California Gull reproductive success in 2007 was relatively low overall, with the 5th-lowest numbers of nesting gulls recorded since 1983. Changing lake levels (submerging nesting areas) and reestablishment of meromixis were factors contributing to the low productivity. [Note: Meromixis ended by mid-December 2007, foreshadowing a high-productivity year for 2008.]

We've posted a few historical documents describing the construction of the Mono Craters Tunnel in the late 1930s. Thanks to Dave Carle who let us copy documents that he discovered during his historical research. We also have relevant portions of LADWP's annual reports for the construction years--look for those in a future update.

This January 1996 PRBO report to the Inyo National Forest by David Shuford and Peter J. Metropulos was never finalized, even though the title says "preliminary results". This is the authoritative report on the birds of the Glass Mountain region!

Every three years the Great Basin Air Pollution Control District reports on the Mono Basin's progress toward attainment of air quality standards. This October 2007 13-page progress report is the update following the September 2004 report. It reports that recent wet years have raised the lake back up to where predicted average runoff would put it. Air quality violations are still occurring.

We added eight missing volumes of testimony, including the hearings in Los Angeles and Mammoth Lakes. You can read your fellow citizens' eloquent comments encouraging the SWRCB to protect Mono Lake.

Digital copies of original John Muir journals and his drawings are now available online through the University of the Pacific! A search for "Mono" results in 7 drawings, and a search for "Mono" in the journal title results in 95 journal pages.

Mono Lake made the cover of the December 2007 Environmental Science and Technology! By Jenny C. Fisher, Dirk Wallschläger, Britta Planer-Friedrich, and James T. Hollibaugh.

Monthly weather summaries for Lee Vining for September, October, November, and December have been posted. Also, the 2007 annual summary was posted. Note that this data from our automated station is unofficial and differs from the official NOAA Cooperative Observer station a few feet away--however there are minor differences and it gives a good idea of what the weather was like. Also, the wind and humidity data is unavailable elsewhere.