The USGS team that has been studying microbes in Mono Lake for years has made a new discovery this year. Red Mono Lake bacteria in hot springs on Paoha Island appear to be the first example of photosynthesis using arsenite.

Investigations of CO2 Emissions From Holocene Volcanic Features of Mono Lake and the Mono Craters Volcanic Chain in Eastern California, USGS. You need to login on AGU's Website to view the poster.

The report from the first quarter of this year reveals that a big decline due to disease hit the Mt. Warren herd over the 2007-08 winter. Nearby domestic sheep allotments are a likely source of disease.

LA Department of Water and Power's Annual compliance reporting including monitoring results from the 2007 season on lake limnology, hydrology, waterfowl, fish, and streams.

Caltrout has provided a CD with five documents from Elden Vestal's participation in the Water Board hearings in the early 1990s. These documents paint a picture of the Mono Basin in the 1930s and 1940s, including copies of his original notes and photos. We've posted these PDF documents (largest 25 MB) here.

Updated to include 2008 plantings and survival counts is the list of riparian plantings and survival since 1993. Roughly 2350 out of 4800 planted trees are surviving, about 49%.

We link to the Los Angeles Mayor's 20-year strategy, released in May 2008, for meeting all new demand in the city of LA with water conservation and recycling.

In talking to Bill Nay about the Nay Ranch, where the new Visitor Center to Old Marina trail is being built, he has sent us historical photos that could be used in interpretive panels. We've posted a few of the photos here that are of Mono Basin historical interest.

A September 1973 report by Ronald M. Jurek, California Department of Fish and Game.

Weather records for Lee Vining for Jan-Sept 2008. There was a lot of precipitation in January and May and it was below average otherwise, adding up to 13.24 inches for the water year (96%). April to September precipitation has been only 45% of average (1.28"), with almost all of it coming in the last week in May. In fact, there were 8 months in the 2008 Water Year that had less than 1/4 inch of precipitation. In 1991 there were 9 months (and 1993 almost beat this year with 7 months). Some of these numbers may not match exactly what you see on the Website since they are taken from official NOAA records.

You won't find this on the Website, but I thought it would be fun to include in this update. MIT researchers have discovered that oxygen exchange occurs in bubbles used by underwater insects. "Thanks to those air bubbles, insects can stay below the surface indefinitely and dive as deep as about 30 meters..."