Mono Lake - Worth Fighting For

Mono Lake, 100 miles around, has no outlet except evaporation (4 ft per year), no fish, but has billions of alkali flies and trillions of brine shrimp, food for millions of migrating birds and coastal gulls, who fly all the way here to mate and raise their young.

Los Angeles bought the lake and, in 1941, diverted its inflowing waters south, dropping the water level dangerously low. Environmentalists fought back in the late 70s and, after a 10-year legal battle, won. The birds are happy, we're happy.


These strange towers, called tufa, appeared when the lake level dropped.