If you lived in California in the 70's, I'm sure you heard the mantra...
"Save MonoLake"...
Los Angeles DWP had been diverting water from the streams and creeks
that fed Mono Lake and the lake was going down rapidly.
Several things were occurring...
The lake water became more and more salty...it is now 2-3 times as
salty as the ocean. If it got much saltier, the fear was that the brine shrimp
that fed the gulls would begin to die off and the lake would be engulfed by
the algae that forms every winter. (Remember...I mentioned in an earlier
post that about 80% of the California Gulls nest and raise their broods here and did
I mention that Mono Lake is the oldest lake in North America??)
But what clinched the deal was the land bridge to the black island (in the first photo)
That land bridge was allowing the coyotes and other wild critters to
cross over from the lake shore to the island and snack on baby Gulls...
Now you might ask..."Land bridge? What land bridge?"
Look closely at the top picture...see the point of beach pointing at the
black island? That used to stretch all the way to the island.
This island is one of the main nesting spots of the California Gulls.
Currently, there's a mile radius past the island that you may not enter during
nesting season...of course...tell the gulls that that's their designated spot...
This little island is about 25 yards from the shore, within a half mile to
Hwy 395!!!
Hopefully...Louis la Vache will allow me to post my
land bridge in his Sunday Bridges meme!
