Guide to Mono Lake: Exploring Tufa Towers, a Home to Trillions, and the Fight for Its Water

Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in North America — estimated at more than a million years old. For all that time, Eastern Sierra streams have been pouring in, carrying salts and minerals down from the mountains. With no outlet, water can only leave through evaporation. The salts stay behind, leaving water 2.5 times saltier than the ocean and highly alkaline. A handful of species have evolved to thrive in exactly these conditions, and they do it in staggering numbers. I'll share how to best explore this special lake, and all the details about its existence and the life it supports that make it so fascinating beyond its beauty.