2024 Q3 Volunteer
Stephanie Herrera, Associate Biologist, Mono Lake Committee Volunteer Day
Pax Associate Biologist Stephanie Herrera was chosen as Pax’s Q3 employee volunteer and chose to partner with the Mono Lake Committee. Here is what she has to say about the non-profit and her experience volunteering:
On the weekend of October 5th, I was fortunate enough to volunteer with Mono Lake Committee at the Rush Creek Bottom Lands, which feeds into Mono Lake south of the other four creeks. I assisted with field monitoring, which included measuring stream channel morphology and documenting plant communities.
Mono Lake Committee is a non-profit organization working to preserve the iconic Mono Lake, located in Lee Vining, CA. By healing the transformations from excessive water diversions, Mono Lake Committee is protecting this land for future generations and wildlife of the Eastern Sierra. By connecting people to this lake, the Mono Lake Committee teaches about the balance of water needs of people and the environment.
Mono Lake is fed by five streams which include Rush Creek, Mill Creek, Lee Vining Creek, Parker Creek, and Walker Creek; all come from the mountains west of Mono Lake, which supports healthy trout, bird, and wildlife populations. As someone who loves the connections of land and wildlife, I was very grateful for this opportunity to get involved locally where I live supporting data collection on the changes of this creek. I support the work Mono Lake committee does and think it’s important what they do to monitor how the effects of climate change contribute to habitat changes, affecting the lake. Also, monitoring how beavers play a role in water diversion and changes to the landscape.
We spent the day bushwacking through great basin/riparian vegetation, walking through different levels of several streams, locating beaver dams, and spotting wildlife along the way. Measuring the morphology of the streams meant getting into brisk water for periods of time as we read measurements of the stream beds, which turned out to be fun! I helped lead a line of tape through different vegetation communities, crawling through willows and sedges to get to each side of the stream. These plant surveys tell us what used to occur in certain areas and what it is now covered with telling the timeline of changes and what the land as turned into. For example, one area used to be covered in just sage with no water running through it, but due to beaver dams creating new paths for water that land turned into lush meadow-like grounds with water, covered in willow, cottonwood, cattails, and other wetland grasses.
This experience with Mono Lake Committee was amazing to work alongside passionate people who really care about Mono Lake – knowing that my contribution was going to help tell a story about a certain period of the everchanging streams that trout and other wildlife
call home. This information will enable Mono Lake Committee to communicate with the California state waterboard on making decisions for the future of Mono Lake. Getting involved allowed me to learn so much, and I hope this story lets others know that a creek can have a large impact on lakes, and it takes a team to keep the balance of nature healthy!
To learn more about the work Mono Lake committee does please follow the link below: