Perhaps in Sierra-Nevada, California

Alex Vinokur holds a copy of the Sunny Isles Beach Sun along the shores of Mono Lake. Nestled at the edge of the arid Great Basin and the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains in California, Mono Lake is an ancient saline lake. It covers more than 70 square miles and supports a unique and productive ecosystem. While the lake has no fish; it is home to trillions of brine shrimp and alkali flies. The water source for the lake comes from freshwater streams. Along the lakeshore there are scenic limestone formations known as tufa towers which rise from the water's surface. Millions of migratory birds stop by the lake each year.

From 1941 until 1990, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (DWP) diverted water from Mono Basin streams. This caused the lake to drop 45 vertical feet, or half its volume, and double in salinity. In 1994, after more than ten years in court, the California State Water Resources Control Board was able to order the DWP to allow more stream water into the lake. The result was a healthier lake with a rise in the water level to 6,392 feet above sea level--twenty feet above its historic low.

You too can appear in an issue of the paper. When you travel, take a copy of the Sunny Isles Beach Sun newspaper with you, pose with the paper in front of a landmark or with your group. Send the photo with the highlights of your trip to the address below. If you would like your original photograph returned, include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your correspondence.

City of Sunny Isles Beach
Attn: Alayne Yeash
18070 Collins Avenue
Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 33160

or e-mail to ayeash@sibfl.net