Birders and Scientists Unite for a Celebration of Saline Lakes Across the Hemisphere

By: Max Malmquist and Marina Castellino

Nestled on the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and overlooking Mono Lake sits the quaint city of Lee Vining, California, dwelling to the annual occasion—“The Mono Basin Bird Chautauqua.” Each June, a vibrant neighborhood of scientists, conservationists, birders, and fowl lovers assemble right here for the four-day-long gathering. Lately, the Chautauqua, organized by the Mono Lake Committee, has developed into not solely a fowl competition, but in addition a convergence of minds enthusiastic about understanding and preserving the fragile ecosystems of saline lakes, their fowl populations and the encircling communities that depend on them. 

From Nice Salt Lake in Utah, to Mono Lake in California, to Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina, representatives from saline lakes throughout the hemisphere gathered this previous June on the Chautauqua to debate varied features of saline lake ecosystems—how they perform, how they’re impacted by human actions, and what could be finished to guard them.  

Since 2017, Audubon’s Saline Lakes Program has been engaged on the conservation of saline lakes all through the Intermountain West. Because the Engagement Supervisor of the Saline Lakes program, Max Malmquist was honored to hitch this 12 months’s Chautauqua as a speaker and panelist.  

Takeaways from the Chautauqua 

Along with discipline journeys, workshops, and birding actions, this 12 months’s competition featured talks by scientists and conservationists working on the forefront of saline lake conservation efforts.

Subjects ranged from the hydrology of saline lakes and the impacts of water diversion on fowl populations to the newest conservation methods being employed to guard migratory species. The discussions produced some key takeaways:  

Quite a bit has been completed with saline lake conservation, however we’ve an extended solution to go.  

​​​​​The desiccation of saline lakes across the world has led to grave consequences, from complete ecosystems collapsing to lack of livelihoods and financial crises. Thus far, there’s not a single instance of a saline lake being restored to wholesome ranges, however many efforts are nicely underway to reverse these long-term declines at saline lakes within the western hemisphere.  

At these terminal lake methods, water flows in however solely exits by evaporation. More and more, the water flows coming into these water our bodies have dropped attributable to diversions and our warming local weather. Whereas these saline lakes are a part of a hemispheric community of specialised habitats that assist hundreds of thousands of waterbirds, every saline lake presents distinctive circumstances within the specialised ecosystems it helps, and the complexity of the challenges it faces and the long-term implications of its decline. Variations vary from the scale of the lake ecosystem, measurement of close by populations, scale and impression of penalties (e.g., mud), variety of influx tributaries, and native governance and administration.  

​​​Given the individuality of every ecosystem, totally different conservation methods are being carried out at saline lakes throughout the West to make sure they will proceed to thrive. Some key methods embrace wetland restoration and monitoring initiatives, invasive species removing, and inventive water supply options, amongst many others. 

There are key wants to make sure saline lakes present for future generations of birds and folks. 

A few of these key wants mentioned on the Chautauqua embrace:  

• Funding – whereas vital funding has been devoted to saline lakes, investments must be vital and constant to make sure long-term effectiveness. From public to non-public {dollars}, discovering and leveraging funding alternatives shall be key to conservation efforts shifting ahead. 
• Collaboration and Communication – saline lakes are all going through related threats. It doesn’t matter what state efforts are occurring at particular person saline lakes, we will all study from one another. Whereas a lot of the work at saline lakes has been finished in North America, migratory birds just like the Wilson’s Phalarope depend on saline lakes habitats throughout the complete Western Hemisphere throughout their annual cycle. Hemispheric conservation is important to guard this species (and others). A lot of what we’ve discovered in North America must be shared with our neighborhood and authorities counterparts within the Southern Hemisphere.  
• Schooling and Future Generations – altering our water use habits and educating the subsequent era and communities in regards to the significance of saline lake ecosystems shall be very important to our success. We additionally must create extra alternatives for future generations of Saline Lake specialists and champions.  

Future Champions of Saline Lakes 

One other panelist at this 12 months’s occasion was Marina Castellino. Spearheading training efforts and pathways for the subsequent era of champions for saline lakes and birds that depend on them is a particular focus for Marina, who’s the Youth Engagement and Schooling Specialist for the Govt Workplace of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network (WHSRN) housed inside Manomet Conservation Sciences.  Marina is predicated in Miramar de Ansenuza, a small vacationer vacation spot city close to Laguna Mar Chiquita in Argentina, the place she began in 2021 Expertise Ambientalia, an academic program that connects college students and lecturers from Mar Chiquita with communities and companions from different saline lakes, like Mono Lake and Nice Salt Lake.  

Primarily based in Laguna Mar Chiquita, this program engages round 200 college students and 45 lecturers yearly, who find out about their dwelling ecosystem and saline lakes throughout the hemisphere. Moreover, groups of scholars referred to as “flocks” design and implement conservation initiatives over the course of eight months. This system expanded to Mono Lake in 2023 and college students from each websites have been participating in simultaneous coastal cleanups, birdwatching actions, on-line scientific coffees and in-person exchanges. 

“Packages like Experiencia Ambientalia and neighborhood celebrations such because the inspiring Mono Basin Hen Chautauqua function highly effective catalysts for collaboration, fostering significant partnerships and advancing impactful conservation efforts. I’m proud to be a part of the rising community of organizations working collectively to guard saline lakes,” mentioned Marina. 

4 Expertise Ambientalia alternate college students, two of whom simply accomplished their exchanges and two who have been getting ready for his or her exchanges, spoke about this system and their experiences. 

“It was very shifting to listen to how this system had modified and influenced their lives, and the way it could impression their futures. One of many alternate college students had simply begun working for the Mono Lake Committee, a direct results of being a part of this system and discovering his ardour for Saline Lakes,” Marina mentioned. 

At the moment, this system is increasing its efforts to different saline lakes like Lake Abert, Walker Lake, and coming again to Nice Salt Lake, which had beforehand participated in some actions, however will now develop into a key companion shifting ahead on this journey. 

Read more about the hemispheric link between these saline lakes and the birds that depend on them.

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Whereas it’s clear there’s nonetheless a lot to be finished relating to the conservation and restoration of saline lakes, gatherings just like the Mono Basin Hen Chautauqua are a reminder of the significance of neighborhood, collaboration, and taking the time to rejoice saline lake ecosystems for the extremely exceptional locations they’re. Saline lake conservation is a marathon, and occasions just like the Chautauqua are pit stops alongside the journey. For these working to protect these lakes, it is a chance to relaxation, refuel, and revitalize hope, very like the best way that birds depend on this community of habitats each 12 months throughout their migration journeys.