Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/994766
Some classrooms hatch trout from eggs and release them into the streams. A small group of people calling them- selves Kutzadika'a inhabited the region before European settlers. Students fre- quently find their arrowheads, and are asked to leave them in place to comply with the Archaeological Resources Pro- tection Act. e name Kutzadika'a means "fly eat- ers." Some Native American families in the area demonstrate basket weaving and hoop dancing to students and other groups at the Visitor Center. Some Lee Vining students have even eaten fly larvae at these events, which were a rich source of protein for native tribes. Building a lesson around tufa towers Ironically, the lake's demise led to it being a tourist attraction for " tufa towers," or calcium carbonate spires and knobs for m ed by int era ction of fre shwat er springs and alkaline lake water. e tow- ers grow only underwater, and some grow to a height of 30 feet or more. e reason visitors can see so much tufa now is that the lake level fell dramatically after water was diverted to Los Angeles. To protect these fragile formations, the California Legislature established the Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve in 1981. e tufa towers inspire chemistry les- sons, and students create their own "lake water" and "tufa towers" in the classroom with Garcia and Silliker, to better under- stand the process. Within Mono Lake's waters are 31 J U N E / J U L Y 2 018 A Story of Near Death and Revival I N 19 41, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) began diverting Mono Lake's tributary streams 350 miles south to meet the water demands of Los Angeles. Mono Lake lost 50 percent of its water, and its salinity doubled. The ecosystem began to collapse. Islands, once nesting sites for birds including California gulls, became peninsulas vulnerable to mammalian and reptile predators. The rate of photosynthesis of algae, the base of the food chain, was reduced, while reproductive abilities of brine shrimp became impaired. Stream ecosys- tems unraveled. Air quality worsened as the exposed lakebed became the source of airborne particulate mat- ter — violating the Clean Air Act — and toxic alkali dust storms arose on windy days from exposed salt flats. Ducks and geese dis- appeared. By 1982, the lake level was more than 40 vertical feet below the pre-diver- sion level. Without intervention, Mono Lake was destined to become a lifeless wasteland. The Mono Lake Committee was cre- ated in 1978 to fight these conditions, join- ing with conservation clubs, schools, service organizations, legis- lators, lawyers and others to educate the public about the importance of saving this high desert lake. The committee grew to 20,000 members and gained legal and legislative power. In the late 1970s, "Save Mono Lake" bumper stickers could be seen on cars everywhere, as the lake came to symbolize the need to preserve and protect the environment. The citizen action group has stayed strong by work- ing with the public and a coalition of government agencies and nonprofits. Through negotiations, litigation and legislation, the committee's efforts continue today. The State Water Resources Control Board ordered the restoration of Mono Lake in 1994, with LADWP responsible for implementing the plan that included reopening a chan- nel and controlling water release by remote control to take sediment downstream. The goal is to raise the water level, reduce salinity, eliminate dust storms, and reconnect the lake to springs and deltas. Mono Lake will never be completely restored, how- ever, because Los Angeles needs water. So eventually the lake will be 25 feet lower than pre-diversion level, the streams will carry less annual flow, and the former cottonwood-willow riparian forests will take 50 years to come back. While ongoing res- toration efforts have improved the Mono Basin ecosystem, the biggest lesson is that it is always better to prevent damage than rely on restoration.