Storm over Mono: The Mono Lake Battle and the California Water Future - Hardcover

Hart, John

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0520201213 ISBN 13: 9780520201217

Publisher: University of California Press, 1996

Synopsis

A dramatic environmental saga unfolds in John Hart's compelling story of the fight to save Mono Lake. This ancient inland sea, in the eastern Sierra near Yosemite National Park, is among the oldest in North America. But over the past fifty years, as its feeder streams were steadily drained to supply water to ever-growing, ever-thirsty Los Angeles, the lake's water volume eventually was reduced by half. Mono Lake's bizarre but productive ecosystem began to collapse: salinity greatly increased, nesting and migrating birds were threatened, and fierce alkali dust storms became a common occurrence.

Then, in the mid-1970s, a handful of people, most of them students with minimal financial resources, began a campaign to save the dying lake. They took on not only Los Angeles but the entire state government and a whole way of thinking about water. Their fight seemed doomed in the beginning, but long years of grassroots education and effort finally paid off. In 1994, the California Water Resources Control Board ruled that Los Angeles's use of Mono Lake's waters be restricted. Over time, the lake will return to a healthy condition.

John Hart integrates natural, social, and political history into a story that is a source of hope for anyone concerned about the environment. Storm over Mono demonstrates the important role of science in public policy debates and validates the concept of the public trust, the idea that certain things belong to us all, not metaphorically but in simple legal fact.

Complementing Hart's narrative are 32 stunning color photographs by a dozen leading nature photographers, along with numerous black-and-white photographs, illustrations, and maps.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

"A rich, absorbing, and illuminating account of one of the longest and most fiercely-contested conservation battles in U.S. history—and that rare one (especially in these times) with a happy ending."—Marc Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert

"This book is a must-read, not just for the singular lake and its surroundings, but for other Mono Lakes to come."—Galen Rowell

"The battle to save Mono Lake is more than a fight to save a lake. It's really about the struggle to establish a new morality that would put humans and their environment on a compatible path. A path that allows for human development and the maintenance of our natural heritage."—John Garamendi, Deputy Secretary of the Interior

"In this comprehensive account, John Hart chronicles the perennial challenge to conserve our natural resources while maintaining quality of life in a rapidly growing and changing world. It is a delicate balance—and this engaging analysis sheds new light on this complex issue."—Richard J. Riordan, Mayor of Los Angeles

"The Future of the American West will depend on resolving the false conflict between economic development and environmental protection. This book tells the history of Mono Lake, where environmental concerns played a decisive role in reallocating California water, and gives us hope that these goals are not incompatible."—Bill Bradley, United States Senator

From the Back Cover

"A rich, absorbing, and illuminating account of one of the longest and most fiercely-contested conservation battles in U.S. history (and that rare one (especially in these times) with a happy ending." (Marc Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert)

Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0520201213
• ISBN 13: 9780520201217
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 253