology, and illustration and leads monthly field sketching outings in the Bay Area. He received a B.S. in Conservation and Resources at the University of California, Berkeley, and an M. S. in Wildlife Biology from the University of Montana, Missoula and studied Scientific Illustration at the University of California at Santa Cruz. His recent book, Sierra Birds: A Hiker's Guide, is the first publication in a five- year project to create an easy to use, fully illustrated and portable guide to use when identifying Sierra plants and wildlife.
Sunday 7:30 – 10:30 AM Maximum number:15
Meet in front
of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Feeder Café: An
Afternoon of Bird Watching and Study of Cowbird Ecology
Don Banta’s bird feeders in Lee Vining draw thousands of winged
visitors annually, including less desirable birds – cowbirds. Brown-headed
Cowbird researcher, Chris Tonra, is collaborating with Don on a project to
color-band and study the secret lives of cowbirds, and examine their
interactions with songbirds of the Mono Basin. Join local bird-lover and our
feeder host, Don Banta, and PRBO biologists Chris Tonra and Sue Abbott for a
stimulating afternoon of café beverages, feeder watching, cowbird ecology, and
some tips for being the best host to birds at your feeder.
Presenters: Don Banta was born in Bishop and has lived continuously in Lee Vining since 1932, when he was four years old. Originally, the Banta family owned the Lee Vining Market. Now the Banta family owns the Best Western Lake View Lodge. Don’s father was an avid sportsman teaching Don to hunt and fish in the Mono Basin at a young age. Don’s love for and interest in wildlife is still going strong as evidenced by his involvement with the Lee Vining Canyon herd of Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep and the numerous nestboxes that Don has placed in the Mono Basin. Although Lee Vining doesn’t have an “official” mayor, there is no doubt that most residents would vote for Don! Chris Tonra is a biologist with PRBO and a Masters candidate in Wildlife Ecology at Humboldt State University. This is Chris’ third year of working with songbirds in the Mono Basin and his second year examining the behavioral ecology of Brown-headed Cowbirds. Sue Abbott is an outreach biologist with PRBO Conservation Science.
Saturday 1:00–2:30
pm Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore
Sketching the “Essence” of
Mono
Basin Birds
Everyone can draw! This joyous activity – so spontaneous in
children, can be unleashed again. Artist Ane Carla helps reluctant adults
rekindle their art. Come and experience her dynamic, nonjudgemental, free-ing
drawing instructions. All materials are provided, so just bring an open heart!
This workshop will be held indoors.
Presenter: Ane Carla Rovetta’s formal training was as a scientist. Like the painters during the Renaissance, she believes that science and art are kindred disciplines and has spent most of her adult life unifying the two in lively public performances throughout the West. Ane Carla’s “grounding” in natural history has led her to include the earth around her in her artwork. She makes her own art supplies from a variety of raw materials. A pen and ink illustrator for over twenty years, Ane Carla has illustrated five books and maintains a studio in downtown Point Reyes Station, California. She lives in Sonoma County where her pastel chalks are rolled in a “funky little outbuilding that used to be a chicken coop.”
Saturday 3:00-4:30 PM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Sunday 10:00-11:30 AM Maximum number: 15
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center Conference Room.
Children’s Activities (for all ages!)
Children’s Bird Walk
Join California Gull researcher Justin Hite for a walk along Lee Vining
Creek as he introduces the wonderful world of birding to children of all ages.
Parents are welcome to attend. It’s a great activity for the whole family!
Presenter: Justin Hite is currently a student at Cornell University and has been involved with the California Gull research for the past four years. His stories of summers spent living with the gulls out on Mono Lake’s islands will no doubt entertain you!
Saturday 9:00–10:00
am Maximum number: 10 children
(with adults)
Meet on the back patio of the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.
Birdhouse Architecture and Design
Come build and decorate your own birdhouse! Learn modern entranceway design, preferred colors and textures for exterior decor, and location, location, location! This 1.5 hour, hands-on activity is aimed at youth with parents as welcome assistants. A few complete houses will be available for decoration by the carpentry-challenged. Building will be supplemented by stories, songs, and a nest-building frenzy. You’ll even be able to keep your birdhouse and take it home with you! Last year’s attendees will enjoy building the 2004 design with us to add to your collection.
Presenters: Fred "Tim" and Leslie Willoughby have enjoyed more than 35 years combined playing alongside young people of all ages as interpretors, educators, administrators, parents and grandparents. The Eastern Sierra and Mono Lake in particular first captured our hearts during an outdoor education trip here in 1987. Our observation and belief is that a few experiences in nature during childhood can powerfully influence the confidence, enjoyment and protective political actions of adults for wild lands.
Saturday 1:30–3:00
pm Maximum number: 12 children
(with adults)
Meet at the Lee Vining Community Center.
“Little” Big Day I (open) and II (full)
These all-day bird pursuits will focus on seeing as many bird species as
possible in the Mono Basin and throughout Mono County. It will be a fast-paced
day and therefore is recommended for intermediate and advanced birders. We will
be out all day so be sure to bring a lunch, sunscreen, and plenty of water!
Leader I: Mike Prather is a past president of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society and is the current president of the Owens Valley Committee. He actively works on Owens Valley and Owens Lake water and wildlife issues and has been a resident of Inyo County (Lone Pine) for 30 years. He’s also a long time Monophile.
FULL: Leaders II: David Wimpfheimer and Susan Colletta. David has been a naturalist and biologist for more than 20 years. He has studied seabirds and shorebirds in Alaska, raptor migration in Egypt, and a variety of birds in California. In the mid 1980s he worked for the Mono Lake Committee doing a variety of educational, lobbying and promotional activities. On eleven Bikeathons from Los Angeles to Mono Lake he pursued birds as well as miles. Over the years he has taught a variety of classes in the Mono Basin. He teaches classes and leads diverse excursions for many groups, including the Smithsonian Institution, California Academy of Sciences, Point Reyes Field Seminars, and the Oceanic Society. Assistant Naturalist Susan Colletta is a former visual effects producer. She explores the natural world in a fun, unique style that opens up new worlds of discovery. For several years she has been leading natural history tours in the Mono Basin.
Saturday 7:00–4:30 pm
Maximum number: 20
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Tales of Life Beneath Strange Waters
A lifeless inland sea?
Hardly. So what DOES live in Mono Lake? The community of organisms that
inhabit the near-shore shallows and in tufa springs are not often seen by the
casual visitor to Mono Lake but they are the little wheels turning to bring the
ecosystem to life in what we see at the lake surface. We’ll dip beneath the
waters and look at the microscopic life of bacteria, algae, crustaceans and
insects that form the base of the food chain in the lake. There are many
stories to be told, and we will use the aid of microscopes instead of binoculars
to view and illustrate the tales of life beneath strange waters. We’ll be
taking a walk along the northern lakeshore in the area of Black Point – so
prepare for the possibility of wet or muddy shoes. As the lake changes there
may also be surprises in what we find - so this trip may give us a chance to
explore and make some new discoveries. Since I’m a master of science (not to
mention a doctor of philosophy) I’ll also be making most of this up as we go
along. Come see if you can tell the difference between truth and fiction.
Presenter: Dave Herbst has been conducting studies of bugs and slime in the Eastern Sierra and Mono Basin since 1976, first as a member of the student revolutionaries of '76, then as a research scientist with the University of California. His research studies have most recently included restoration of aquatic habitat on the Owens Lake playa, the effect of introduced trout on stream ecosystems in the high Sierra of Yosemite, the food web of Devils Hole thermal spring in Death Valley, and monitoring of recovery from acid mine drainage in streams at the Leviathan Mine superfund site near Monitor Pass.
Saturday 9:00 – 12:00 NOON Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Wildflower Walk
Come join Ann Howald as she leads us on a walk through the flower and
plant communities of the Mono Basin. We’ll learn to recognize the common trees,
shrubs, and wildflowers of a few of the habitats found here in the Mono Basin.
Ann will explain how plants and flowers connect to their environment and how
they develop special adaptations to permit them to survive under sometimes harsh
conditions. Along the way we’ll see resident birds, insects, and other wildlife.
Presenter: Ann Howald was trained as a plant ecologist. She is
currently a consulting botonist who also teaches field classes at Santa Rosa
Junior College. She lives in Sonoma, and spends some of each summer studying
plants in the Eastern Sierra.
Sunday 9:00-12:00 NOON Maximum number:
15 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Exploring the Eastern Sierra Flyway
Our field trip will start with an early morning walk to the end of
the State Reserve boardwalk below the Mono Lake County Park. Along the boardwalk
are signs indicating where the lake level will be when it reaches the elevation
mandated by the State Water Resources Control Board, thus allowing an intriguing
look into the future. We will get a sneak peak at the bird life along the Mono
Lake shoreline, and Debbie will talk briefly about her ongoing waterfowl
monitoring project. Next the group will visit Bridgeport Reservoir – another
important body of water in the “Eastern Sierra flyway”.
Presenter: Debbie House is a Watershed Resources Specialist for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power in Bishop. She has a Master’s Degree in Biological Sciences from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she conducted research in avian community ecology. As a field ecologist for the last 15 years, she has conducted research and monitoring projects on small mammals, bats, reptiles, and amphibians, raptors, songbirds, and plants. She is currently conducting a waterfowl project at Mono Lake, Bridgeport Reservoir, and Crowley Reservoir. .
Sunday 7:00–11:00 AM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Take a walk in the forest as the last light of the day gives way to night. Under the guidance of our master hooter, we'll weave our way through the Jeffrey Pines listening to the night sounds and maybe encountering an owl or two. Bring a flashlight and dress warmly. Not recommended for very small children.
Presenter: Burleigh Lockwood has been a field biologist since the age of 4 (smashed worms and crumpled caterpillars in inquisitive hands). She pursued biology through high school and into college. While she was finishing her degree in Environmental Biology, she began working for California Fish and Game as a seasonal biologist. It was a career shift to the US Forest Service that brought her into contact with owls. As an official “hooter” on Spotted Owl surveys for the Forest Service, she learned the habits and hoots of the owls in the Sierra. She is currently a biologist for the Education Department of the Chafee Zoo in Fresno, California.
Friday
8:15-9:30 PM Maximum number: 20
FULL
Saturday 8:15-9:30 PM Maximum number: 20
FULL
Meet in front of the
Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.
Lee Vining Canyon Bird Walk
Lee Vining Canyon is one of the Eastern Sierra’s premier birding
locations. It offers a variety of habitats and breathtaking views. Of particular
interest is the habitat progression as Lee Vining Creek drains from the high
alpine mountains of Yosemite and Tioga Pass down through the canyon and out into
the arid, sage-scrub surrounding Mono Lake. American Dippers, Townsend’s
Solitaires, Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, and nuthatches are among the many
species that we may see on this trip.
Leader: David Lukas will lead on Saturday. He has led over one
hundred birdwatching and natural history programs for The Nature Conservancy,
Audubon Society, Elderhostel, and other groups. He is the author of two books
Watchable Birds of the Great Basin and the recently published Wild
Birds of California, and is currently writing a field guide to birds of the
Sierra Nevada.
Leader: Jon Dunn will lead on Sunday. He was
chief consultant to the National Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds
of North America, the 4th edition, the last of which was published in
2002. He has extensive knowledge of the identification and distribution of North
American birds and has written articles on these subjects that have appeared in
a wide variety of journals. He was co-author and the host of the two-video set
Large and Small Gulls of North America in the Advanced Birding Video
Series as well as co-author with Kimball Garrett of Birds of Southern
California: Status and Distribution and Warblers. Jon is currently a member
of the American Birding Association’s Board of Directors.
Saturday 8:00–11:00 AM Maximum number: 15 FULL
Sunday 7:00-11:00 AM Maximum
number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Want Salt With Your Alkali Flies?
Join Margaret Rubega
for a walk along the shore to see how birds cope with saline water at Mono Lake.
We’ll attempt to directly observe phalaropes and other shorebirds and through
these observation discuss their ecology. This will include biomechanics, feeding
biology, and osmoregulation and their application to birds at this unique saline
lake.
Presenter: Margaret Rubega
is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
at the University of Connecticut where she specializes in avian functional and
evolutionary morphology and conservation biology. She is also the State
Ornithologist of Connecticut. Her doctoral work included a study of phalaropes,
at Mono Lake in the 90's and her postdoctoral work at the University of Nevada,
Reno addressed salinity effects on Great Basin shorebirds.
Saturday 8:00-9:30
AM Maximum number: 12
Meet in front of the Lee
Vining Community Center.
Yosemite is For The Birds
Join Yosemite Park Ranger/Naturalist Erik Westerlund in an
exploratory hike of the alpine environment of the Tioga Pass area. Expect a
short (1-2 mile), but moderately-strenuous hike up to Gaylor Lakes where we will
look for various finches, American Pipits, White-crowned Sparrows, Prairie
Falcons, Golden Eagles and other high elevation specialists amidst the rugged
cliffs, glacial cirques, and spectacular rock gardens. Note: This is a high
elevation hike at approximately 10,000 feet and above.
Leader: Erik Westerlund has worked as a naturalist in Yosemite since 1992. He received a B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin--Eau Claire and an M.S. in Natural Resource Management from University of Washington-Stevens Point. He spends most of his free time studying the natural history of Yosemite's birds, plants, and insects and is an avid observer of all that is beautiful.
Sunday 7:00-11:45 AM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community
Center.
Tioga Pass to White Wolf
We will bird the “high-country” of
Yosemite National Park at Olmstead Point, Siesta Lake, White Wolf and Tioga . .
. all at elevations above 7,500 ft. We will be seeking Blue Grouse, special
woodpeckers, empidonax flycatchers, mountain finches and many more, all
world-class scenery that can leave you breathless. We’ll also look for
reptiles, amphibians, mammals, butterflies, dragonflies and the more
prominent vegetation, identifying them and discussing their wonders, as we go.
Bring a lunch. Entrance fee to Yosemite not included.
Leader: Rich Stallcup
is a wildlife biologist (specializing
in birds) who has many years of field-experience throughout Western North
America including the Mono Basin and High Sierra. A good friend of David Gaines
and a Mono Lake warrior from the beginning, Rich has also been a senior tour
leader and owner of WINGS, a teacher at Point Reyes Field Seminars and author of
several scientific papers and books like
Ocean Birds of the Nearshore Pacific.
In the late 1960’s, Rich was co-founder of
Point Reyes Bird Observatory and now
serves as a naturalist for PRBO Conservation Science.
Saturday 7:00-3:00 PM Maximum number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
June Lake Loop Bird Walk
Join Kristie Nelson on this birding tour of the scenic June Lake Loop.
This route covers a variety of habitats and therefore we should see a variety of
birds. Reservoirs such as Grant Lake may hold lingering loons or mergansers.
Mountain conifers and aspen riparian are home to many species—including Mountain
Chickadee, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Tanager, and many more. Don’t forget
to scan the skies and cliffs for a possible Golden or Bald Eagle!
Leader: Kristie Nelson has had a love for birds since some of
her earliest memories. After a childhood filled with such activities such as
bird taxidermy and careful field observations, she obtained a wildlife degree at
Humboldt State University. She has conducted ornithological field work
throughout much of the state and serves on the California Bird Records
Committee. She lives in the Mono Basin and is very familiar with its assemblage
of bird life. Her passion for birds is quite contagious!
Saturday 7:30–11:00
am Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Birding at County Park and the Tufa State
Reserve Boardwalk
Wrens, warblers, woodpeckers and water birds can be seen in this rich
variety of habitats. We’ll make our way from the sagebrush through the old
cottonwoods, around the willow thickets and on to the boardwalk to the shoreline
of Mono Lake.
Leader: Chris Elphick is an Assistant Professor in Residence at
the University of Connecticut. His work focuses on the conservation and ecology
of birds, especially in wetlands, and he currently has research projects in
Connecticut, Nevada, California, and Hawaii. He earned his PhD from the
University of Nevada - Reno, for his work on the conservation benefits of
managing California's rice fields for wetland birds. He is a scientific advisor
for the Great Basin Bird Observatory and a coauthor of the forthcoming Nevada
Breeding Bird Atlas. Along with Barny Dunning and David Sibley he co-edited the
Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and writes a nationally syndicated
newspaper column Sibley on Birds.
Sunday 8:00–10:00 am
Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in the parking lot at Mono Lake County Park.
Lundy Canyon Bird Walk
Enjoy a morning birding one of the Mono Basin’s most spectacular
locations—Lundy Canyon. The mixture of aspen-cottonwood riparian habitat with
mature conifers provides prime habitat for a variety of birds. Even some eastern
vagrant warblers were seen here last spring! The beautiful scenery, including
spring wildflowers, should provide additional flavor for this outing.
Leader: Peter Metropulos has spent time exploring and birding
in and around the Mono Basin for 15 years and has an intimate knowledge of Mono
County bird distribution. He has been a sub-regional editor of North
American Birds for San Mateo County for 25 years and has co-authored several
articles and bird-finding guides. He is a practicing horticulturist and is
therefore able to identify and explain the area’s many botanical wonders too!
Saturday 7:00–9:30 am
Maximum number: 15 FULL
Sunday 7:00-9:30 AM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Birding Horse Meadow
Jeff Maurer will lead us on an exploration of Upper and Lower Horse
Meadows in the canyon area just south of Lee Vining Canyon. This area is less
traveled than other canyons of the Mono Basin and the mix of meadow and forest
habitats will no doubt provide a wide range of bird sightings for us. If the
group is willing, we may journey into Gibbs Canyon.
Leader: Jeff Maurer
is a bird ecologist at the University of California, Davis, where he earned an
M. S. in Avian Sciences in 2000, and currently lectures and researches lead
poisoning in California condors. Jeff conducted a study of goshawk ecology in
Yosemite National Park from 1994 to 1998, in which he investigated the role of
forest structure, diet, and forest fires on goshawk nesting and productivity. He
has also researched great gray owls and peregrine falcons in Yosemite, and
conducted counts of migratory hawks at various locations in North America with
Hawkwatch International. Jeff has lived at Crowley Lake and worked for the Inyo
NF. Jeff teaches also with the Sierra Institute and the Yosemite Association,
and enjoys watching shorebirds in California's Central Valley at the magical
spring puddles of water, Mono Lake's smaller cousins, known as vernal pools.
Saturday 7:30–10:30 AM Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
The Mono Basin Rocks!
Take a break from birding this weekend and join Brett Pyle as he teaches
us about the geological history of the Mono Basin. We will hike into Panum
Crater, a beautiful example of a rhyolitic plug-dome volcano, and discuss its
formation as well as the volcanic history of the Mono Basin, the formation and
glaciation of the Sierra Nevada range, and changes in the level of Mono Lake
over time. This pleasant hike offers beautiful views of the lake and the
opportunity to find out how this marvelous area was formed.
Presenter: Brett Pyle is the Retail Manager of the Mono Lake
Committee Information Center and Bookstore and has lived in the Mono Basin for
six years. He has a B.S. in Geology, conducts tours of Panum Crater for Outdoor
Education groups in the summer, and still likes to roam around the basin picking
up rocks.
Saturday 8:30-10:00 AM Maximum number:15
Meet at the Panum Crater parking lot. From Lee Vining, drive approximately 6
miles south on Hwy 395. Turn left on Hwy 120 East and travel another 4 miles to
the Panum Crater sign. Turn left and follow dirt road to the parking area.
Top of the Mono Basin –
Tioga Crest Hike into the Bighorn Additions to the Hoover Wilderness
Join the Friends of the Inyo for a short, but steep, hike over some of
the Eastern Sierra’s most colorful rock to beautiful Gardisky Lake, perched high
above Tioga Canyon at 10,483 feet. From there, we’ll turn north and climb onto
the Tioga Crest for a view down into the headwaters of Lee Vining Creek. Along
with early alpine wildflowers, rosy finches, rock wrens, and possibly
crossbills, we may catch a glimpse of the Sierra’s bravest mountaineer, the
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, as we explore this citizens’ proposed addition to
the Hoover Wilderness. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes and bring lunch, water,
sunscreen, and a hat. This will be a moderately strenuous walk at high altitude.
Leaders: Sally Miller works as a Regional Conservation Representative for The Wilderness Society, and serves in her spare time on the boards of Friends of the Inyo, the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation, and the Mono County Planning Commission. When not working to protect the eastside’s vast public lands, Sally enjoys them on foot and on skis. Paul McFarland is the Executive Director for the Friends of the Inyo(www.friendsoftheinyo.org) , a locally-based non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the Eastern Sierra’s publicly-owned wildlands. He likes to think of birds as little dinosaurs, eat anything organic, and shop locally. To paraphrase poet Gary Snyder, “Go light, stay long, learn the flowers.”
Saturday 7:30-12:30 PM Maximum number: 12
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
South Tufa and Jeffrey Pine Forest
In a small area around the
southwest shore of Mono Lake we’ll find birds that nest in sagebrush scrub and
in dry, mature coniferous forest. These may include Lewis’ Woodpecker, Gray
Flycatcher, Violet-green Swallow, Pinyon Jay, Clark’s Nutcracker, Rock Wren,
Sage Thrasher, Western Tanager, Green-tailed Towhee and Brewer’s and Sage
Sparrows. We’ll also identify and talk about shoreline waterbirds and look for
and admire any reptiles or mammals that might be around.
Presenter: Rich
Stallcup is a
wildlife biologist (specializing in birds) who has many years of
field-experience throughout
Western North America including the Mono Basin and High Sierra.
A good friend of David Gaines and a Mono Lake warrior from the beginning, Rich
has also been a senior tour leader and owner of WINGS, a teacher at Point Reyes
Field Seminars and author of several scientific papers and books like
Ocean Birds of the
Nearshore Pacific. In the late 1960’s, Rich was
co-founder of
Point Reyes Bird Observatory and now serves as a naturalist for PRBO
Conservation Science.
Sunday 8:00-12:00 NOON Maximum number: 15
FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
A Morning Medley of Birds
Chris Elphick will lead us on a hike up the old mining
road toward the May-Lundy Mine. This moderate, but steadily uphill walk
begins at the dam at Lundy Lake and continues through a gold mine of habitats
including sagebrush, aspen groves, rock slides, willow thickets and conifers.
We’ll end up at an elevation just above 8,000 ft. Besides a superb view, we may
see sparrows, wrens, warbling vireos, flycatchers, warblers and many more.
Leader: Chris Elphick is an Assistant Professor in
Residence at the University of Connecticut. His work focuses on the
conservation and ecology of birds, especially in wetlands, and he currently has
research projects in Connecticut, Nevada, California, and Hawaii. He earned his
PhD from the University of Nevada - Reno, for his work on the conservation
benefits of managing California's rice fields for wetland birds. He is a
scientific advisor for the Great Basin Bird Observatory and a coauthor of the
forthcoming Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas. Along with Barny Dunning and David
Sibley he co-edited the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior and writes a
nationally syndicated newspaper column Sibley on Birds.
Saturday 9:30 – 12:00 NOON Maximum number: 15
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Jordan Creek Bird Walk
Jordan Creek graces the slope of the southern lateral moraine of Virginia Creek, feeding the Mono Basin from the northwest. This “island” of aspen riparian habitat in a sea of Great Basin scrub supports riparian species such as Bullock’s Oriole, MacGillivray’s Warbler, Yellow Warbler and Lazuli Bunting, as well as dryland species such as Black-throated Sparrow, Rock Wren, and Fox Sparrow. In the upper elevations of Jordan Creek representatives from the Sierra montane forest such as Cassin’s finch, Western Tanager, Mountain White-crowned Sparrow, Mountain Bluebird, and Blue Grouse can be found. PRBO has documented Jordan Basin as supporting one of the highest diversity of birds in the Eastern Sierra. This hike will mostly be off trail with moderate to strenuous hiking and is bound to see a number of species that aren’t found in the lower elevations of the Mono Basin.
Leader: Jeff Maurer is a bird ecologist at the University of California, Davis, where he earned an M. S. in Avian Sciences in 2000, and currently lectures and researches lead poisoning in California condors. Jeff conducted a study of goshawk ecology in Yosemite National Park from 1994 to 1998, in which he investigated the role of forest structure, diet, and forest fires on goshawk nesting and productivity. He has also researched great gray owls and peregrine falcons in Yosemite, and conducted counts of migratory
hawks at various locations in North America with Hawkwatch International. Jeff has lived at Crowley Lake and worked for the Inyo NF. Jeff teaches also with the Sierra Institute and the Yosemite Association, and enjoys watching shorebirds in California's Central Valley at the magical spring puddles of water, Mono Lake's smaller cousins, known as vernal pools.
Sunday 8:00 – 10:30 AM Maximum number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Birds and Butterflies
This trip starts a bit later in the day to allow the
butterflies time to become active in the warmth of mid-morning. Butterflies are
certainly the most popular of all insects. They become even more interesting if
we look at them as real living creatures with their own place in nature. Kenn
has recently completed a Focus Guide to the Butterflies of North America
and enjoys teaching people about birds and butterflies.
Leader: Kenn Kaufman is a field editor for Audubon
magazine and a regular contributor to other birding magazines. He has led a wide
variety of field trips all over the world and is the author of the Kaufman Focus
Guides – a series of guide books which include Birds of North America;
Butterflies of North America; and recently released Mammals of North America. He
is also the author of Lives of North American Birds; Peterson Field Guide to
Adavanced Birding; and Kingbird Highway which chronicles his hitch-hiking
adventures as he traveled across the North American continent at age 17 in an
attempt to break the single year record of bird species sighted.
Sunday 10:00 – 12:00 NOON Maximum
number: 15 FULL
Meet in front of the Lee Vining Community Center.
Sparrows of the Eastern Sierra and Great Basin
Afternoon Presentation
by Jon Dunn
Join Jon Dunn
for an afternoon presentation on the identification field marks and natural
history and ecology of the infamous and beloved “little brown birds” – otherwise
known as LBB’s. Jon will combine his expertise on sparrow identification with a
huge breath of knowledge on their natural history and ecology. The presentation
will focus on the different species (and subspecies) that can be found in the
Eastern Sierra, how to figure out who is who and why sparrows are the coolest
birds in the Great Basin.
Presenter: Jon Dunn was chief consultant to the National
Geographic Society’s Field Guide to the Birds of North America, the 4th
edition, the last of which was published in 2002. He has extensive knowledge of
the identification and distribution of North American birds and has written
articles on these subjects that have appeared in a wide variety of journals. He
was co-author and the host of the two-video set Large and Small Gulls of
North America in the Advanced Birding Video Series as well as
co-author with Kimball Garrett of Birds of Southern California: Status and
Distribution and Warblers. Jon is currently a member of the American Birding
Association’s Board of Director.
Saturday 4:00 – 5:00
PM Maximum number: 100
Meet in the Forest Service
Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
Kingbird Highway
Evening Presentation by Kenn Kaufman
Kenn will describe his adventures at age 17 as he hitch-hiked across North America in an attempt to break the one year record of bird species sighted on the continent. Kenn’s book “Kingbird Highway” is a classic in the birding world. As Kenn explains in the books preface “…in the early 1970s, we were not birdwatching. We were birding, and that made all the difference. We were out to seek, to discover, to chase, to learn, to find as many different kinds of birds as possible” and “we became a community of birders, with the complications that human societies always have; and although it was the birds that had brought us together, our story became a human story after all”. This is a story about that time. I was fortunate enough to be traveling throughout North America, in pursuit of birds, during that formative era. It was a good time to be on the road, a good time to be very young, a good time to learn and travel and grow while we played this great new game called birding.”
Presenter: Kenn Kaufman is a field editor for Audubon magazine and a regular contributor to other birding magazines. He has led a wide variety of field trips all over the world and is the author of the Kaufman Focus Guides – a series of guide books which include Birds of North America; Butterflies of North America; and recently released Mammals of North America. He is also the author of Lives of North American Birds; Peterson Field Guide to Adavanced Birding; and Kingbird Highway which chronicles his hitch-hiking adventures as he traveled across the North American continent at age 17 in an attempt to break the single year record of bird species sighted.
Friday 7:00–8:00
pm Maximum number: 100
FULL
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
The Art of Seeing
Evening Presentation by John Werminski
Nature is generous in surrounding us with wonders and treats, some that are
quite common but often overlooked. This fascinating program focuses on visual
perception and how we see the natural world, showing what happens when we turn
to the “great book” of nature, not to read its stories, but rather to look at
the pictures within it. This multiple projector slide presentation inspires us
to pay attention to and seek out other perspectives on the natural world. It’s
an experiment in helping us look at the world and its natural phenomena with
curiosity, keen awareness, and a sense of wonder.
Presenter: John Werminski is a Regional Interpretive Specialist
with the California Department of Parks and Recreation in Sacramento. John has
done many interpretive training sessions for State Parks and other agencies. He
is known for his wonderful photography, sensitivity to the natural world, and
ability to remember and recite beautiful quotes from nature writers.
Friday 8:15 – 9:15 PM Maximum number: 100
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
Climate Change and Eastern Sierran Ecosystems
Evening Presentation by Constance
Millar
The natural process of climate change has been largely
ignored in our attempts to understand and manage natural resources, much as the
importance of fire was ignored during the last 50 to 100 years. But recent
research has revealed that climate fluctuations occur more frequently,
regularly, and abruptly than previously thought. New information on climate
change reveals nested cycles at annual, decadal, century, and millennial scales,
having regional to global expression. All of these climate cycles are
accompanied by
measurable changes in vegetation that have significant implications for
conservation and restoration. Connie will discuss her current studies of climate
change, forest response and their important implications for restoration ecology
and resource management in the eastern Sierra Nevada.
Presenter: Constance Millar, Ph.D.
is a senior research geneticist with
the USFS Pacific Southwest Research Station. She studies responses of forests
to climate change and is a recognized expert in the evolutionary dynamics of
pines. She spends her summers near the crest of the
Sierra Nevada and Great Basin ranges
measuring the advance and retreat of mountain meadows and snowfields or coring
gnarled, weather-beaten pines for tree rings to decipher high-elevation climate
change. Millar received her Ph.D. in Genetics and M.S. in Wildland Resources
Science from the University of California, Berkeley. She also holds a B.S. in
Forest Science from the University of Washington. Millar is especially
interested in working with forest managers to plan restoration and conservation
efforts from a climate change viewpoint, including anticipated global warming.
Saturday 7:00-8:00 PM Maximum number:
100
Meet in the Forest
Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
Bird Life on a Lively Earth: Thoughts on the Last Million Years of the Mono
Basin and the Birds that Could Have Lived Here
Evening Presentation by David Winkler
Mono Lake lies in one of the most geologically active regions on Earth.
The lake has risen and fallen tremendously in response to changes in climate,
and it is interesting to imagine what the lake might have been like when it was
many hundreds of feet deeper and expanded into what we now call Nevada. Did it
support fish populations? What birds might have visited the lake then? Were
there icebergs floating in the lake? What were the upland habitats like? And how
would the birds have reacted to any of the numerous volcanic eruptions in and
around the lake? Consideration of this murky past helps us think about how the
birds here today might compare to those that might have been here in the past
and how the current avifauna of the Basin came to be.
Presenter: David W. Winkler, Ph.D. is a professor of Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology and faculty curator of birds at Cornell University. A
California native, he received his Ph.D. from the University of California at
Berkeley with the majority of his work centered on studying breeding California
gulls at Mono Lake. He publishes regularly in journals ranging from Ecology and
Evolution to The Auk, The Condor and Living Bird. His current research focuses
on the life histories of Tachycineta swallows from Alaska to Argentina
through a research collective he has created called Golondrinas de Las Americas
(see
http://golondrinas.cornell.edu). Dr.
Winkler continues to maintain an active role in bird research at Mono Lake, both
through student research on the gulls and an active Golondrinas site in Lee
Vining Canyon.
Saturday 8:15-9:30 PM Maximum number: 100
Meet in the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
Eastern Sierra Bird Trail Map
Evening Intermission
Presentation by Mike Prather
Imagine a map that covers the Eastern Sierra from Owens Lake to
Bridgeport Reservoir and highlights all the best birding places. It will tell
you how to get there, what birds you can expect to see, the best time of year to
view birds in that location, and the facilities that are available at the site.
The Mono Lake Committee, Eastern Sierra Audubon Society, and Owens Valley
Committee all worked very hard to create such a map. And Mike Prather will tell
you all about it!
Presenter: Mike Prather is a past president of the Eastern Sierra Audubon Society and is the current president of the Owens Valley Committee. He actively works on Owens Valley and Owens Lake water and wildlife issues and has been a resident of Inyo County (Lone Pine) for 30 years. He’s also a long time Monophile.
Intermission between Saturday evening
programs.
No pre-registration required. Meet in Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor
Center theater.
Pass the
salt!
Afternoon Presentation
by Margaret Rubega
The ability to regulate the balance of ions and water in
the bloodstream is a crucial matter for aquatic birds that move between saline
and freshwater habitats. In a hypersaline environment like Mono Lake, this issue
determines which birds can and cannot use the lake. In this presentation,
Margaret Rubega will cover the basics of how birds manage the salts and water in
their blood, and discuss how moving from fresh to saline water influences their
biology and behavior, and the sorts of costs saline water presents them with.
Presenter: Margaret Rubega
is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
at the University of Connecticut where she specializes in avian functional and
evolutionary morphology and conservation biology. She is also the State
Ornithologist of Connecticut. Her doctoral work included a study of phalaropes
at Mono Lake in the 1990's and her postdoctoral work at the University of
Nevada, Reno addressed salinity effects on Great Basin shorebirds.
Saturday 2:30–3:30
PM Maximum number: 100
Meet in Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater.
The Making of
Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior
Afternoon Presentation by Chris Elphick
Chris Elphick will talk about the production of the Sibley Guide to Bird Life
and Behavior. Chris was a co-editor of this book, along with Barney Dunning
and David Sibley. In his talk he will describe the process of creating the book
and the incredible diversity of avian behaviors.
Presenter: Chris Elphick is an
Assistant Professor in Residence at the University of Connecticut. His work
focuses on the conservation and ecology of birds, especially in wetlands, and he
currently has research projects in Connecticut, Nevada, California, and Hawaii.
He earned his PhD from the University of Nevada - Reno, for his work on the
conservation benefits of managing California's rice fields for wetland birds.
He is a scientific advisor for the Great Basin Bird Observatory and a coauthor
of the forthcoming Nevada Breeding Bird Atlas. Along with Barny Dunning and
David Sibley he co-edited Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior
and writes a nationally syndicated newspaper column Sibley on Birds.
Saturday 1:00–2:00 PM Maximum number: 100
Meet in Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center theater
Restoration Success on Mono Lake’s Tributaries:
The Willow Flycatcher Comeback on Rush Creek
Afternoon Presentation
by Chris McCreedy
During decades of municipal water diversions in the
twentieth century, the Mono Basin lost not only several hectares of Mono Lake,
but several kilometers of desert riparian habitat on many of Mono Lake's
tributaries. As water has returned to the tributaries, so has riparian vegetation and the birds it supports. Rush Creek hosts an increasing population of California State Endangered Willow Flycatchers, which seem to have reoccupied Rush after decades of absence. The Point Reyes Bird Observatory has monitored Willow Flycatchers on Rush Creek since 2000, and Chris will reveal our results and ruminate on the 2004 field season's most recent findings.
Presenter: Chris McCreedy has worked in the Great Basin, Mojave, and Sonoran Deserts with the Point Reyes Bird Observatory since 1999, and in the Mono Basin since 2001. He enjoys ecology, illustration, writing, and talking to lizards. He coordinates the Point Reyes Bird Observatory’s landbird projects in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts, and has been working on the Rush Creek Willow Flycatcher population since he found them nesting there in 2001.
Saturday 4:30 – 5:30 PM Maximum number: 24
Meet in the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore.
Lower Owens River Project
Update From The Owens Valley Committee
Afternoon Presentation by Mike Prather
Join us Friday afternoon at
the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore for an update on the
Lower Owens River Project given by Mike Prather of the Owens Valley Committee.
The Owens Valley Committee is a non-profit citizen action group dedicated to the
protection, restoration and sustainable management of water and land resources
affecting Owens Valley. The Committee oversees compliance with and
implementation of appropriate water management policy, educates the public,
encourages participation in local government, and advocates an inclusive and
open decision-making process.
Friday 3:00 – 3:30
PM Maximum number: 24
Meet in the Mono Lake
Committee Information Center and Bookstore.
Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua
Welcome Reception and Dinner
Join us Friday afternoon at the Lee Vining Community Center as we begin our third annual Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua! Representatives from all the partners—Mono Lake Committee, US Forest Service, California State Parks, Eastern Sierra Audubon, and Point Reyes Bird Observatory will all be there as will many of this year’s presenters. This year dinner will be served in the Lee Vining Community Center and will once again prepared by one of Lee Vining’s finest chefs, Linda Dore.
This year our buffet dinner will include: Fresh Dinner
Rolls and Butter, Mixed Greens with Orange Honey-Mustard Dressing, Herb Roasted
New Potatoes, Chicken Cordon Bleu – Black Forest Ham and Swiss Cheese wrapped in
a Chicken Brast sautéed with a light Bread Crumb Crust, Roasted Vegetable Lasgna,
and Double Chocolate Brownies, Mini Lemon Tartlets, and Linzertorte Bars for
dessert!
Chef: Linda Dore began her cooking career at Roget’s Restaurant (now
Nevados), and has worked in several other Mammoth restaurants including Nevados,
The Matterhorn, and Anything Goes Café. She delighted Eastern Sierra visitors
and locals alike with her talents as chef at The Mono Inn at Mono Lake for four
years. She studied for eight years under a graduate of the Culinary Academy in
San Francisco. She says, “I like to think that my diploma comes from
‘CatastrophyCooking 101A – Out of the frying pan and into the fire…’ that great
school of experience!”
Cost: $18.00 per person Pre-registration is highly encouraged as this event may sell out.
Get-together reception is Friday 4:00–5:00
pm
Dinner is Friday 5:00-6:30 PM
Both events will be held inside the Lee Vining Community Center.
Mono Lake Wine Flight
A Wine Tasting Benefit - A Cause to Sip!
This is an opportunity to sip wine, listen to music, support a good cause and enjoy some of the best views from any venue anywhere in California—from the Lakeshore Room at The Mono Inn at Mono Lake. Celebrate the beginning of summer as the Mono Lake Committee hosts this event to raise funds for the Mono Basin Field Station which will assist researchers at Mono Lake. We will have several varieties of wine, hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and cello music by Priscilla Hawkins. Wineries include Barefoot Reserves, Barefoot Bubblies, DeLoach, Henry Wine Group, Muir Hanna, Pedroncelli, and Wildhurst.
Cost: $50.00
per person
Saturday 4:00 – 6:30 PM
The Mono Inn at Mono Lake
Book Signing Reception with David Carle
David Carle will be available to sign his recent book Introduction to
Water in California. Dave’s book tells the story of California’s most
precious resource, tracing the journey of water in the state from the atmosphere
to the snowpack to our faucets and foods. Along the way, we learn much about
California itself as the book describes its rivers, lakes, wetlands, dams, and
aqueducts and discusses the role of water in agriculture, the environment, and
politics. Essential reading for a state facing the future with an already
overextended water supply, this fascinating book shows that, for all
Californians, every drop counts.
Friday 2:00-3:00 PM
Meet at the Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore
Under the Waxing Moon
Come and enjoy the utter darkness of the Eastside in the shadows of a New
Moon. Ane Carla Rovetta uses folklore to convey the magic and mystery of our
natural world. Your scientific mind can be lulled to sleep by the crackling fire
and ancient tales. Mono Lake plants and animals will never be the same!
Presenter: Ane Carla Rovetta’s formal
training was as a scientist. Like the painters during the Renaissance, she
believes that science and art are kindred disciplines and has spent most of her
adult life unifying the two in lively public performances throughout the West.
Ane Carla’s “grounding” in natural history has led her to include the earth
around her in her artwork. She makes her own art supplies from a variety of raw
materials. A pen and ink illustrator for over twenty years, Ane Carla has
illustrated five books and maintains a studio in downtown Point Reyes Station,
California. She lives in Sonoma County where her pastel chalks are rolled in a
“funky little outbuilding that used to be a chicken coop.”
Saturday 8:00-9:30 PM Maximum number: 45
Meet at Mono Lake County Park. From Lee Vining, head north on Hwy 395
approximately 5 miles and turn right on Cemetery Road. Go down the hill and look
for parking lot on right.
Chautauqua Authors Will Sign Your Books!
What do Jon Dunn, Kenn Kaufman, David Lukas, Chris Elphick, and Jack Laws
all have in common? They are all presenters at this year’s Chautauqua, world
famous authors, AND they will all be available to sign copies of their books for
you.
Saturday 3:00 – 4:00 PM
Held at the Forest Service Scenic Area Visitor Center.
Picnic and Music at Mono Lake County Park
Join us Sunday afternoon for a picnic in the park complete
with live music by Carrie Newcomer! Carrie’s music defies categorization. She’s
been telling stories and blending diverse musical styles for nearly two decades,
influenced by “singing poets” as well as by the R&B and rock ‘n’ roll she heard
growing up within the range of Chicago’s radio waves. She’s taught songwriting
workshops nationwide, toured consistently, was named Bloomington, Indiana’s
Woman of the Year in 2003, and even has a Grammy, courtesy of Nickel Creek's
cover of Newcomer's song "I Should've Known Better." In 2002 she won the
Folkwax Album and Artist of the Year Award.
In addition to
releasing eight albums she’s played Carnegie Hall, toured Europe with Alison
Krauss and Union Station, and raised impressive funds for charities as diverse
as Planned Parenthood of America, The Nature Conservancy, Literacy Volunteers of
America, The American Friends Service Committee, Habitat for Humanity, and
various health and hunger organizations. “Activism is an integral part of my
work and life and I take the old Quaker adage of ‘let your life speak’
completely to heart,” she says. There is so much to do, and we are only
individuals. But we are all born with gifts and talents and our own small share
of the burden to carry. One life can make a difference. I believe that.”
Feel free to bring your own lunch or consider purchasing lunch from one
of our local community groups and help support their organization. What a great
way to end the Chautauqua! We’ll even continue our traditional “Bird Calling
Contest.” So come enjoy good food, live music, and conversation with new and old
friends as we recap the weekend’s bird sightings or steal away down the
boardwalk for a last-minute glimpse at the birds before ending our birding
weekend.
Sunday Starting at 12:00 NOON
ALL ARE WELCOME!
Held at Mono Lake County Park. From Lee Vining, head north on Hwy 395
approximately 5 miles and turn right on Cemetery Road. Go down the hill and look
for parking directions.
Other things to do during
Chautauqua Week!
Birding at Mono Lake County Park & Tufa State Reserve Boardwalk
Wrens, warblers, woodpeckers and water birds can be seen in this rich
variety of habitats. We’ll make our way from the sagebrush through the old
cottonwoods, around the willow thickets, and down the boardwalk to the shoreline
of Mono Lake. Led by a Mono Lake Committee naturalist.
Friday 8:00–10:00
am No pre-registration
required.
Meet in the parking lot at Mono Lake County Park.
Strange Waters: South Tufa Walk
Discover the unique waters and wildlife of Mono Lake at the South Tufa
Area off Highway 120 east. It is an easy, 1 mile, 1 1/2 hour walk with a
naturalist among the spectacular tufa towers on the lakeshore. Bring water, a
hat, sunscreen, and binoculars. Entrance fee is $3.00 per person for a one-week
pass. Visitors ages 18 and under are admitted free.
Saturday 1:00–2:30
pm No pre-registration
required.
Sunday 1:00–2:30 pm
No pre-registration required.
Meet at the South Tufa site. From Lee Vining, drive approximately 6
miles south on Hwy 395. Turn left on Hwy 120 East and travel another 5 miles to
the South Tufa / Navy Beach turn-off. Turn left following the signs to the left
toward the South Tufa parking lot.
Mono Lake Music and Ecology Camp Concert
The Mono Lake Music and
Ecology Camp will be holding a free concert on Sunday, June 20th
at 5:00 PM at The Mono Inn at Mono Lake. Performers will include
instrumentalists ages 11–18 culminating a week of practicing at the Mono Lake
Music and Ecology Camp.
Sunday, June 20, 5:00 PM No
pre-registration required.
Meet at the Mono Inn at Mono Lake.
For more information contact Priscilla Hawkins at (760) 937-4527.
Sagebrush Ghosts of the North Mono Basin
Mono Basin Historical Society Tour
The Mono Basin Historical
Society presents the Second Annual Sagebrush Ghosts of the North Basin honoring
the history of Lundy Canyon and Copper Mountain. Join us and experience the
essence of the past with stories of the early days. Guest speakers will include
descendants of pioneering families, native Americans, mule skinners, miners, and
more. The tour will meet at the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Lee Vining at 9:00 AM.
Bring water, a bag lunch, lawn chairs, and comfortable walking shoes.
Thursday, June 17,
9:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Meet at
the Old Schoolhouse Museum in Lee Vining. Suggested Donation is
$15.00 per person
For more information or to
purchase your tickets in advance email
mbhs@qnet.com or call Schoolhouse
Museum at (760) 647-6461.
Birding the Eastside*
Mono Lake Committee Field Seminar led by
David
Lukas and Simone Whitecloud
Looking to get
a little focused birding in before the Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua? This Mono
Lake Committee field seminar will focus on the identification and ecology of
birds in the Mono Basin and local Eastern Sierra. We will visit a wide variety
of habitats including desert scrub, marshes, riparian forests, and mountain
slopes, in search of breeding birds and a few late migrants. With over 300
species having been observed in the Mono Basin, this course will be of great
interest to both beginning and more advanced birdwatchers. David Lukas has led
over one hundred birdwatching and natural history programs for The Nature
Conservancy, Yosemite Association, Audubon Society, Elderhostel, and other
groups. He is the author of Watchable Birds of the
Great Basin, Wild Birds of
California, and the
revised Sierra Nevada
Natural History. He is
hard at work on an upcoming field guide toi birds of the Sierra Nevada. Simone
Whitecloud is a Bay Area naturalist with a biology degree from University of San
Francisco. In addition to leading many popular classes in the Bay Area, she has
conducted research on the birds of the Eastern Sierra for PRBO Conservation
Science and co-led bird walks at last year’s Chautauqua.
June 16-18, $110 per person / $95 for Mono Lake Committee members
Limited to
15 participants
Call (760) 647-6595 to register.
*This event filled on March 16 through the Mono Lake
Committee Field Seminar Program, call for waiting list or availability
Mono Lake Committee Information Center and
Bookstore
The Mono Lake Committee Information Center and Bookstore offers a free
video presentation, educational exhibits, and a photography exhibit. You’ll also
find an excellent selection of regional books, maps, T-shirts, posters, local
crafts, and specialty gifts. The Committee also houses the Lee Vining Chamber of
Commerce with information on lodging, dining, and recreation opportunities as
well as weather and road conditions. The Mono Lake Committee will be open from 9
am–10 pm daily
during the Chautauqua and call (760) 647-6595 for more information.
Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area
Visitor Center
The Mono Basin National Forest Scenic Area Visitor Center features an
excellent view of Mono Lake, interpretive displays, a bookstore, and natural
history trails. Make sure to check it all out during the Chautauqua! The
dramatic Mono Lake film Of Ice and Fire will be shown in the theatre when
possible. The Visitor Center will be open 9
am–9:30
pm on Friday and Saturday with the
exhibit hall closing at 6:30 pm for the Chautauqua. Regular Visitor Center hours for May and
June are 9 am–4:30
pm daily, and call (760) 647-3044
for more information.
Mono Basin Historical Society Museum
The Mono Basin Historical Society Museum, located in Lee Vining at Gus
Hess Park, houses a fascinating collection of materials and photographs from the
Mono Basin’s past. See Native American artifacts, gold mining implements, and
even the legendary upside-down house! The museum will be open from 9
am–6
pm daily during the Chautauqua, and
is closed Wednesdays. Call (760) 647-6461 for more information.