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Background: Mono Lake and its tributary streams provide an oasis on the western edge of the dry Great Basin and a vital habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. Because vast numbers of grebes, gulls and phalaropes depend on the lake during their annual migrations, along with approximately 100 other bird species, Mono Lake was designated as a part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. Fifty years of diversions by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) resulted in the lake dropping 45 vertical feet and the loss of riparian and deltaic habitat. Today, Mono Lake is undergoing restoration ordered by the California State Water Resources Control Board (Water Board).
The problem
While the Water Board ordered monitoring of specific restoring habitats and of waterfowl, no one is looking at the overall recovery of the ecosystem, in particular the effects of restoration on the many other bird species (other than waterfowl) that depend on Mono Lake and its streams. Little attention is being directed to monitoring trends in the bird populations (other than waterfowl) that depend on the restoring habitats.
Project participants
The Mono Lake Committee worked with Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Dr. David Winkler of Cornell University, scientists from the Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, Bureau of Land Management, the L.A. Department of Water and Power, state Department of Fish & Game, state Department of Parks and Recreation, U.S. Forest Service, Eastern Sierra Audubon Society.
The project
NAFEC funds were used to support community-assisted research and monitoring on the linkages between restoring habitats and bird population effects and to share the information with parties engaged in restoration. Long-term, the goal is to use specific, collaborative fieldwork in 2000 to generate a multi-agency/community-supported vision and action plan for an ecosystem approach to research and monitoring at Mono Lake as this internationally important resource--Mono Lake--begins its long process of restoration.
Specific actions and outcomes in 2000 included:
California Gull. Community-assisted research and monitoring focused on answering questions about the ecological mechanisms--particularly foraging behavior and diet--underlying changes in gull numbers and breeding productivity. In contrast to 1998 and 1999, in 2000 gull productivity was high possibly linked to changes taking place in Mono Lake. The report will be posted on www.monolake.org/birdcounts.
Riparian songbird. Preliminary point count and area search data in the eastern Sierra suggest that the Mono Basin has a rich and diverse breeding bird community, including two species that have become rare elsewhere in the state, warranting a closer examination. In 2000, the project was expanded in the Mono Basin to determine whether Mono Basin creeks harbor source or sink songbird populations. The final report will be posted on www.monolake.org/birdcounts. Songbird results will be shared with BBIRD and MAPS databases.
Shorebird census. Regional volunteers gathered in April and August to conduct a lake-wide shorebird census. Results of these surveys will be posted on www.monolake.org/birdcounts.
Clearinghouse. MLC created a migratory bird page (www.monolake.org/birdcounts) where interested parties can access information about Mono Lake's birds, recent sightings, research reports, etc.
Collaboration and communication. MLC, PRBO, USFS, BLM, DWP, State F&G, State DPR, and others participated in meetings and ongoing dialogue about the research and progress with restoration at Mono Lake.
IBA application. Applied for designation of the Mono Basin as an Important Bird Area. The application will be posted on www.monolake.org/birdcounts.
For more information about the project contact Heidi Hopkins at the Mono Lake Committee (heidi@monolake.org; 760-647-6595).
Mono Lake Committee
Lee Vining, California, United States
http://www.monolake.org
For more information about this grant, please contact the CEC Secretariat.
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United States 
