Lee Vining, CA #3 - Day Trips to Mono Lake - South Tufa

GET-YUR-MOTOR-RUNNIN'  ROAD TRIP

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Day Trips to Mono Lake - South Tufa
November 24, 2013  (Day 41 of 44)

Miles Today: 40 / Trip Miles: 4,234

Click on Map for Larger Map

Winter is a beautiful time at Mono Lake  (pronounced "mow-no"). Morning and evening temperatures were in the mid-30s. Weather at noon was sunny and 45 degrees. Few people visit this time of year, and a quiet stillness prevails. Most of the snow that covered the desert two days ago has disappeared. There is always wildlife to see. Today, I shared the lake with swallows, ducks and rabbits. Happily, the annoying alkali flies are inconspicuous during the cold winter season.  

Mono Lake has two major islands (Negit Island and Paoha Island) and numerous minor outcroppings, including tufa rock formations. The lake's water level is variable. The tufa towers are calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. 

Mono Lake covers about 65 square miles. It is an ancient lake—over 1 million years old and one of the oldest lakes in North America. Because it doesn't have an outlet, salts and minerals that have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams remain as the freshwater evaporates from the lake. This has resulted in a lake that is about 2 1/2 times as salty as the ocean, and very alkaline.

This desert lake has an unusually productive ecosystem based on brine shrimp that thrive in its waters. The lake also provides critical nesting habitat for migratory birds that feed on the shrimp. The hypersalinity and high alkalinity of the lake means that no fish are native to the lake. An attempt by the California Department of Fish and Game to stock the lake failed. The Mono Lake brine shrimp are no bigger than a thumbnail. During the warmer summer months, an estimated 4-6 trillion brine shrimp inhabit the lake. Brine shrimp have no food value for humans, but are a staple for birds of the region. The brine shrimp feed on microscopic planktonic algae which reproduce rapidly during winter and early spring after winter runoff brings nutrients to the surface layer of water. The food chain of the lake is based on the high population of single-celled algae present in the warm shallow waters. By March, the lake is pea soup green with photosynthesizing algae.  Alkali flies live along the shores of the lake and walk underwater encased in small air bubbles for grazing and to lay eggs. These flies are an important source of food for migratory and nesting birds.

Mono Lake is a vital resting and feeding stop for migratory shorebirds, and has been recognized as a site of international importance by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Nearly 2,000,000 waterbirds, including thirty-five species of shorebirds, use Mono Lake to rest and eat for at least part of the year. Some of the shorebirds that depend on the resources of Mono Lake include American avocets, killdeer and sandpipers.  Over 1.5 million eared grebes and phalaropes use Mono Lake during their long migrations. Late every summer tens of thousands of phalaropes arrive from their nesting grounds, and feed until they continue their migration. In addition to migratory birds, a few species spend several months to nest at Mono Lake.  Mono Lake has the second largest nesting population of California gulls, second only to the Great Salt Lake in Utah. 

In 1941, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began diverting Mono Lake's tributary streams to meet the growing water demands of Los Angeles. Deprived of its freshwater sources, the volume of Mono Lake was cut in half, while its salinity doubled. The lake level dropped almost twenty-five vertical feet. Unable to adapt to these changing conditions within such a short period of time, the ecosystem began to collapse.  For more information on the battle against LADWP's insatiable thirst for water see my 11/22/13 blog post.

Photos:

Click on photos for a larger image.

All photos © 2014 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved. 

Clouds Blanket Sierras
View of Sierra Nevada mountains from the South Tufa area of Mono Lake.
[flickr]

Tufa Towers

These tufa towers were underwater prior to City of Los Angeles' water diversions starting in 1941. The Sierra Nevada mountains are in the background. Location: South Tufa area of Mono Lake.
[flickr]

Mono Lake
View from South Tufa area looking southwest at tufa towers and Sierra Nevada Mountains.
[flickr]

Tufa Towers at Dusk #1
Location: South Tufa area of Mono Lake.
[flickr]

Tufa Towers at Dusk #2
Location: South Tufa area of Mono Lake.
[flickr]

Today's Route & Destination:
Scenic Rating: A-
Driving Fun/Road Rating: B+.

Highway 120 is a fun, fast road to drive. Test Station Road is gravel but in good condition.

Tomorrow:

Heading home via US-395 to Susanville, California; then west to Interstate 5. Should be home in a few days.